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A BUSY DAY
Hi Everyone,Welcome to day 28 of our voyage. It was not a day of rest for our World Voyagers today with fridges, pantry, flour store, engine room and bilges to be cleaned plus a de-rust scrub done of the upper deck and bright work polished so it has been a busy day and the ship is starting to look pretty good with a little more work still required tomorrow to have us looking good for our arrival in Fremantle.Besides all this work everyone has taken advantage of the warmer weather with shorts a t-shirts making an appearance and thermals starting to be packed away. These conditions have also given those that wished the opportunity to sit out on the bowsprit (some getting a little wet) and others the chance to achieve that final goal of climbing to the top of both masts.The wind gods have been against us for most of the day with moderate headwinds which has slowed our boat speed considerably. That said, just before I started to write this log the wind veered to the ESE which enabled us to set fore and aft sail and thankfully we are now back achieving good speeds again, because to be honest I would hate to be late for our welcome home reception.Currently we are located 240nm WSW of Fremantle motor sailing in light to moderate ESE winds which are expected to veer to the south overnight.Kindly volunteering to write the second last Captains Log for this voyage is Jamie and Alice, please enjoy!Until tomorrow, take careYours AyeCaptain GavCAPTAIN’S LOG – 20 DEC 15Ahoy!Hello from 250 nautical miles off the Australian coast! Given it’s now the 20th we only have three days left of our voyage, which is leaving everyone with very mixed feelings. There’s the excitement of seeing our loved ones, having proper showers and properly washed clothes, as well and the fact it’s so close to Christmas! However these feelings are tempered by disappointment that we’re all going to have to return to the real world and say goodbye to this magnificent ship.Unfortunately the winds are currently against us meaning we have to motor sail as the priority is getting to Fremantle on time. Apart from this, however, the weather has improved remarkably – shorts and t-shirts are now more common than five layers of thermals underneath wet weather gear. It makes a really lovely and a very welcome change. Today gave us lots of lovely sunshine, with the occasional moments of rain – just to keep us on our toes! As a result, bowsprit riding is now very popular, though it’s not without its dangers, especially when Capt Gav is on the helm. There seem to be a remarkable number of people who’ve got soaked! It’s a testament to how much fun it is that people keep going out there anyway.We’re all now really getting into preparations for arriving back in Australia, which today meant lots and lots of cleaning, and even more polishing, with more to come tomorrow. As it turns out happy hour isn’t the only happy time of the day with each watch splitting up to conquer a different part of the ship, for the Reddies this meant cleaning the engine room and the bilges.Aside from all the cleaning people continue to achieve the goals they set themselves at the start or part way through this voyage. In the last 24hrs both Jamie and Alice V made it to the top of the main mast, which is a really huge achievement for them. Today we also had our final round of Rope Races (better known as ‘ropies’), which went very well until the bonus round when the egg and spoon race got somewhat out of control and had to be called off mid-race. We also had our final Shithouse Production which somehow ended up with Taylor hanging from the roof of the bridge, pretending to be a cannon and spitting out muesli at people as Adam held a sparkler to her head and Gav shouted ‘Bang!. It was a sight to behold.Jamie has come to the conclusion that a voyage can not be complete without having multiple substances spilt/thrown on you. This includes the vomit shower you may have heard about earlier in the voyage, numerous foods in the galley and more recently BBQ sauce. At lunch time today Claudia was trying to get back at Matt C. and used BBQ sauce as her weapon. Unfortunately Jamie was sitting in the firing line and got hit by it. Beanie, hair and shirt, at least she had time for a shower!Today Jenko and his master chefs, Matt C, Tammy and Josh (an enthusiastic bunch for sure!) cooked up a storm as per usual – despite the limited amount of fresh produce! Jenko, we really don’t know how you do it, you must have some super powers! Either way the youthies and staffies are very grateful to still be enjoying every meal.That’s it for tonight (finishing just in time to see a glorious sunset!).With inspiration from Capt. Gav, here’s a quote;Smile because it happened not because it’s over.Jamie and Alice.SHOUTOUTSHey Neeks, just want to know how it feels to lose at chess all the time because Desmond has been beating us so much and we need some coping strategies. Yours in stratagem, World Voyagers.Merry Christmas to everyone. Dr Nick.Hello my love and our future mini human James…..nearly there. See you soon. Brett.
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Currently located 240nm WSW of Fremantle motor sailing in light to moderate 7-12kt ESE winds with a 2m SE swell. The current temperature is 16 degrees and our speed is 8kts.Â
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Hi Everyone, Welcome to Day 10 and the final night of our voyage. Following a peaceful night at anchor the Youth Crew woke to an overcast morning in Port Arthur. Originally we had plans to depart our anchorage early but a leaking grey water pipe required an emergency repair by our engineers, so we delayed our departure and completed harbour furls of the squares (very neat furls) instead. With repairs and harbour furls complete we departed our anchorage and then battled strong head winds and an ugly 2-3m swell in Storm Bay to final make it to the calmer waters of the Derwent River where we came to anchor just off the Hobart Casino at 1920 tonight. Once it gets dark later this evening we will screen a slideshow of memorable moments experienced throughout the voyage then complete our end of voyage admin before settling into anchor watches overnight for the final time for the voyage. That’s enough from me I will now handover to Anna, Kate and Allie who will give you a full run-down of our action packed day. Until tomorrow, take care Yours Aye Captain GavArgh! Ahoy there. This morning the peaceful sleep of the Youth Crew was rudely disrupted by Imagine Dragon’s ‘On Top of The World’, and with great reluctance, we dragged ourselves upstairs to the beautiful view of Port Arthur where we had anchored the night before. To wake everyone up a game of ‘Moose’ was played, which ended chaotically (some of us still in our sleeping bags). After another delicious breakfast involving quadruple-tiered sandwiches and a 15 minute wait for the toaster, the Youthies were ready for morning brief. Liv enthralled us for 10 minutes with a joke that could have lasted for two, featuring Bob the Loser and a pod of bloodthirsty porpoises. Following brief, we split into watches and discussed our end-of-voyage goals and takeaways. We all agreed that this voyage has encouraged us to take every opportunity we could get our hands on, and has resulted in personal growth all round. If you’re reading this and thinking of applying for a voyage, do it! We promise you won’t regret it. Youth Crew were then tasked with the job of harbour furls, which required every Youthie to climb aloft and spread out across the three yards of the foremast – Reddies on the top gallant, Whiteys on the topsail, and Blueys on the course. In raging 18 knot winds, we struggled to fold the sails up into the UV covers whilst holding on for dear life using nothing but the yard and a footrope. Fortunately no one fell off, our biggest accomplishment. All sails were folded successfully, with Blueys doing exceptionally well on the course, earning Chucky’s praise. To determine once and for all the best watch (although it goes without saying Blueys are superior, no biases here), Shaun hosted a round of Zooper Dooper races. The chaos that ensued is indescribable, each watch competing to eat their icy poles the fastest. Brain freeze was inevitable. Unfortunately, Red watch came in first place, with White watch only seconds behind. Blue watch came third, but technically that’s still on the podium. Finally it was free time, with some Youthies heading to bed for a well-deserved rest while the others joined Reddies on their watch, where they jammed out to some music and rode the waves, joined by dolphins. It was hard work though, with the youthies putting up two sails, fighting against the wind. However it was a highlight in everyone’s day when a huge wave came over the bow and absolutely drenched Evan. Pizza night! It was something everyone was looking forward to and Haydo did not disappoint. With six different types of homemade pizzas (nearly 200 slices), we were spoilt once again. As we sailed into Hobart, Blueys took over watch – many of us finishing up bucket list goals we always wanted to do, such as climbing the 33m main mast and taking a selfie on the bowsprit. We were graced with dolphins several times throughout the evening until we finally arrived in Sandy Bay, Hobart, where we will be spending the night at peaceful anchor. Shoutout to the Green family parentals and siblings. I’m a little green and red but having a blast. Can’t wait to see you all soon. Miss you. Love Allie. Shoutout to the Mulcahy family – Mum, Dad, Owen and Lukey. Hope you haven’t killed my fish and plants. See you tomorrow. Love Anna Hey Clarkes – you better be reading these! Miss you and love you all loads – Dad, hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow! Let Grandpa know I didn’t get seasick, he was right. Love Katelyn Signing off for now, Anna, Kate and Allie, proud members of the best watch, Blue Watch.
Hi Everyone, Welcome to Day 9 of our voyage. Following a busy night of sail plan changes and early morning tacks the Youth Crew made their final waypoint at 0945 this morning which was a major achievement having safely sailed the ship all the way from Prosser Bay to the entry to Port Arthur. On achieving their final waypoint the Staff Crew took over and conducted a pilotage into Port Arthur coming safely to anchor at 1045. Once at anchor the Youth Crew set about completing the rest of their outstanding tasks prior to handing the ship back to the Staff Crew at 1300. With Command Day successfully completed the Youth Crew were ferried ashore early this afternoon where they completed the Command Day Debrief with all agreeing that it had been a challenging and rewarding experience. To finish the afternoon’s activities the Youth Crew were given a guided tour of the Historical Port Arthur Settlement before returning to the ship for another one of Chef Haydon’s fantastic dinners. That’s enough from me I will now handover to Jade, Lochie and Sophie who have done a wonderful job of writing tonight’s Log. Until tomorrow, take care. Captain Gav The last 13 hours of Command Day proved to be very chaotic. We started the day at sea with unideal sailing weather – cold and dark with minimal winds. From 0001, we continued our course from Orford to our final way point of Port Arthur whilst keeping our usual overnight watches. On the guts, Red Watch successfully tacked the ship without needing to wake up anyone else – a mighty fine feat! The Whiteys (On ya Whitey’s!!) and the Blueys also had hectic watches setting and furling many, many sails. Then began the 0530 tacks… All youthies were up before the sun to the call of “Attention all Youthies - all hands to tacking stations. Standby to tack the ship!” over the pipes. Within 6 minutes, all youthies were harnessed and up on deck ready to execute our first tack to attempt passing the notoriously difficult to sail, Tasman Island. After a successful tack, and after a big few hours, brekky was an essential! Master Chefs Aria, Anna and Tiff cooked up a storm worth stowing (in our bellies!) of pancakes, waffles and a feast of fruits which fuelled us for the rest of Command Day and the rest of the Command Day tasks that lay ahead. At 0605, we caught the first light of day touching the tops of the Tasman Island cliffs off our starboard side – ahhh what a sight to see! After another two tacks to set us on our final bearing to Port Arthur, the Youthie Command Crew held an awesome, but a little sleep deprived, morning brief featuring some naughty nautical yarns, nefarious nav brief - “sunscreen or die, hydrate or die”, and the one and only woman who makes the sea seasick, Captain Paige, with the inspiring quote “If you believe in yourself, then you’ve already done half the work”. By 1015 we had successfully made it to our final way point at Port Arthur! We weighed anchor and ate a delicious Aussie-themed barbeque lunch cooked by our awesome master chefs before jumping into Chucky’s favourite hour of the day – Happy Hour! This was then followed by the Captain’s Hand-over Ceremony where the ship was returned to the staffies in a somewhat pristine condition. Keen to get ashore, the youthies jumping in the sea boats to speed ashore for a guided tour of Port Arthur where we learned lots about the historic values of the area and the tragedies that were experienced during the 1800s. Back on the boat, the Staffies held a Command Day debrief where we achieved almost 2 handed thumbs-up for all our completed tasks. A fantastic achievement for the Youthie Crew of V03/23!! With the fantastic Haydo back in the kitchen, we were in for an infamous meal of chicken Penang curry, baked salmon, steak and roasted vegetables followed by golden syrup dumplings with butterscotch syrup sauce and ice cream. Jeez he spoils us! Also a shoutout to my not-so-little, little brother, Hugh. You’re going to love V04/23 mate! Good luck squeezing into your bunk ;) xoxo Lochie. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store! This is Jade, Lochie, and Sophie signing off!!
Hi Everyone, Welcome to Day 8 of our voyage and Command Day. Thankfully the weather improved overnight and a well rested Youth Crew awoke to a beautiful Tasmanian morning with clear skies. Following Morning Brief I conducted Captain Setting and Furling Drills which is our final activity leading up to the Youth Crew taking command of the ship and I am pleased to announce that all watches passed with flying colours. Once completed, the Youth Crew Command Team were given 30 minutes with the Staff Crew so that they could ask questions that may assist them in their elected positions throughout their Command period. Once finished we rigged the rope swing and gave everyone a chance to have a swim in the cool (some would say cold) clear water of Prosser Bay. At 1300 this afternoon we all gather at midships and I handed over the Command Day instructions and the ‘telescope of challenge’ to Youth Crew Captain Paige which officially commenced the exciting 24hr Command Day period. One of the many tasks for Command Day is the writing of the Captains Log so here is tonight’s edition written by Captain Paige. Until tomorrow, take care. Captain GavHello all, Today’s events were very exciting for all youth crew, as today is the day the staff hand over the ship and let the youthies take control. The day for us youthies started by the staff woke us all up to Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marring Aye and Timmi Terrell through the main broad cast. We then had a scrumptious breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, cereal, yogurt and toast. Which was provided to us by the amazing Haydo and the master chef’s Tiff, Jasper and Jack. Breakfast was followed by morning brief where we are informed of the weather conditions, the Captain always provides us with an inspirational daily quote, and what the daily plan is going to look like. Once morning brief was wrapped up red and white watch performed happy hour while blue watch performed the Captains setting and furling. This allows the staff crew to insure all the youthies are safe and capable to take command of the ship. Once all the watches rotated though performing the Captains setting and furling the elected youth crew sat down and conducted opposites which is where the staff command team discus with the youth crew the best way to go about performing the roles they are taking over for the 24 hour period. Since it was such a nice day the staff decided we do Swimex which is where staff and youth crew that are brave enough to conure the cold water temperatures of Tassie are allowed a short period of time to have some water fun this includes jumping off the rope swing, using the Lilly pad which is a large foam mat jumping off the side of the boat and the bow sprit. When the Swimex came of a close it was time for lunch which was pasta bake, Bolognese, lamb and Pork chops, cheese and garlic breads which were freshly made that morning by Haydo. Hand over to youth crew was conducted at 1300. During the 24hrs that the youth crew have control of the ship the staff go on holiday down stairs where they have access to a bowling alley, cinema, and Maddie opens the heated swimming pool along with other amazing facilities. Part of hand over the Captain, what given a sheet of 30 tasks that we need to perform as many as we can throughout the period of time we are given. The first task was to assemble a row boat team to row to shore to acquire the navigation instructions, other tasks includes creating a rope hammock that will support all the youth crew at once, Theresa’s knot tying challenge and many more exciting and challenging things. Once the navigator marked out waypoints we weighed anchor and set sail though Mercury Passage. We are now carrying out night watches and on our way to the next anchoring spot which is unknown as of the moment. Until the next log update Yours truly Captain Paige