GALE FORCE CONDITIONS

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to day 20 of our voyage. Tonight will be a quick Captains Log entry from me as we are currently battling a pretty strong storm (40-50kts of wind and a 4m swell) so I am required on the bridge and haven’t got much time to sit in front of this computer screen tonight.

A you will read in tonight’s entry late this afternoon we got hit by these gale force conditions so we have reduced sail and now have a modified sail plan with storm sails set which is still giving us 8-10kts of boat speed and keeping us well balanced. Our World Voyagers have been doing a fantastic job and are handling these conditions really well.

Currently we are located 1615nm WSW of Fremantle battling gale force 35-50kt winds and a 4m NW swell.

Kindly volunteering to write the Captains Log in these extreme conditions is Alice V, please enjoy!

Until tomorrow, take care.

Yours Aye

Captain Gav

CAPTAIN’S LOG – 12 DEC 15

Ahoy from the stormy seas of the Southern Indian Ocean, where wind speeds are pushing 40 – 50 knots as I type this. Currently 6 brave souls (Dougie, Jimi, Matt C, Claudia, Megan and Josh A) are battling the elements up the Foremast to gasket (secure) the Topgallant Sail and the Course – 2 of our Square sails for all you landlubbers out there.

This morning started off pleasantly with our last watches in our Ice, Polar and Arctic Watches before they were to be switched up again at Morning Brief. In our eternal optimism for warmth, the new watch names have distinctly warm weather connotations with Tahiti, Whitsunday and Hawaii winning over Warm, Hot and Scorching. While it is nice to have some new faces in each group to mix up the conversations, this is our last watch rotation before we head back into our original groups for the last few days. This means that there will be some people that we won’t have been grouped with at all, which is a bit of a shame, so we will just have to try and catch up with them wherever possible when not on watch.

As Ice Watch won the rope races for this rotation, they escaped from the Happiest Hour of the day (Ship Cleaning) and got to relax in the Staffies Mess, while the rest of the Whiskey Victors (World Voyagers) made her Ship Shape.

After Happy Hour, while Polar Watch finished off their last watch, the rest of us relaxed in the café, where a lot of books were being read, and card and chess games abounded.

The Sun made a brief appearance, which gave us a chance to defrost our bones, and dry/air some laundry to stop hanging them in the Engine Room, which does give clean clothes a distinctly diesel smell, and inflicts the smell of wet socks on poor Horto! This came at the perfect time, as all the watches had been stood down for 4 hours to give everyone a break, before the new rotation started at 1600.

Unfortunately the sunshine did not last, and midafternoon the inclement weather, and heavy wind meant that the call went out for as many hands on deck to Brail in the Main Sail (bring it in, again for all the land lubbers out there reading this as are furl and clew) as the winds were too strong! The storm Tri-sail was put up in its place to help balance out the ship, as we are all learning to walk at a 30⁰ angle. Whitsunday Watch also got to furl the Jib, Clew the Course and set the Fore Staysail – so they had a very busy first watch together!!

Dinner was delicious as always, and given the conditions, Chef Jenko and his team of helpers deserve a round of applause. We did have to form a chain of people to get dinner plates to the tables safely, however there were only a few casualties of chicken and vegies, so not too bad!

The weather looks like it will hang around for a few days, which will break our streak of beautiful sunny days on our Sunday off, but this is part of the reason we came down to the Roaring Forties!

We are having a Rock and Roll Time out here, but are still looking forward to warming up a bit.

Signing out now, and sending our love to our Families and Friends – Alice V

Shout outs:

Mum & Dad, finally hit some rough weather here, having a blast! Miss you both lots! Love Tam 

Happy Birthday Dad, Hope your having as much fun as I am. Hi Mum, will let you know when we get into Freo. Love from Megan.

Poseidon, Neptune and Huey – Thanks for the Weather! Jimi

Granny, every time I see an Albatross I think of you, love you more (and you can’t dispute that when I am out of contact!!), and love to all the family! – xoxox Alice V

Proper shout out to Ben this time! You’re going to love your voyage on here in June; it’s magnificent even when you’re rolling around in a storm at 30⁰. Can’t wait to see you again in Perth, we both have much to catch up on. Nic

Mum – I’ve lost the plot! I climbed the mast in a storm! Love Josh A