Login
Day 9 – Beautiful Skyline, rough Anchorage!!
Ahoy there friends and loved ones – are you head to wind because I luff you!!
Some say this youth crew could fight the Kraken and come out with a friend. Others say that they can blow the ship forward with a single breath. Good evening! These wild tales come from Mark, Darby and Brianna.
After a successful start to Command Day, we saw a couple of nicely executed tacks as well as some quite interesting ones.
With so much to be done, the newly appointed crew and command team worked through the night. 11pm was the earliest any of us got to sleep and many had watch until 4am.
We then struggled through the early morning when the wind died away, bringing our ship’s speed down to below a single knot. However, with constant adjustment of the helm, we were able to continue slowly making way to the third waypoint. Being a bit short on time, we were forced to call on the assistance of the engines to gain some speed. And please take note that all this happened before wake-up time!!
We begrudgingly handed back control to the Staffies, with a newfound respect for their skills and abilities. Sails were hauled in, and we headed toward the entrance of Port Philip Bay.
The rest of the day was spent reflecting on our progress so far as a group and as individuals. We jotted down our experiences during Command Day and the rest of the voyage as well as writing letters to ourselves that we will receive in the future.
Our evening consisted of a climb up the foremast and along the yards to pretty up the square sails. Later came a slideshow showcasing our amazing experience. We ended the day by learning heads, shoulders, knees and toes in French, courtesy of Alice and Erin, with the lights of Melbourne shining in the background.
With anchor watches still to come, we go to bed anticipating our final few hours on the ship.
Mark, Darby and Brianna Out +
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Weather: Overcast Wind: 15-20 SSW Temp: 18C
You might also be interested in
ARRRGH, ahoy there from the spectacular Jervis Bay! We’ve all been taken A-back by the crystal clear blue waters and snow white sands.
After a well deserved sleep in these sheltered waters which was a refreshing change to clinging to our bunk racks for dear life for the past few days, the ship rose to another banger of a morale tune “sung” by Blue Watch. Brekkie was fun after the early morning activity to get us all up and moving. We held another round of competitive not-competitive rope races which culminated in smashed eggs on deck and the mummification of said egg smashers.
Roast lamb for lunch was prepped by the staffies in the absence of our culinary wizard Steve. Once cleaned up, we took the RHIB’s across to Captains Beach bordering HMAS Creswell which was a mind-blowingly beautiful little spot. Pretty much everyone had a dip in the drink and a roll in the sand and played some creative beach games run by our Suitability legends, Speedy Sam and Eggs.
A few hours at the beach made everyone ready to head back home and attack a teak deck barbeque, devouring cheese platters, steaks, sangas, and salads. With our full stomachs, us youthies initiated the highly anticipated elections for our command day roles. Which will commence sometime around midday tomorrow. We held a vote for each available role that all willing youthies put themselves forward for.
The following roles were voted as follows: Captain – Warwick, Sailmaster – Hugh, Navigator – Ruscoe, Officer of the Watch – Dan, Watch Leader – Nick, Ben, Bridget, Master chef – Emily, Mackenzie, Alyshia
We were greeted after our elections by a low flying anti-submarine MH60-Romeo Helicopter which did a cool fly around our ship. *Thanks Squizz!!* And then watched an amazing film about the rounding of Cape Horn back in 1929 on a 7 story tall sail ship.
Signing off from our anchor watch, Ben and Giles.
“I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: We can transmit it to others”
After a rather nonchalant guts watch with the Bluies, Reddies came in guns a blazing, setting our beautiful square sails preparing us for a speedy and eventful day at sea. Scaling (laying aloft) the Foremast, whilst the ship swayed kept the Reddies on their toes, holding on for dear life as they let out the gaskets for the Topgallant and Topsail Yards. A challenging activity to start off our day rewarded with a beautiful sunrise over Starboard.
During the day we participated in a Meteorology Brief led by our resident Nav guru TOMO, learning everything there is about fluffy, rainy and stormy clouds. This was followed by Lunch and a needed Siesta.
Whilst some slumbered, Bluies kept watch. They had brave volunteers to climb both main mast and to the topgallant yard to sea furl the sails.
In the afternoon, our Watches came together to have Mid Voyage Chats, where we had the opportunity to reflect on our voyage goals, experiences and discuss our hopes for Command Day. There were some very heartfelt talks, from overcoming fears, to gaining confidence in working as a team, and we set our eyes upon what we want to achieve in the rest of the voyage.
The first dog (Reddies) (from 1545 to 1745) was full of excitement, with over 50kn winds and up to 50 degrees on the OOOH AAAH meter (heel). Watching the waves break higher than the rails was an exhilarating experience and kept us holding on tight. Sites of sharks and a Cargo ship kept our lookouts entertained, while Callum lead an engaging activity on Charts. At the end of the first dog watch, Nick and Phil braved these treacherous conditions to lay aloft on the mainmast to wrangle the mainsail!
Rockin and rolling, Youthies (the newest salty sea dogs) Hugh, Bridget, and Nick!!
