Strong Winds in the Indian Ocean

Welcome to day 9 of our voyage. At approximately 0330 this morning a cold front passed through with wind strengths of 25-30kts. This front had been expected so upper sail had been reduced in preparation for these stronger conditions. These conditions provided some exhilarating sailing for both the Staff and the World Voyagers with the ship maintaining boat speeds of 10-12kts. Personally I breathed a sigh of relief as I had been talking up these stronger conditions and the need to reach the Roaring 40’s to get the favourable trade winds since the beginning of the voyage so I am now happy that we are here and my plan is working.These conditions also brought with them some extremely heavy showers which meant all afternoon activities were suspended and everyone adjourned to the café for cards or other games or just enjoyed an extended siesta. I did however interrupt everyone’s relaxing afternoon following a wind shift when I called the ship to tacking stations and we wore ship (put stern through the wind) so that we could maintain our course and passage plan.The heavy showers have now passed so the watches overnight are breathing a sigh of relief as they expected to be dressed in full wet weather gear and be out in the rain for the majority of their watch.Given our good run over the past 24hrs we are now located 990nm SE of Cape Town now sailing close hauled in strong south westerly conditions.Volunteering to write tonight’s Captains Log is Matt and Claudia from Blue Watch , please enjoy!Until tomorrow, take careYours AyeCaptain GavCAPTAIN’S LOG – 01 DEC 15Hello from the Roaring Forties!Today has been a day of firsts. First day of Summer, first day under full sail, first day of Christmas and quite possibly the first day in which crew have started to go over the edge. Our day started out calm with light winds and gentle swell. Spirits were high as we awoke to track one of twenty two from Human Nature’s special edition Christmas album. It wasn’t until midway through breakfast that crew began to realise that the hum of both engines had now ceased, and the air on deck was pure Indian Ocean goodness.Last night’s challenge was an activity called Apples and Onions. The activity sees each voyager take time to reflect on our strengths and weaknesses, and the way in which we can effectively communicate them to one another. This has resulted in many watches becoming closer and having a better understanding of one another. Another highlight of the night was that this was the first night in which there were almost no clouds. This allowed Doctor Nick to run an Astronomy Session pointing out celestial constellations such as Orion and Taurus. Many Voyagers then chose to have a star gazing session down on midships and when we thought the night couldn’t get any better, our resident marine enthusiast Joshua Connelly pointed out the bioluminescent phytoplankton lighting up in the water, putting the cherry on top of a beautiful day.As the day progressed, weather conditions deteriorated and the afternoon activities were cancelled leaving voyagers to their own devices. Some chose to use their time effectively to tidy their bunks, improve on their knot work, or assist Doctor Nick in an afternoon arts and craft session in which we got to put a small cast on Matt’s sprained ankle. The Doctor was almost needed again today for Tammy and Bec, after they suffered a severe defeat from Kenny and Matt completing their game of 500. The resumption lasted barely 5 minutes after a Hail Mary hand from Kenny and Matt resulted in a 10 trick haul, leaving nothing but shock and awe in the eyes of both girls.Others however, decided to use their time pursuing futile tasks, namely a select few who have taken to developing a special group on the ship, known as the Green Flash. Our special interview with founding member Rebecca Hellweg, has allowed us to conclude that the group is nothing but nonsense. They have taken to believing that the mythical phenomenon of the ‘Green Flash’ is actually a medium for extra terrestrial exploration and they can be readily identified by the bright green line on their forehead. Further investigations have showed that it is more aligned to a pyramid scheme business plan, possibly making Rebecca the first voyager ever to make a profit while sailing on the Young Endeavour.Another amazing food extravaganza from Chef Jenko has only added to the hysteria. With pizza being shared amongst all, spirits are high as we begin to settle in to our watches for another cold and windy night on the high seas.BREAKING NEWS; As we sit here writing this, word has passed that our Fearless Captain Gav’ has just joined the Green Flash. This is of grave concern and now many turn to Kenny and the other Staffies who are remaining strong. This development means it is quite possible that our course might suddenly change as we begin our pursuit of the Green Flash.They are among us, be strong,Matt & Claudia