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Day 07 – Safe Harbour
Ahoy there readers of this fine journal. I am writing to you from an anchorage within the sheltered waters of Jervis Bay with the sparkling white sand and crystal clear blue water. A far cry from our previous 24 hour ordeal as we crossed the northern section of Bass Strait in strong winds and heavy seas. Our Youth Crew started the day with the ship gracefully heeled over to a healthy average of 20 degrees. Under Topsail, Forestaysail and Mainstaysail she surged forward at a respectable 10kn speed made good.
During the evening prior – gusts to 50 knots and seas to 5 metres heeled us over as we pressed forwards. The helm answered and the ship was never at hazard. She was built for this and we all felt safe at all times. The average wind speed for the later evening was 30 knots and the short, sharp but sizeable seas were 3m with the odd set – much larger – causing gasps of exhilaration from the crew. The late afternoon’s sailing was a day that none of us will ever forget. With the bows firmly to the N-NE and the yards braced sharply to starboard the Topsail drove this beautiful ship relentlessly forward overnight. These conditions on a broad reach with that sail plan really are champagne sailing and we rode out the storm.
The morning saw us in much calmer conditions as we were now inside the lee of Victoria and the Australian Mainland. We still flew on the SW winds but they were a more respectable 20-25kn with 2-3m seas inshore. The very fast crossing enabled us to reach South Eastern Australia nearly a full 12 hours ahead of our 6kn planned passage speed and arrive in Jervis Bay at around 1700 – in time for a sunset and dinner. Today was all about rest, reconstitution and getting ready as we still have 3 days of this adventure to run.
This Youth Crew told us on arrival that they wanted a proper nautical Bass Strait Blue Water Voyage. That is exactly what they got.
Tonight sees us at anchor, conducting a BEAREX and anchor watches over night. Tomorrow we prepare for Command Day elections and Command Day itself the following day. We will remain within Jervis Bay this evening to prepare ourselves for our next blue water passage although the winds are looking to be significantly less for our next reach north.
What an adventure. What an ordeal. What a lifetime memory made.
Captain Leups Out +
Old African Proverb – If you want to go fast – go alone. If you want to go far – go together…
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Weather: Sunny Wind: 20kn S Temp: 21 C
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Ahoy followers of our Young Endeavour journey! Command Day. We made it.
The beautiful weather at our anchor point at Jervis Bay made for a spectacular day under the command of our fellow Youth Crew! A morning stretch and some wise words from the Ship Crew gave Captain Waz and the team a step in the right direction.
With the new watches all set and ready to go, Captain’s Setting and Furling gave all our youthies the chance to prove their abilities on the high seas. Strong performances from all three watches; Sharkies, Chompers and Narwhals!!
Morning brief gave the Sailmaster a chance to give us the daily orders and help get everyone on the same page. With the staff crew getting ready for a holiday and giving us the ship, floral shirts and party music filled the deck and, with some final preparations, the ship was ours.
The Captain was given a small but very significant envelope that contained the essential, non-essential and completely optional tasks to be done over the course of the next 24 hours. 2 tacks were to be made at a minimum before leaving the bay and safety checks were the essential tasks to start our journey. However.
More amusing, optional tasks allowed some of our youthies to become part of the “Beach Assault Team” while others were put to the task of making a slideshow of the voyage, tying all the knots on the list, etc. These were some activities that bided the time for our incredible navigator - Ruscoe to set out a plan and work together with the Sailmaster - Hugh to create a sail plan.
Tacking stations were the focus for our late afternoon, preparing to weigh anchor and leave such a beautiful bay, for our last stretch of this incredible voyage.
Happy Birthday to the Capitan, Warwick, who turned 24 today! The wonderful MasterChef’s created a “cherry ripe” cake out of rice crispies, coconut, chocolate, and love. With a beautiful ceremony to end our day.
Sailing into the night leaves us the ability to see the lights from our destination. Sydney, here we come!
Wish us luck! From Nat and Tom!!
