At Anchor At Foochow Beach

Ahoy Shipmates, Overnight the weather continued to deteriorate and Bass Strait lived up to its well deserved reputation. By the morning watch the wind gusts were constantly exceeding 45kts and were accompanied by a very unpleasant 5m swell. Given these conditions I decided not to continue with my original plan to reach Deal Island which by this stage was still 40nm to windward, but in its place to head for the north eastern part of Flinders Island, which was 24nm to the south and a far easier destination to reach in these difficult conditions. By 0800 the YC were looking increasingly ���worse for wear�� so I decided to suspend the morning program and stand all of the YC down until we reached our revised anchorage. Much to the relief of the Youth Crew, YOUNG ENDEAVOUR came safely to anchor in the lee of Foochow Beach on Flinders Island at 1030. Following a late morning brief, in which I praised the YC for battling through the past 24hrs, everyone turned to at cleaning stations (happy hour) to return the Ship to its normal high standard of cleanliness. Early this afternoon saw the YC complete their second round of very competitive rope races which was followed by a Rule of the Road presentation given by the Ships Boats Officer (Damo). At 1400 the YC were ferried ashore to the white sands of the very isolated Foochow Beach were they enjoyed a good leg stretch, beach sports and for the brave a very cool swim. This evening we enjoyed another great dinner were surprisingly everyone’s appetite had returned and this was followed by a very entertaining session of three way talks (public speaking and communication exercise). As this is our first night at anchor since departing Eden all watches have been reduced to anchor watches for the night allowing both YC and staff the opportunity to get a good nights sleep, ensuring that everyone is well rested for the days ahead.Until tomorrow, take care.Yours AyeCaptain Gav Please find below Captains Log entries from Anika, Jess & NalaniG’Evening to all ya Scally Wags,You know that incredible feeling that you sometimes feel in life? The one where theres nothing that can stop you, nothing that can break you, nothing that will ever come between you and your life? I felt that yesterday. Standing at the bow of the boat, leaning back into my harness, arms out stretched, the salty sea soaking my clothes and splashing my face. Taking in everything I saw before me, tears rolled down my cheeks, cold and wet, I looked my future straight in the eyes and said ���come and get me��. No more regret, no more guilt, no more pain. On that bow I forgave myself for everything I had and hadn’t done, put it behind me and sailed into my future. A life of adventure. Come and join me��_We hit ���Oh my god its everywhere�� last night. That’s the spew-o-metre the staffies have designed to assess the level of sea sickness. After ���oh my god its everywhere�� there’s ���extreme����_ then ���death��! With 5 metre swells it wasn’t unexpected. The future was looking bleak. Started watch at 0345��_ discovered the perfect sea sickness cure. Sunrise, salty sea air and dolphins gliding beside us. Arrived at Flinders Island at 1030. Sun was shining but there was a cool breeze. Spent the afternoon having some well deserved rest and playing sports on the beach. Everyone had to find there land-legs again, but after some shell collecting and touch footy everyone was feeling 100%.Everyone says a big ahoy to all their friends and family. We are all happy, healthy and excited about the rest of the journey ahead.Hi mum, have a great time in Bali, could do with some new pants as I got my ripped in a rather embarrassing accident last night.Hey dad, I can finally understand the incredible hardship you faced through your sailing journey, but also understand the incredible feeling of accomplishment. See you in Tassie.Peace Out Adventurers��_ Anika Lee ��� Fremantle WA.Hey Everyone!Nearly time to go to the next activity so this will be a quick one! So far the trip has been amazing everyone feeling lots of different emotions! Day 2 and 3 were pretty sickly for me, last night I thought I was going to die but they tell me when you think that your only halfway there! Icy poles were the saviour! Feeling heaps better today at beautiful flinders island, had a bit of time on the beach ��� was lovely!Everyone has said to say hi to their family!Special hello and big hugs to Mum, Bill and James. Have a great time in Tassie and ill see you there!Lots of love, Jess ��� Bodalla NSW Hi Everyone Well what can I say��_ this trip has definitely been a challenging adventure full of ups and downs and mixed emotions and it’s only the fourth day. Everyone has definitely had their fair share of sea sickness and lack of sleep including me, especially last night crossing the Bass Strait in its worst conditions. There have definitely been many highlights and amazing achievements so far. Climbing the mast to the top and sitting out on the top sail on the first night was definitely an amazing achievement for everyone with a great sense of satisfaction felt when you realise the feat that you have accomplished. There were also sightings of whales and dolphins as we were heading towards the Bass Strait which was extremely exciting to watch. Amazing friendships have been formed and are continuing to grow as the journey continues to unfold and the support that each one of us is showing to another through the good and bad times is indescribable. The staffies are also amazing people that show nothing but support and wonderful guidance for this amazing, character building experience that we are all undertaking. I know that each one of us will take away something different from this trip that will encourage us to take on every challenge offered in future life. The greatest thing that I have learnt so far is that everyone has come from different backgrounds and are heading on different paths and have gained parts of who they are today from these experiences and that the greatest lessons and advice in life may not only be taught by your mentors (the staffies) but also by your peers (the rest of the youth crew). A quick hello to my mum, sister, brother and dad love you all and I am doing ok See you soon, Nalani Maryborough QLD