Day 9 – Entry into Port Phillip Bay and anchorage at Rye

Ahoy there shipmates,Red Watch woke us at 0700 with their rendition of the attached song as we passed the entrance to Westernport Bay on the way to Port Phillip Bay. After breakfast we held the morning brief, which featured ‘Salty’ who, with the benefit of some ‘acting’ from staffies, explained the nautical origin of the expression ‘Son of a Gun’, and Nana taught us a new song ‘Green Alligators’.Following Happy Hour we launched into Rotational Tacks, during which the watches rotate through the positions that the other two watches fill at Tacking Stations so that on Command Day, when the watches are re-organised, the personnel in the watches have some experience of each position. We then conducted Demonstrational Tacks during which everyone rotates through the bridge to observe what happens there when we tack the Ship. This is so, again on Command Day, people who get elected to the key Captain, Sail Master and Navigator positions, know what their job is when the Ship tacks.After a break for lunch Sumo, the engineer, and I conducted ‘Captain’s Setting and Furling’ which is an assessment of each watch to ensure they have achieved the competency at setting and furling the staysails required for them to proceed to Command Day. We were very happy with the standard achieved by all three watches. At 1500 we entered Port Phillip Bay and anchored at Rye at 1600. Having set the deck up for dinner most of the youthies went for a climb until dinner was ready. After dinner I gave the youthies the Command Day brief and gave them their one hour to conduct their elections, the results of which follow:Captain – Daniel del RioSail Master – Jack JenningsNavigator – Andrew MacgregorWatch Officers – Jake Moir, Max Rosenbaum and Tegan McAnultyWatch Leaders – Matt O’Donnell, Callum Moses and Claudia YelavichChefs – Phoenix Richards, Zo Clifton and Vanya UspenskyCongratulations to all those who have been elected by their fellow youth crew members to be in leadership positions and good luck for tomorrow.It is intended to remain in our current anchorage overnight and I will hand over control of the Ship to Youth Crew Captain Dan at 1000 tomorrow. At the same time I will give him a list of 20 tasks to be completed by the youth crew between 1000 tomorrow and 1000 on Monday, when he will hand the Ship back to me, hopefully in the same condition that I gave it to him!Until tomorrow, when you will hear from Youth Crew Captain Dan instead of me,Yours AyeCaptain Mike RED WATCH WAKEY-WAKEY SONG SAT 07 DEC(To the tune of ‘Wake me up’ by Avicii)Feeling my way through the darknessGuided by a raising sunI can’t tell where the journey will endBut I know where to start.They tell me I’m too young to understandThey say I’m caught up in a swellWell life will pass you by if you don’t open up your eyesWell it’s time for tea.So wake me up when it’s all overWhen I’m hungry and I’m colderAll this time I was finding MelbourneAnd I didn’t know where it was.I tried carrying the weight of the sailsBut I only have two handsHope I get the chance to climb againBut I don’t have any plans.Wish I could stay forever on thisToo afraid to close my eyesLife’s a game made for sailorsAnd food is the prize.So wake me up when it’s all overWhen I’m hungry and I’m colderAll this time I was finding MelbourneAnd I didn’t know where it was.     “