Voyage 11/13 Day 6 – At Sea

Ahoy there Shipmates,Overnight the ship continued on passage south motor-sailing with the Youth Crew focussing on completing engineering rounds and getting practical navigation experience coastal fixing along the NSW coast between Nambucca Heads and Port Macquarie, with just the Main and Topgallant staysails set. Wakey Wakey was at 0700 and the Whiteys treated us to the attached song. After an average night’s sleep with a bit of ‘rocking and rolling’ the crew dragged themselves out of bed on the promise of another of Luke’s delicious breakfasts.At 0900 we had morning brief and heard from Rick the Navigator about where we’d been and what the weather was going to do, Salty the Sea Dog explained the origin of the terms Flemish Horse and ‘Son of a Gun’, as they pertain to sailing ships, and lastly Nana who had cleaned-up after us again, then taught us a new song ‘Crabs and Seashells’. We then cast loose gaskets on the Topgallant and Topsails and went to Tacking Stations to conduct Demonstrational Tacks, where the crew witnessed what happens on the bridge when the Ship Tacks or Wears-Ship.After lunch the Ship began ‘Silent Running’, during which the generators are shut down and all you can hear is the sound of the water on the hull and the wind in the rigging. During this we held the next edition of ‘Ropies’ and then we had afternoon tea which consisted of a birthday cake for Mick the Engineer. We also congratulated Guv for recently achieving 20 years in the Navy.For the remainder of the afternoon the crew sea-furled the square sails we had used in the forenoon and took the opportunity of practising setting and furling the fore-and-aft sails.The intentions are to remain at sea overnight continuing our passage to Cottage Point, Broken Bay, where we will anchor tomorrow afternoon, after completing Captain’s Setting and Furling, my assessment of the competence of the Youth Crew to work the sails with a reduced level of supervision, and my Captain’s Challenge, which I will keep as a surprise for the YC.Until tomorrow, take care.Yours AyeCaptain Mike ————————————————————————————-WHITE WATCH WAKEY WAKEY – TUESDAY 25 JUN 13It’s 7 am waking up in the morning,Gotta get dressed gotta relieve White Watch,Gotta have my bowl gotta have my cerealI see Aaron….Cookies in the galley cleaning all the dishesWhich line should I fake??It’s White Watch, White Watch the almost no-spew youth crew!Everyone’s no longer sea-sick sea-sick,It’s Tuesday, Tuesday, you’ve gotta get up it’s Tuesday!“Let’s remix this s**t!”(Alive, Alert, Awake) = RAPYEW!Mad dogs OUT!!   “