At anchor Portland Harbour

Hi Everyone,
Welcome to day four of our voyage. This will only be a short entry in the log from me tonight as we have just come to anchor in Portland Harbour and I need to assist with some other activities.
We made the decision to come to Portland instead of Port Fairy late this morning as we have ordered a new water pump fro our starboard engine and it was easier to have it delivered to Portland than Port Fairy.

This has now meant a pleasant night at anchor for the crew which we always try to achieve at this time of the voyage followed by a trip ashore which will occur tomorrow morning.
I believe that most of the Youth Crew have now gotten over their seasickness but a good walk on ‘Terra Firma’ tomorrow will certainly help.

Volunteering to write tonight’s Captains Log is White Watch so please enjoy!

Until tomorrow, take care.

Yours Aye
Captain Gav

Shoutout:
To my Dad Max who is recovering from recent surgery, hope you are feeling better and that they are taking good care of you. Gav

Captains Log – 11 Feb 16

White watch witnessed a beautiful sunset from the lower platform of the mast last night, which meant that we all got a solid 6 hours sleep and the other watches, who had been up through the night, were bright and chirpy in the morning.

After nearly three days at sea, it was good to ‘sea’ the youth crew up and at’em gaining their sea legs and all feeling a little more alive, sadly a couple still to gain their legs but with support of the shipmates we expect a full crew of sea worthy individuals, in no time.

We set out in the morning for Port Fairy, as this was looking like the most logical place to stop before trekking down Tassies West Coast. However, due to some engine difficulties which cost time and were somewhat unrepairable, the staffies made the decision to head to Portland to anchor overnight! The thought of anchoring overnight was somewhat of a relief for many of the crew.
The day included continuations of watches and several lessons – as well as sighting of several marine life, including a whale early in the morning, several dolphins (which the crew had great excitement viewing from the mast, the bowsprit or the deck of the ship!), seals and seabirds.

Our watches have continued to include exciting activities including steerage, navigation and sail setting on the ship – as well as many a great conversation and opportunities to get to know our shipmates better!

As expected, the watches have also included several adventures to the top of the mast – enjoyed by the crew to no end!
Once again we had a much needed ‘siesta’ of time out today – which included many a laugh, a hammock, hopscotch and lots of napping!
We have continually played games throughout the day, including interactive speedy team games and educational games. We learnt about the rules of the sea highways from Kenny the salty sea dog.

Through his interactive teachings we learnt all the essentials for our upcoming day in command of the ship.

We’re now all set for anchor watches throughout the night once we arrive in Portland and I suspect many of the crew will be happy to ‘hug a tree’ tomorrow.

Shout outs from White Watch:

Hello to Frensham girls, mum, dad and Daniel x!
Twinkle Toes formally known as Turtle Dove but not limited to Sweetness AKA Katherine.
Having a great time and sending love across the seas to my favourite landlubbers – particularly my sailor dog, Shadow! – Ruth