A BEAUTIFUL DAY ON THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

Hi Everyone,Welcome to day 19 of our voyage. The Crew awoke to another beautiful day on the Atlantic Ocean this morning but due to lack of wind we have had to continue to motor sail which certainly isn’t our preference.Following breakfast and our normal morning brief morning I conducted Captains Setting and Furling Drills with all three of the three watches impressing me with their safety and skills throughout this activity. Once completed, all hands pitched in to lower the forestaysail then under the guidance of the Sail Master ‘Dougie’ learnt how to repair a sail.This afternoon, following a short ‘siesta’ Miquela our multi skilled Navigator conducted a well attended fitness class then we handed in all sail, shutdown main engines then everyone enjoyed our first refreshing 30min swim of the voyage in the crystal clear water of the Atlantic Ocean.At 1600 with everyone out of the water we again got underway, set fore and aft sail then continued to motor sail south in very light conditions. The time is now 2040 and currently we are located 350nm to the north of the Canary Islands.Volunteering to write tonight’s Log is Kate, Zac and Nina from Red watch so please enjoy reading about their day.Until tomorrow, take careYours AyeCaptain GavCAPTAINS LOG 09/09/15AhoyWell today was an absolute cracker! Flat ocean, blue sky, perfect temperature. It’s hard to imagine back to a fortnight ago when going up on deck without foul weather gear on wasn’t on anyone’s agenda. It was perfect conditions for the Reddies (first on watch) to learn a bit of astro-navigation from our amazing nav; the lack of swell made it easier to use a sextant…. Something that is not usually that easy!Having spent the night busily studying in anticipation of the Captains setting and furling challenge, Red watch were ready to get things started. This was Captain Gav’s chance to see each watch set and furl a number of fore and aft sails within a designated time-frame without the guidance of any staffies. All watches completed this task with flying colours. It’s great to know that Captain Gav and the rest of the staffies have confidence in the World Voyage Crew to sail this ship safely and competently.We then had the opportunity to take down the forestaysail, which had a few worn spots, and were taught how to repair sails. With the whole crew helping out the small holes were patched quickly and we were back sailing in no time, with the crew all learning another valuable skill along the way.After another fabulous lunch curtesy of Marcus and his trusty Masterchefs, we had another cheeky siesta – something that all the crew are becoming quite accustomed to! Recharged and ready to go, most of the crew mustered on deck to participate in Miquela’s extreme personal training session… leaving all the World Voyagers trim and terrific and keen to cool off.And to top off a perfect day, we had the first opportunity of the voyage to have a swim in the Atlantic Ocean! With earlier reports of whales and turtles off our port side, everyone was eager to get in the crystal clear waters which were perfect water temperatures. We enjoyed a half an hour splash, with most of us jumping from the bow sprit, showing off some interesting moves ranging from bomb dives to belly flops. It’s an amazing feeling to know that you are swimming with 4km of ocean underneath you and no land in sight. The dip was enjoyed by everyone and was a great way to cool off before getting back to regular duties.Some dolphins are currently playing around the bow, so it’s time to go…Until next time!Kate, Zac and Nina (red watch)Hey all! Having an amazing time. Got to put my goggles on and peek down into the atlantic today! Weather is sseriously hotting up and I’m getting an impressive sunglasses tan already. Hat hat hat hat hat. Hope you’re all well. Missing you KB. Love Nina