Day 5 – Farwell Nelson Bay…Hello 30 knots!

Ahoy Shipmates. Day 5 and you guessed it, overcast again (although we did see some patches of blue sky). The day began with the usual antics…deck game, breakfast, morning brief and happy hour, after which Ivanka gave the Navigation Brief. After lunch we departed Nelson Bay for the open sea and as I write we have 32 knots of wind and 2-3m swells…conditions Young Endeavour thrives in! At one stage this afternoon we cracked 10 knots…flying! The Youth Crew are loving the conditions (well maybe not the sea sick ones) and overnight we will zig zag our way down the coast. But the gang have more to say so I’ll hand over to them. Fair winds, Captain Kenny—–P.S. They are prone to exaggeration!
-Day 5
Today we woke up after an OKAAAY sleep anchored in at Port Stephens. Bonus sleep was due to our night watches being shortened to one hour throughout the night, making sure the boat was secure and we were not under attack. Wake up call started at 6:30am with the lovely tune from S Club 7. Sailmaster James helped us wake up with a quick game of knights, mounts and cavaliers on deck, congrats Carly (with a C) for the win. Breakfast was served as usual, and then whoever wasn’t on watch had some time to prep themselves for the big day ahead. Eventually, everyone gathered on deck with continual conversations on whether certain words touched or not. Safe to say this game went on for much longer than we expected, but everyone came to the correct agreement in the end… repeating Adams announcement: “MACKHI WAS WRONG”.
With an hour or so to spare, climbing opportunities were present. Red watch ascended the Foremast and spread out across the Course Yard for a picture opportunity kindly taken by Adz. Homemade bread came next especially crafted by Marcus (Rock, Dwayne) forming the backbone of our midday sustenance. We took up the opportunity during our spare time to do our laundry on board.
Engines on, we set out of the bay at 12.30 with blue sky’s but warnings of stronger winds and swells then previously encountered. Our sails were set not long after, another great example of teamwork and persistence. Out in the Great Seas once again, sea sickness tablets were our next main meal. With the deck tilted, and the OOOh AAAhh meter at a steady 15, the competitive/non-competitive rope games started up for the day. Blue Team had all the momentum and confidence from their 12 point lead, but surprise surprise (BIG SURPRISE) red team came out with guns blazing. They clawed their way back into the race and ended the day tied with Blue, White team not too far behind. Time will only tell who can hold their own in the end (we’re getting strong Blue colour vibes).
South Easterlies reaching 25-30 knots kept us occupied throughout the afternoon and into night watches. A few youthies got a chance to go on the Bow Sprint and get absolutely drenched. Not even people at midships were safe, the 2-3m swell bringing over some big waves drenching everyone in its path. By dinner time, the rockin’ and rollin’ of the boat started to take its first few victims, both in sea sickness and in wave power. We are all prepared for the next few big nights at sea (and maybe some more vomiting along the way). – D’arcy and Drew OUT!