DAY 43 – COMMAND PERIOD DAY 1

Hi Everyone,                      Welcome to day 43 of our voyage. At 1000 this morning I officially handed over the Ship to Captain Derry and his crew of World Voyagers and since then they have been doing a fantastic job of running the Ship.One of the many tasks for the World Voyagers during the 48hr Command Period is to complete the Captains Log so please find attached tonights addition proudly written by Derry and his Crew.Until tomorrow, take careGav  Captains Log: 05 June 15Ahoy!Greetings from Derry –Co-Captain for the first Command Day on the 43rd day of our voyage. At 1000 hours this morning, the staff onboard donned life-jackets, assumed the brace position and handed over control of this beautiful vessel to the 24 World Voyagers who have sailed her from Istanbul to her current position in the Bay of Biscay.It’s been a wonderful day of high excitement and high drama on the high seas – an initial lull in the winds provided opportunities for a full crew photo on the yards, some fun and games with staff ropies and some magnificent biscuits (baked by our incredible cheffos – Reina, Atlanta and Tim P). We were also proud to see our man Dan (Lt Dan/Corporal Crawford) conquer the topgallant yard for the first time.Towards the late afternoon, the breeze stiffened and we enjoyed some of the finest sailing of our entire leg so far, including a flawless tack under a full press of sails – certainly a highlight of the voyage for many.It’s been an incredible honour to be nominated Co-Captain from amongst such a nautically proficient and talented crew. The leadership team has worked with all the watches, watch leaders, chefs and engineers like a well oiled machine all day and has made the captain’s job a breeze.Many thanks to all my shipmates who have made it a corker of a day, and to the staff for their gentle guidance when we’ve needed it.We’re all looking forward to another day’s sailing tomorrow, hitting checkpoints and challenges, and to the incoming command of the wonderful Cap’n Ann Carroll.Yours aye,Cap’n Derry DoyleOnce upon a time, on a ship far, far away, there was a handsome young prince. His name was Thomas. He had beautiful flowing hair, and sparkling eyes. He was tall, well respected and an excellent judge of character. Now on the day our story begins, young Prince Tom was in the middle of his quest, sailing the seven seas from far away kingdom, to far away kingdom, in search of high adventure. The STS Young Endeavour was his vessel, and what a beautiful vessel she was; 44 meters long, 35 meters tall, flawless teak decking and royal gold lettering on her port and starboard bow.Our Prince had joined the sailing ship as a lowly crew member, disguising his royal position. But 43 days into the voyage, the Captain, Sailmaster and the rest of the officers all but abandoned their posts, leaving the prince and twenty three other crew mates to fend for themselves, with only the ship, some charts and the stars to guide them to their safe anchorage in the kingdom of France. So realising that his fate, and the fate of the crew, was in their hands, they decided to elect capable people to take the positions of the missing officers. A strapping young lad by the name of Derry Doyle, and the fair maiden Ann Carrol, were chosen by the crew to Captain the ship. A strange man, from a foreign land, who had a strange way of speaking, was called upon to master the sails, and though his papers read ‘Timothy George Harker’, the crew knew him only as ‘Tum’. To assist these worthy men and women in steering the ship to safety, a mysterious wizard was chosen for his incomparable knowledge of the stars, and mystical prowess. It was told that he was once called Lachlan, but all he ever said was “yarrr” and so this became his name. Next came the Officer of the Watch, and after a battle to death, our fair Prince won out and was awarded the position for his skilful knowledge of the workings of the bridge, his natural leadership, and luscious locks that kept the salt out of his eyes. Many other positions of note were awarded and the ship went to bed, in order to be well rested for their first day without the usual crew.When morning broke, Young Endeavour was once again fully staffed, but this time, by the Prince, and his crew mates. Early that day, the new officers discovered a magical telescope and an envelope full of crucial information on where to journey in order to reach the safety of Baie de Douarnenez, and set the wizard to his work, plotting the perilous path out on his chart. The sun was high in the sky, the waves were few, and the sea was calm, settling the uneasy stomachs of a few. Next followed some grand merry making as the new command team put the old sea dogs through their paces, pitting them against one another in a challenge based on their knowledge of the details of the crew members. Hilarity ensued, with spoons, water bombs, eggs, moisturiser and monkey masks all being involved.Those delightful maidens, Atlanta and Reina, who had taken charge of the galley, with the assistance of the Brave Sir Parr, served up a midday feast fit for a king, and the crew ate heartily and well. But what of our young hero? Nearly missing out on the feasting below decks, our fearless Prince had been hard at work, conferring with the good Captain and the wizard, working the ship to move towards her destination. Utilising his artistic skills, he explained the course and the upcoming change of direction to the crew as they feasted. As the course change approached, Sailmaster Tum could be seen up on the bridge, commanding his crew to their tacking stations as the wizard used his magical skills to control the direction of the ship with a wheel.Following a successful change of direction, our fearless young Prince retired to his chambers to prepare for another early morning, and further adventures on the high seas…And that’s the end of the chapter. SHOUT OUTSBonjour Mom – j’ai hate de te voir a PARIS a dix jours. Tu me manques beaucoup. A bientot maman! Gros bisous! (Rough translation: See you in Paris in 10 days!) So looking forward to climbing the Eiffel Tower with you, and retail therapy to fill an empty bag once I’ve thrown this gear out! Hi Dad – been fixing engines, cleaning strainers, doing oil change outs…. Drills, spanners and all. You’d laugh – didn’t need a towel for climbing (squeezing) down machinery hatches or for the oil and dirt, just for handling slippery, slimy shellfish critters in the strainers! Ahoy Shannon & Daniel – amazing photos – great to see that you had the best honeymoon ever! Happy 2.5 months! Please convert for the parentals: .. ._.. ___ …_ . _.__ ___ .._ ._ ._.. ._.. …_ . ._. _.__ __ .._ _._. ….ILAA, Pip xoxo Hi all those who are hanging on to all of my crazy adventures and learning that what I’m doing isn’t some holiday that I snuck off too. This is less of a shoutout but more of a notice that I have gotten over my fear of heights. Previously on the Young Endeavour, I hated doing the initiation climb as some of the staffies who were on that voyage and are now on this would remember. But after 42 days at sea, I have officially climbed to the topgallant mast, which is a good 30m in the air and requires a bit of slightly awkward body positioning (which the soon to be released GoPro footage will show). Strange really, I get over it at sea where it rocks instead of being in the safety of a mooring. Will definitely get a few more climbs in before sail in day at Southampton, which I should be at the topgallant, officially completing my primary mission objective after completing the ANZAC Day mission (which was over practically the day after I arrived waaay back on April 24). I am not going to declare mission accomplished yet, but with current trends I recommend that the Juliet Flag (look it up if you are unfamiliar with maritime flag codes) be flown because I’m on fire. – Dan Crawford. Happy Birthday shout outs to Brodie Doyle, my super sister-in-law. Hope it was a cracker of a day and that the kids made you a gigantic mud cake. Much love, Cap’n Doyle.