Captain's Log
11 October 2009

Another Day in The Bight

Hi Everone, Overnight the wind continued to strengthen from the south east and with it an unpleasant 2.5m swell. At morning brief we were located 285nm west of the Eyre Peninsula still motor sailing due to what has now become a continuous and immensely frustrating south easterly. Following morning brief and the normal morning activities I continued with my sail theory lectures and the Watch Leaders progressed with some more deck work. The weather improved during the afternoon so we completed a good set of demonstrational tacks. This evolution gives the YC the opportunity to experience and gain an appreciation for each others tacking position and gives them a better understanding of ship management in preparation for the rapidly approaching Command Day. On completion of this activity I decided to give the Youth Crew some quality ���down time’ for the rest of the afternoon so that they could have some unstructured spare time to either, catch up on sleep, complete some personal domestic chores or just enjoy each others company. During the night watches tonight the Youth Crew will complete the BEAREX which is an exercise designed to improve teamwork and communication skills.At the moment we are located 220nm from the Eyre Peninsula still having to motor sail due to these frustrating E-SE winds. It is hoped that the wind will veer around to the west tomorrow so that we will have an opportunity to utilize our square sails and bring the ship under a full press of sail for the first time for this voyage.From Kerry Dickie: A big hello and hug to Kayla and Riley from Mum! Until tomorrow, take care.Yours Aye Captain Gav

Latitude/Longitude:

34° 40' South / 131° 4' East

Conditions:

Currently located 220nm from the Eyre Peninsula and experiencing moderate 13-15kt E-SE winds with a 1.5m SE swell.