BACK TO SEA WE MUST GO!

Ahoy There,Well after a restful night at anchor the Youth Crew were awoken at 0700 and tempted over the side with an early morning swim. Since there was a rope swing involved most of the crew jumped at the opportunity. There were some outstanding back flips from the rope swing and one or two belly flops that looked like they may have tickled a little bit. The three Chef’O apprentices took over the BBQ once more to cook up a BBQ breakfast of eggs and bacon rolls served alfresco on the deck. After such a great start to the day we gave the Youth Crew a short break to catch their breath and conduct their morning ablutions.At 0830 we got right back into the morning program with morning brief which was soon followed by us weighing anchor and getting underway. We have about 140nm to cover to Heron Island and not much wind to do it with, so an early start is a real necessity. The Boats’O, Jordo gave a very entertaining lecture on rules of the road as we motored out into the wind. This lecture explains the laws of the sea in regards to how to avoid colliding with other ships and is a very important step in the progression towards command day.Once Jordo’s brief was completed the sails were set and the engines stopped and we barely had steerage way with the light breeze. Just before lunch there was a wind shift of 30 degrees and Tim gave the Youth Crew a quick brief on the square sails and then 12 volunteers scurried aloft to cast loose the gaskets and get the sails ready to be set. With the three squares set we maintained steerage way for another two hours but it was a loosing battle. So in an attempt to summon the wind we called upon some assistance from some old traditions of whistling, placing a knife in the main mast and asking Brother Nutise for a hand. It was all to no avail and soon we were reduced to drifting with the tide. Since there was no use in continuing to attempt to sail we took in all sail and hove to and sent the ship to swimming stations. In the spirit of the Olympics Luke had soon created a few events and most of the Youthies were soon competing in synchronised diving, 44 meter freestyle and 44 meter breaststroke events. At the end of the day Young Endeavour was the true winner.After everyone had a chance to freshen up we were reduced to motoring further to the South hoping that the wind would come. I took the opportunity to start the sail theory lessons with a brief introduction into how sails work and how to achieve balance in a tall ship. There were some really smart questions asked at the end of the lecture and I look forward to the second half tomorrow when we should have a bit more wind and the chance to put the theory into practise.Tonight I plan to motor sail to the SSE in the light winds to allow us to maximise the sailing tomorrow when the winds are due to come in. The Youth Crew will use the night watches to further their Watch on deck practice now they have the additional roles of navigation and sail trimming. They will also do a teamwork exercise tonight to see how they are coming together as a team.Until tomorrow, despedida CAPT Matt Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention or arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. You should aim to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly up and totally worn out, pointing over you shoulder and saying “Did you just see what I just did?”