Day 8 – Command Day cont.

Continuing the mayhem and madness of command day, midnight to morning watches proved challenging to those who were chronically suffering from sleep deprivation and hysteria. No exaggeration here ladies and gents. Last night was a tough one. With winds refusing to meet our navigational requirements and those pesky fishing trawlers obstructing our god given route, it was a miracle that command leaders kept their cool. Only the promise of a wholesome egg and bacon brekkie served by the talented Bec and Belle ensured our sanity. After the decision to diverge east to compensate for last nights’ hurdles, the youth crew continued their allocated tasks and maintenance shenanigans. First up was trivia, co organised by the esteemed and semi-knowledgeable Luke, Charlie and Tom. Competition was fierce and many questionable answers resulted in multiple disgruntled participants, the most passionate dispute concerning the factual accuracy of Finding Nemo. In the end, Staffies claimed a forceful victory. Then commenced our morning brief, co-ordinated by our elected Sail Master Chelsea, featuring three remixes of the national anthem, including tunes from Sweet Caroline, Baby, and Hooked on a Feeling. This was followed by the appearance of Jake (disguised as the grumbling, frail character of “Poppa”) who brutally exposed those of our team who failed to keep their sleeping quarters ship shape. Three minute educational briefs followed, with Charley presenting a highly informative lesson in artistry, Ben performed a series of self-defence scenarios (R.I.P Emma’s 2B pencil) and finally India demonstrated a CPR procedure on Emma, who was highly compliant despite her “unconscious” state. And finally it was time for everyone’s favourite time of day, the highly anticipated Happy Hour. But alas! Our cleaning plans were foiled by the unexpected appearance of an overly energetic humpback off Port side, and naturally all abandoned their dusting stations to gawk at the commotion. This marked a fabulous ending to the Command Day, and all let out an audible sigh of relief as 10:00 arrived. The captaincy and command was then officially resored to Captain Charley-Farley. Thanks to the highly generous Siesta Nap permitted by Emma, the youthies had time to recover from their ordeal before embarking in snorkelling expedition off the coast of Tangalooma. Then a brief was conducted on the events of Command Day, which was deemed a massive success by Staffies and Youthies alike, with many discovering valuable life lessons which will hopefully accompany them on all their future endeavours. Only a few sail maintenance tasks remain, and all youthies look forward to a restful night.