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Command Day, Sailing off Sydney Heads
Hi Folks, Ahoi from Captain Arjun and Sails Master Emma! its been a very interesting 24 hours so far with beautiful weather and very VERY little wind at times. The first task for the elected command team was to retrieve our navigation waypoints from the lady of the forest. We assembled a beach attack team to persue and woo her. Vincent’s dashing good looks came to good use.We then set sail at around 2:45pm into a strong current heading out to seet and a very weak breeze pushing us back into Broken Bay. This made for some tricky conditions and it took some time for our boat to collect enough speed to Tack (with the kind assistance of the engines). We began to beat out of the bay (zig zag into the wind) and just as we were about to get out into the sea and into our first check point, the wind completly died and the tide started pulling us back in. After 5 hours of tacking, the crew was in no mood to stay still and a compromise was met. In exchange for 1 hour of engine use, the crew was to ensure the brass was polished thoroughly in preparation for Australia Day.This got us a fair way out to sea, however once the engines were turned off, we were back to standing still. The wind was coming from the SE at around 4 knots per hour making it seemingly impossible for us to reach our next check point. After setting and Furling several sails and trying every idea our little sailing minds could conjure, we could still only manage a gentle sway as we sdrifted in the ocean. At 2am our command ended and we passed over to the second of the two command crews. At 4am the wind picked up for them and they managed to reach a cracking pace of 7 knots/hr. But as we approached Sydney, once again the wind died and we floated around several miles outside the heads. Most recently we deployed sails that we had never used before and it was a great testiment to the crews adventurous attitude. It remains to be seen how soon we will reach the harbour but fingers crossed!Wish us luck!Captain Arjun
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Fine and Sunny with a Southerly Breeze, traveling at 1.5 knots
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Ahoy followers of our Young Endeavour journey! Command Day. We made it.
The beautiful weather at our anchor point at Jervis Bay made for a spectacular day under the command of our fellow Youth Crew! A morning stretch and some wise words from the Ship Crew gave Captain Waz and the team a step in the right direction.
With the new watches all set and ready to go, Captain’s Setting and Furling gave all our youthies the chance to prove their abilities on the high seas. Strong performances from all three watches; Sharkies, Chompers and Narwhals!!
Morning brief gave the Sailmaster a chance to give us the daily orders and help get everyone on the same page. With the staff crew getting ready for a holiday and giving us the ship, floral shirts and party music filled the deck and, with some final preparations, the ship was ours.
The Captain was given a small but very significant envelope that contained the essential, non-essential and completely optional tasks to be done over the course of the next 24 hours. 2 tacks were to be made at a minimum before leaving the bay and safety checks were the essential tasks to start our journey. However.
More amusing, optional tasks allowed some of our youthies to become part of the “Beach Assault Team” while others were put to the task of making a slideshow of the voyage, tying all the knots on the list, etc. These were some activities that bided the time for our incredible navigator - Ruscoe to set out a plan and work together with the Sailmaster - Hugh to create a sail plan.
Tacking stations were the focus for our late afternoon, preparing to weigh anchor and leave such a beautiful bay, for our last stretch of this incredible voyage.
Happy Birthday to the Capitan, Warwick, who turned 24 today! The wonderful MasterChef’s created a “cherry ripe” cake out of rice crispies, coconut, chocolate, and love. With a beautiful ceremony to end our day.
Sailing into the night leaves us the ability to see the lights from our destination. Sydney, here we come!
Wish us luck! From Nat and Tom!!
