Lady Musgrave Island

Ahoy log followers,Another spectacular day at sea! The plethora of sea life (mainly whales) continues and we have enjoyed a fantastic days sailing. We arrived at Lady Musgrave Island as planned however the wind was considerably stronger than forecast making anchoring and sending the Youth Crew ashore unachievable. Not to fear,  Sailmaster Harry suggested we do “rotational tacksâ€, and we all know how much the Captain loves throwing the ship around…so that’s what we did. This involves the 3 watches rotating through each others tacking station and I have to say they picked it all up exceptionally well…an attentive bunch. We then set sail for Great Keppel Island in the hope of more options with regard to a sheltered anchorage. The ship has been there many times before and all are looking forward to it. The prospect of another night at sea did not seem to phase this hardy bunch. This afternoon under clearing skies and a full press of square sails we completed the “get to know you†exercise of 3 way talks…informative and amusing at the same time. Overnight the Youth Crew will complete the “Bearexâ€, an exercise where their watch leaders issue them challenges of varying natures, and we are hoping to arrive at Great Keppel around breakfast time tomorrow. All are hale and hearty, and in good spirits…but as usual, it’s best if you hear from some of our salty sea dogs.Peace out,Captain Kenny Hi from Joel and Ella (Blue Watch)Day 3 at sea (4 of the voyage) our seasickness has begun to pass; most of us are beginning to feel much better and enjoying life out on the sea. We got filling bacon and egg muffins cooked by Callum, Ally and Jacinta. Starting out the day with the Captain’s favourite, tacking the ship, with Lady Musgrave Island fast approaching and stronger winds our arms were put to work but our teamwork is definitely improving. However, after successfully manoeuvring the ship we were told that the condition was not up to scratch to anchor and take the sea boat ashore to the island…. But the Sail Master has promised many more opportunities to go ashore…. Fingers crossed. Before lunch (blue watch) Joel, Ayden, Ivanka and Ella got to climb to the top of the topgallant to cast loose gaskets while the others enjoyed happy hour and missed the swaying from aloft. It was a three way tie this time for cleanest area. Lunch was chipotle steak or falafel wraps (they were awesome) with fresh fruit. After lunch was the notorious rope races run by the great engineer, today’s ‘tie breakers’ included eating a dry Weetbix and whistling at the end, and best chicken impressions. In the late afternoon was the ‘3-way chats’ to help us get to know each other better as well as some great charades (the youthies won by the way). This was followed by a few team building games: first up was ‘Waaa’ and ended in a ‘moo off’ competition. Next was ninja tag followed by stomp which saw a few of us rolling around on the deck in tears of laughter. Then we had the bright idea to tangle hands together and try to unravel ourselves (this did not work), final game was bang, lots of crossfire. Had a very gorgeous sunset which made for a great photo and selfie opportunity. Heading into a scrumptious dinner for taco Tuesday, with pulled pork and chickpea fillings followed by sticky date pudding for desert. We have learnt so much in the last 4 days and with the seasickness passing aside everyone is in high spirits and looking forward to exploring the Great Barrier Reef and all its wonderful islands. Â
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Course:  304 degrees    Speed: 5Wind:  South easterly at 12 knots    Swell: South Easterly at 1.0 metres    Weather:  Fine
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ARRRGH, ahoy there from the spectacular Jervis Bay! We’ve all been taken A-back by the crystal clear blue waters and snow white sands.
After a well deserved sleep in these sheltered waters which was a refreshing change to clinging to our bunk racks for dear life for the past few days, the ship rose to another banger of a morale tune “sung” by Blue Watch. Brekkie was fun after the early morning activity to get us all up and moving. We held another round of competitive not-competitive rope races which culminated in smashed eggs on deck and the mummification of said egg smashers.
Roast lamb for lunch was prepped by the staffies in the absence of our culinary wizard Steve. Once cleaned up, we took the RHIB’s across to Captains Beach bordering HMAS Creswell which was a mind-blowingly beautiful little spot. Pretty much everyone had a dip in the drink and a roll in the sand and played some creative beach games run by our Suitability legends, Speedy Sam and Eggs.
A few hours at the beach made everyone ready to head back home and attack a teak deck barbeque, devouring cheese platters, steaks, sangas, and salads. With our full stomachs, us youthies initiated the highly anticipated elections for our command day roles. Which will commence sometime around midday tomorrow. We held a vote for each available role that all willing youthies put themselves forward for.
The following roles were voted as follows: Captain – Warwick, Sailmaster – Hugh, Navigator – Ruscoe, Officer of the Watch – Dan, Watch Leader – Nick, Ben, Bridget, Master chef – Emily, Mackenzie, Alyshia
We were greeted after our elections by a low flying anti-submarine MH60-Romeo Helicopter which did a cool fly around our ship. *Thanks Squizz!!* And then watched an amazing film about the rounding of Cape Horn back in 1929 on a 7 story tall sail ship.
Signing off from our anchor watch, Ben and Giles.
“I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: We can transmit it to others”


After a rather nonchalant guts watch with the Bluies, Reddies came in guns a blazing, setting our beautiful square sails preparing us for a speedy and eventful day at sea. Scaling (laying aloft) the Foremast, whilst the ship swayed kept the Reddies on their toes, holding on for dear life as they let out the gaskets for the Topgallant and Topsail Yards. A challenging activity to start off our day rewarded with a beautiful sunrise over Starboard.
During the day we participated in a Meteorology Brief led by our resident Nav guru TOMO, learning everything there is about fluffy, rainy and stormy clouds. This was followed by Lunch and a needed Siesta.
Whilst some slumbered, Bluies kept watch. They had brave volunteers to climb both main mast and to the topgallant yard to sea furl the sails.
In the afternoon, our Watches came together to have Mid Voyage Chats, where we had the opportunity to reflect on our voyage goals, experiences and discuss our hopes for Command Day. There were some very heartfelt talks, from overcoming fears, to gaining confidence in working as a team, and we set our eyes upon what we want to achieve in the rest of the voyage.
The first dog (Reddies) (from 1545 to 1745) was full of excitement, with over 50kn winds and up to 50 degrees on the OOOH AAAH meter (heel). Watching the waves break higher than the rails was an exhilarating experience and kept us holding on tight. Sites of sharks and a Cargo ship kept our lookouts entertained, while Callum lead an engaging activity on Charts. At the end of the first dog watch, Nick and Phil braved these treacherous conditions to lay aloft on the mainmast to wrangle the mainsail!
Rockin and rolling, Youthies (the newest salty sea dogs) Hugh, Bridget, and Nick!!