Day 5 – IGBR

Ahoy there everyone, Overnight the ship remained at anchor offshore from Leeks Beach, Great Keppel Island. At 0700 all hands were up on deck for an early morning swim which required a bodily launch from the bow sprit or a pirouette from the course yard rope swing into the azure waters of the bay, while Chef Adrian cooked a BBQ breakfast which was eagerly consumed after exiting the water. After a quick morning brief the ship conducted a sail away from anchor and the obligatory happy hour cleaning the ship to sparkle in the sun. A morning tea was called which also gathered everyone to celebrate Caroline Spencer’s 18th birthday with a hand crafted chocolate mud cake and birthday card. Prior to lunch all hands mustered midships on the upper deck where I presented a lesson on sail theory to the Youth Crew in order to consolidate the practical aspects of the deck and sail work that they have been conducting over the previous five days.After lunch Engineer Leon conducted round three of rope races which proved that each of the watches were very closely matched in this epic struggle to locate the nominated items around the ships upper deck, this culminated with an air guitar competition for a bonus point.Next on the agenda were rotational tacks, where each watch took turns learning the three different tacking station positions, enabling each person to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the ship is tacked from each location during this important ship handling evolution.Each of the watches under the facilitation of their watch leader then conducted mid voyage talks where each discussed individual and collective progression against their initial goals, then reset priorities and revised goals for the remainder of the voyage. Finally all hands were mustered midships where Navigator Matt explained to all the ancient art of identifying celestial bodies to fix the position of the ship using a sextant.After a magnificent dinner backlit with a crimson sunset the Youth Crew settled into sea watches overnight. Our last five days at sea have seen a significant development in the overall journey of our young adventurers. As a team they have progressed enormously both individually and collectively as the voyage continues to gain momentum. Many have achieved goals they would never have thought possible at the commencement of the voyage showing true perseverance, determination and commitment. The intention is to remain at sea overnight continuing to beat south around Fraser Island. Until tomorrow evening.Yours AyeCaptain Damien