Seeing our dinners again

With all youth crew onboard we sailed from the Mackay Marina at 1805 yesterday evening and an hour later we anchored off Round Top Island. All YC managed to climb to the topgallant yard (30m high) overnight which was a great effort and start to the voyage.This morning it was up at 0630 for some exercise and then breakfast. We had our morning brief at 0800 and then the YC were given the opportunity to participate in ‘happy hour’ or ‘cleaning stations’ as it is otherwise and more formally known. The sail training started in earnest by mid morning and the ship weighed anchor just prior to lunch. As the ship motored eastwards setting and furling drills were conducted. A fresh SE breeze made for perfect sailing and by mid afternoon, engines were shut down, all plain sail was set and the ship was powering along at over 9kts. Tacking stations was next on the agenda and in very quick time the ship had completed three very smooth and efficient tacks. So far so good. We’ve had a few sickies so far but they seem to be coping.The YC have now settled into their watches for the overnight sail and I expect we will tack at least twice as we work our way south. The forecast for tomorrow is unchanged so we should have a good sailing day ahead of us.YC entry by a whole gaggle (Kate Moore, Alex Grant, Mel Wong, Cale Hinds and Ashleigh John) – In the beginning there were smiles and anxious looks around the crewmembers. At first we thought it was easy but this thought soon changed dramatically. In the pitch black we were sent aloft 30 m above deck. For most of us, we saw our dinners again and again. We were anchored for the night but the waters were far from calm. We started our voyage far from the comforts of home but this was just the beginning of our adventure. Just in the first day we have learnt many sailing skills such as tacking, tying knots and dealing with the sea sickness situation. One of us had some extra adventure when he was stuck in the loo. He has rejoined us again thanks to the talents of the trusty cook and engineer. We knew from then on that we were all in for an exciting adventure.Chat tomorrowAndrew and gaggle