THE ROARING 40’S HAVE ROARED

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to day 17 of our voyage. Well finally during the early hours of this morning the Roaring 40’s finally Roared, with some good strong winds which has provided us with some exhilarating sailing. I have only just come off watch and during the two hours that I was on the bridge the wind peaked at 40kts which at one point had our boat speed at 13kts which is pretty impressive given that at the time we were sailing under a reduced sail plan. Since I have come of watch the wind has moderated back to 22-28kts as the strongest part of this cold front has now passed through. The good news is that we have a larger front coming from the west which should provide us with favourable winds for the next 4-5 days.

Given the strong conditions for the day we cancelled the days planned activities and have let the World Voyagers have a fairly relaxed day with the exception of cleaning stations and keeping their watches. Most have chosen to catch up on some sleep or watch a movie.

We are currently located 2145nm WSW of Fremantle sailing on a Starboard Reach under fore and aft sail in strong to very strong southerly conditions. The wind is forecast to back to the south west overnight which will allow us to set our squares and continue to make good speed.

Volunteering to write tonight’s Captains Log is Rebecca and Alice D but rather than tell you about their day they decided to write a poem instead, please enjoy.

Until tomorrow, take care

Yours Aye

Captain Gav

CAPTAIN’S LOG – 09 DEC 15

Rime of the Youngish Mariners

Extra, extra, read all about it,

The winds have arrived and there’s no doubt about it,

Big winds, big chills, big tilt all means,

On deck activities cancelled for a while it seems.

Movies and sleep throughout the day ensued,

Which included for those on watch, at least a thousand brews.

Some would say they were out of their minds,

But Rose and Tammy, up the main mast they climbed.

While most of us just tried to keep warm,

And wait it out, in Doctor Nick’s big storm.

Safety lines have been rigged upon the decks,

To avoid us accumulating more cripples and wrecks,

Showering is a challenge tilting 30 degrees,

Everyone is bruised from their elbows to knees.

Kenny, of course just to keep spirits high,

Organised a quiz at sea, to be held on this night.

Shaun meanwhile on his quest for big fish,

Caught a second bird now, a swing and a miss.

Some of us slept, from lunch until dinner,

But we’d never miss Jenko’s dishes, always a winner.

For those in the galley, it’s a task to stand up straight,

And for those who are eating, to keep food from sliding off the plate.

Inspiration is provided by our Fearless Leader Captain Gav,

And a sensible course directed by Evan our Nav,

Though we are all worn and tired, there’s no place that we’d rather be,

Than 44 degrees latitude in the middle of the sea.

By Rebecca and Alice D.