Captain's Log

V07/15

11 November 2015

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to day 21 of our voyage. As forecast the wind freshened again today so we are again sailing nicely at 6-7kts under a slightly modified sail plan but really enjoying these conditions.

As you all know today was Remembrance Day so the commemorate this special day we held our own special service with Dougie playing two beautiful hymns on his flute followed by my reading on the Origin of Remembrance Day, the significance of the Period of Silence and the History of the Unknown Soldier. I then read the Ode and we held one minutes silence to remember all of those that have died or suffered for Australiaâ€™s cause in all wars and armed conflicts. Given our remote location it was a memorable service giving us all a special opportunity to reflect on the meaning of this day.

Remembrance Day like ANZAC Day is not complete without some freshly baked Anzac Biscuits and Chef Jenko excelled today by baking a huge batch of these tasty treats which were quickly devoured by all of the crew. This also occurred with tonightâ€™s fantastic roast dinner with comments from the crew being â€˜the best roast everâ€™.

Currently as I write this log we are located 940nm to the WSW of Cape Town enjoying strong 18-22kt SW winds with a pleasant 1m westerly swell.

Volunteering to write tonightâ€™s log is Nathan from â€˜Ridiculously Good Looking Watchâ€™ who has done a great job of updating you on another great day here in the South Atlantic.

Until tomorrow, take care

Yours Aye
Captain Gav

Ahoy there world!

A big warm welcome from the South Atlantic!

Itâ€™s been stellar day out here, and I can safely say that both the World Voyagers and the Staffies loving every second of it. And while every day has been special in itâ€™s own way, today was quite unique, as it is the 11th day of the 11th month, otherwise known as Remembrance Day.

Part of being out here is to simply be prepared for everything, and this morning was a great reminder of that for the Ridiculously Good Looking Watch. As soon as we began our morning watch, a squall came in, drenched us, and left just as quickly. Over the course of the next hour and a half, we had two more of these squalls come in to rain on our parade. One was small, but the other was, in a word, cinematic. It was stunning to watch this vast wall of rain just march straight onto the ship, drench the decks and my watch mates, and then continue eastward. Truly, it was an awesome sight. And it did not stop us from singing, dancing and enjoying our morning, although that may just be the cabin fever.

One of the newer routines of late has been the introduction of Volunteer Sailmasters, and today was Nicoleâ€™s turn and she has excelled at it, marshalling us through morning brief and happy hour (otherwise known as Cleanoâ€™s) and even a conga line to clean out something for Horto. Good work Nicole.

At the 11th hour, we commemorated Remembrance Day, with our own service in the middle of the Atlantic. Dougie provided us with the Naval Hymn to spend time in sombre thought on. Finally, Captain Gav spoke the Ode, and we held a minuteâ€™s silence. It was, for lack of better words, a truly special moment. I have reflected on the meaning of that moment throughout the day, and I feel there is almost no way that I can truly comprehend how bloody that season of history was. And yet, within the dirt and mud, began the foundations of our national identity.

The rest of the day followed the regular routine, with an amazing assortment of food for lunch provided by Jenko and our Masterchefs, an afternoon PT session and then a showing of the movie The Water Diviner, accompanied by some fantastic ANZAC biscuits and even a few potato skins.

In short, its been a great day.

We are about 6-7 days away from Cape Town, all going well. Soon we will cross the meridian that separates the east from the west, and from there it is only a short distance to our destination. As the tail end of the trip comes to pass, we sail on, open and excited for whatever challenges the great big blue may throw our way. And yet, we are also a little melancholy, that in a few short days, this dreamy, salty, blue sky filled adventure will come to a close, and a whole new chapter of life will begin for all of us.

Signing Off,

Nathan Long â€“ Ridiculously Good Looking Watch

Shout Outs

Hey Family!

I hope everything is going well wherever you are. If my maths is right, some of you will be in New Zealand! I hope that you are having the greatest time over there! It has been so good out here the last few days, crusing around under the power of the wind. I have to admit, I have started to hog the helm, and spent almost 2 hours yesterday just cruising through the waves. Today in particular was a bit special, as I got to climb the main mast, and just sit and watch the world go by, 34m in the air, getting thrown to and fro by the waves below. It is such a rush. I canâ€™t wait to talk to you all soon. Give my best to everyone at the One Project!

Love Nathan

Hey Mum & Dad, quick one today, I got your email and thankyou so much. I will talk to you in a week when I get internet! Canâ€™t wait to tell you all my stories. To the rest of my family and friends, miss you and love you dearly, Em x

Hey Mum, Dad and the rest of the gang. This is my first shout out for the trip and just letting you know Iâ€™m not dead or overboard. Loving every moment of this transatlantic crossing and Iâ€™m going to miss not having a 30m mast to climb at my leisure. Love Jack.

Hey Jubbs & Jodie. I have just climbed down the mast from watching the sunset to give a shout out. Have an awesome trip in the USA! Have fun meeting Bobby… Take lots of photos for me. And buy Mel a drink from me please. Stay safe, Love you, Matt.

Hey Wilks clan, just had a day of workouts, guitar playing, good movie, learned how to eye splice and finished it off with a sunset climb to the top of the foremast. Mum, it was 34m in the air on a small strip of timber, but I didnâ€™t die ïŠ Having a great time, even had ANZAC biscuits and Thai Curry today, cant wait to have both back at home though! Only a week left on ship (about to cross Greenwich Meridian) then some land activities in Capetown (maybe shark diving!). Canâ€™t wait to see you all again. Love Yuri

Latitude/Longitude:

36 degrees 23 minutes South / 0 degrees 34 minutes West

Conditions:

Currently located 940nm WSW of Cape Town and enjoying strong 18-22kt SW winds with a 1m Westerly swell. Our current speed is 7kts and the temperature is 13 degrees.

AUTHOR: Commanding Officer STS Young Endeavour

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