The Chef takes Command

The winds did abate overnight as expected, however the large seas still provided quite a bumpy ride. The ship tacked at midnight and again at 0800 this morning. During the morning watch, storm sails were put to bed and our normal suit reset as the wind had dropped to a respectable 20kts and swung around to the NW.At morning brief I passed on temporary command to Ange, the wonder chef, who I had chosen to be ‘Captain’ for the day. Karen, another navy chef onboard, took over the cooking duties.Today has been a lovely day and after yesterdays tempest there were smiles all round and a real outbreak of morale. After lunch, a set of rope races were conducted and then each of the watches got together for a chat to discuss how the voyage is progressing and what has been learnt. I then chatted to the YC about Command Day and what I expect from them. The YC will hold their elections tonight and there is a real buzz of excitement going about the ship. I think they will do well as they have been performing very well as a team thus far.We are still sailing towards Broken Bay and I expect we will anchor at 2100ish. Tomorrow of course will be a busy day. We will sail from Broken Bay in the morning and complete the final set of sail handling drills and hand the ship over to the YC at 1400. Ange has had a great day in ‘command’ and did very well. She had a lot of fun and learnt a heap as well.YC entry by Dale Norris (age 22 from Oakville, NSW) – Well, the last 24 hours have been absolutely amazing. We’ve seen rough seas and calm seas, stormy conditions and fine conditions, all in the space of one day. Last night we were up against 50-knot winds and up to 6 metre swells. When we were on watch we spent most of our time up on the bridge trying to stay dry and warm while our fearless watch leader ‘Ducky’ climbed up to the top sail, swinging around on his own to gasket the sail. When we did go out on deck we were required to clip onto a safety line which ran along the deck. Seasickness started to affect a few people, including myself, although it was not as severe as the first bout. The Young Endeavour battling through the huge swell was an awesome, unforgettable sight. When not on watch and below deck the best thing to do was sleep, as standing up required keeping a firm hold on something fixed at all times. Even lying in bed was an art – it involved wedging ourselves into the corner of our bunks to avoid falling out. The conditions eased throughout the night and were considerably calmer by the 4-8 am watch this morning. Today has been a great day. All the YC really appreciate the fine weather and our settled stomachs as the last few days have been quite challenging. The calm waters and sun drenched deck meant we could practise and consolidate our sail setting skills in preparation for the ‘Youth Crew Command Day’ tomorrow. Elections for the ‘Command Day’ positions are to be held tonight. We’ve certainly learnt a lot over the past week and there seems to be a lot of excitement and anticipation in the air about ‘Command Day’. Our mid voyage talks today really highlighted how much we’ve enjoyed ourselves so far and how much we’ve developed together as a team. I can’t wait for tomorrow and the new challenges the day will bring. Cheers, DalePS Happy Birthday Mum – and Happy Father’s Day Dad!It will be nice to get to anchor after the last two nights of rock’n’roll. Chat tomorrowAndrew (and Dale)