Orpheus Island Adventures

VOYAGE 09/12 DAY 3 Tuesday 29th MAY 2012 ‘Do you know what is out there? Wind and rain and some damn big waves, reefs and rocks, sandbars and enough fog to hide it all. So why do we go out there I hear you ask. Because it builds character. The kind that you only find on mountaintops, deserts, battlefields and across oceans’ White Squall CAPT Christopher Sheldon Ahoy there everyone, Welcome to day three of the voyage. Last night we remained at sea and all of the Youth Crew settled into shipborne routines and watch keeping. They have all had a turn on the helm, been lookouts and done some engineering rounds. A few of the Youth crew were still finding their sea legs when I saw them this morning but the smiles on their faces told a tale of a readiness for adventure. The tales from the night before were the scuttlebutt in the café as they regaled each other of experiences such as climbing aloft to see the sunrise, conducting a one watch wear and setting and furling the sails as required by the Watch Officers. I look forward to tomorrow when the Nav Tim can teach them some of his secrets so that they can add Navigation to their repertoire. Morning brief was an entertaining affair with the Nav keeping the humour in the brief and Salty regaling us all with a fine tale of old. After the brief (which in never very brief in nature) it was all hands on deck to take in all sail to allow us to come to anchor in Pioneer Bay at Orpheus Island. It’s a beautiful bay with outstanding views towards Hinchinbrook Island and some amazing snorkelling to be had. With a plan of getting ashore for a tour of the research station followed by a swim on the reef the Youth Crew were highly motivated in their efforts to get the ship clean during happy hour. In the afternoon the Youth Crew departed the ship to proceed ashore to explore the island under the guidance of their Watch Leaders and the Sail Master Damien. A guided tour of the James Cook University research station was conducted by the station manager Terry Price. Following the tour was a couple of hours of snorkelling on the reef and witnessing some of the giant clams that have made the dive site famous. While the Youth Crew were away visiting the station myself, the Nav and the Chef hosted 8 of the volunteers from the research station onboard the ship for a quick tour and some afternoon tea. All the visitors commented on how lucky the Youth Crew were to be having this opportunity to have such a great adventure. Once the Youth Crew were back onboard Mick the engineer conducted the first round of rope races which was a very competitive round for a non competitive game. Following the rope races the Boats Officer Rico conducted an in depth lecture on the rules of the road at sea and how we prevent collisions. I was on cooking duty tonight and I felt a teak deck BBQ was in order, so I cranked the tunes and allowed the crew to chill out on deck as I cooked up a feast. After dinner it was onto another get to know each other activity which turned out to be a roaring success. The plan is to remain at anchor tonight and let the crew catch their breath as we get ready for the next adventure tomorrow. Until the poetic prose strikes again CAPT Matt A sailor without a destination can not hope for a favourable wind Leon Tec