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WEATHER IMPROVES
Hi Everyone,Welcome to day six of our voyage. Well finally the weather has started to improve and with it the spirits and health of our World Voyage Crew. Gone is the seasickness which has now been replaced with smiling faces and healthy appetites.These improved conditions allowed us to reactivate our training program which started straight after morning brief with the completion of our first set of tacks as a crew (alter course by putting the bow of the ship through the wind). Despite this activity being conducted in wet conditions everyone got a trill out of throwing this 240ton ship around in 20-25kt winds in the middle of the English Channel.The rest of the day has been spent with the watches spending time with their Watch Leaders setting and furling sails, bracing the yards and climbing the mast. I was just up on deck and noticed that Blue Watch was just climbing the foremast to witness a beautiful sunset as we now have clear blue skies.Early this evening we altered course to the south and are now making good speed towards the French Coast, the weather is forecast to continue to improve so at our present speed we should still arrive in Brest on schedule at 1000 on Saturday morning.Tonight unlike last night I did have some volunteers to write about their day so please enjoy tonight’s Captains Log written by the members of White Watch. Enjoy!Until tomorrow, take careYours AyeCaptain GavCaptains Log 27 Aug 15121 miles from Brest and everyone is eagerly waiting to hug a tree!We are finally, if not slowly, approaching the end of the English Channel, the sea is smoothing out and the weather is getting more and more favourable. People are again starting to turn up for meals as the seasickness of the past few days eases. Poor Marcus, our magnificent Chef maybe thinking that it’s a reflection on his cooking however, that couldn’t be further from the case. Each meal he effortlessly places a five star concoction on the table, an absolute treat!White team are considering starting a shrine for our beloved team leader “Knuckles†whom ever so courageously managed to damage himself whilst untangling a sail for our sakes in the pouring rain whilst blowing a gale. It was really quite impressive to see an elder statesman outshine us all in a show of physical strength and stamina. “Knuckles†also had part of the white team (that had the stomach to do so) climb the mast-climb to watch the first clear sunset of the voyage.During the night we had some massive cargo ships overtaking us as well a mammoth aircraft carrier that really made us feel like small fish in a giant ocean. We also had the privilege whilst watching out for cargo ships and other vessels of witnessing an impressive fireworks display off in the distance on the Isle of White. This may have been the Poms actually celebrating having a nice sunny afternoon in their dreary English summer.Today we got our first real taste of tacking drills in the windy and rainy conditions. Everyone passed with flying colours. When you have almost the whole youth crew heaving in on the Jib it really emphasises the importance of each man/woman on the ship and how much we depend on each other.A special mention to Rowan aka “the kiwi turbo†from white watch who seems to have an abundance of energy and enthusiasm not only for any drill or task but he also takes the time to help those in need whether it be to assist with a task or provide comfort for those struggling with sea sickness – but seriously, we may have died without you!Just a quick hello to my family and friends back in Australia – its only taken 3 days but I’m finally starting to get over my sea sickness – I think (Bob from white watch)And another quick hello to my favourite oldies Rosie and Poppa – I love you both lots and am thinking of you (Love from your favourite grandchild Vita xx)!
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Currently located 100nm to the north west of Brest and experiecing moderate WSW winds with a 1m swell. Our current speed is 6kts and the temperature is 15 degrees.
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Hi Everyone, Welcome to Day 9 of our voyage. Following a busy night of sail plan changes and early morning tacks the Youth Crew made their final waypoint at 0945 this morning which was a major achievement having safely sailed the ship all the way from Prosser Bay to the entry to Port Arthur. On achieving their final waypoint the Staff Crew took over and conducted a pilotage into Port Arthur coming safely to anchor at 1045. Once at anchor the Youth Crew set about completing the rest of their outstanding tasks prior to handing the ship back to the Staff Crew at 1300. With Command Day successfully completed the Youth Crew were ferried ashore early this afternoon where they completed the Command Day Debrief with all agreeing that it had been a challenging and rewarding experience. To finish the afternoon’s activities the Youth Crew were given a guided tour of the Historical Port Arthur Settlement before returning to the ship for another one of Chef Haydon’s fantastic dinners. That’s enough from me I will now handover to Jade, Lochie and Sophie who have done a wonderful job of writing tonight’s Log. Until tomorrow, take care. Captain Gav The last 13 hours of Command Day proved to be very chaotic. We started the day at sea with unideal sailing weather – cold and dark with minimal winds. From 0001, we continued our course from Orford to our final way point of Port Arthur whilst keeping our usual overnight watches. On the guts, Red Watch successfully tacked the ship without needing to wake up anyone else – a mighty fine feat! The Whiteys (On ya Whitey’s!!) and the Blueys also had hectic watches setting and furling many, many sails. Then began the 0530 tacks… All youthies were up before the sun to the call of “Attention all Youthies - all hands to tacking stations. Standby to tack the ship!” over the pipes. Within 6 minutes, all youthies were harnessed and up on deck ready to execute our first tack to attempt passing the notoriously difficult to sail, Tasman Island. After a successful tack, and after a big few hours, brekky was an essential! Master Chefs Aria, Anna and Tiff cooked up a storm worth stowing (in our bellies!) of pancakes, waffles and a feast of fruits which fuelled us for the rest of Command Day and the rest of the Command Day tasks that lay ahead. At 0605, we caught the first light of day touching the tops of the Tasman Island cliffs off our starboard side – ahhh what a sight to see! After another two tacks to set us on our final bearing to Port Arthur, the Youthie Command Crew held an awesome, but a little sleep deprived, morning brief featuring some naughty nautical yarns, nefarious nav brief - “sunscreen or die, hydrate or die”, and the one and only woman who makes the sea seasick, Captain Paige, with the inspiring quote “If you believe in yourself, then you’ve already done half the work”. By 1015 we had successfully made it to our final way point at Port Arthur! We weighed anchor and ate a delicious Aussie-themed barbeque lunch cooked by our awesome master chefs before jumping into Chucky’s favourite hour of the day – Happy Hour! This was then followed by the Captain’s Hand-over Ceremony where the ship was returned to the staffies in a somewhat pristine condition. Keen to get ashore, the youthies jumping in the sea boats to speed ashore for a guided tour of Port Arthur where we learned lots about the historic values of the area and the tragedies that were experienced during the 1800s. Back on the boat, the Staffies held a Command Day debrief where we achieved almost 2 handed thumbs-up for all our completed tasks. A fantastic achievement for the Youthie Crew of V03/23!! With the fantastic Haydo back in the kitchen, we were in for an infamous meal of chicken Penang curry, baked salmon, steak and roasted vegetables followed by golden syrup dumplings with butterscotch syrup sauce and ice cream. Jeez he spoils us! Also a shoutout to my not-so-little, little brother, Hugh. You’re going to love V04/23 mate! Good luck squeezing into your bunk ;) xoxo Lochie. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store! This is Jade, Lochie, and Sophie signing off!!
Hi Everyone, Welcome to Day 8 of our voyage and Command Day. Thankfully the weather improved overnight and a well rested Youth Crew awoke to a beautiful Tasmanian morning with clear skies. Following Morning Brief I conducted Captain Setting and Furling Drills which is our final activity leading up to the Youth Crew taking command of the ship and I am pleased to announce that all watches passed with flying colours. Once completed, the Youth Crew Command Team were given 30 minutes with the Staff Crew so that they could ask questions that may assist them in their elected positions throughout their Command period. Once finished we rigged the rope swing and gave everyone a chance to have a swim in the cool (some would say cold) clear water of Prosser Bay. At 1300 this afternoon we all gather at midships and I handed over the Command Day instructions and the ‘telescope of challenge’ to Youth Crew Captain Paige which officially commenced the exciting 24hr Command Day period. One of the many tasks for Command Day is the writing of the Captains Log so here is tonight’s edition written by Captain Paige. Until tomorrow, take care. Captain GavHello all, Today’s events were very exciting for all youth crew, as today is the day the staff hand over the ship and let the youthies take control. The day for us youthies started by the staff woke us all up to Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marring Aye and Timmi Terrell through the main broad cast. We then had a scrumptious breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, cereal, yogurt and toast. Which was provided to us by the amazing Haydo and the master chef’s Tiff, Jasper and Jack. Breakfast was followed by morning brief where we are informed of the weather conditions, the Captain always provides us with an inspirational daily quote, and what the daily plan is going to look like. Once morning brief was wrapped up red and white watch performed happy hour while blue watch performed the Captains setting and furling. This allows the staff crew to insure all the youthies are safe and capable to take command of the ship. Once all the watches rotated though performing the Captains setting and furling the elected youth crew sat down and conducted opposites which is where the staff command team discus with the youth crew the best way to go about performing the roles they are taking over for the 24 hour period. Since it was such a nice day the staff decided we do Swimex which is where staff and youth crew that are brave enough to conure the cold water temperatures of Tassie are allowed a short period of time to have some water fun this includes jumping off the rope swing, using the Lilly pad which is a large foam mat jumping off the side of the boat and the bow sprit. When the Swimex came of a close it was time for lunch which was pasta bake, Bolognese, lamb and Pork chops, cheese and garlic breads which were freshly made that morning by Haydo. Hand over to youth crew was conducted at 1300. During the 24hrs that the youth crew have control of the ship the staff go on holiday down stairs where they have access to a bowling alley, cinema, and Maddie opens the heated swimming pool along with other amazing facilities. Part of hand over the Captain, what given a sheet of 30 tasks that we need to perform as many as we can throughout the period of time we are given. The first task was to assemble a row boat team to row to shore to acquire the navigation instructions, other tasks includes creating a rope hammock that will support all the youth crew at once, Theresa’s knot tying challenge and many more exciting and challenging things. Once the navigator marked out waypoints we weighed anchor and set sail though Mercury Passage. We are now carrying out night watches and on our way to the next anchoring spot which is unknown as of the moment. Until the next log update Yours truly Captain Paige
Ahoy there Land-lubbers! Today has been the wettest yet! After a busy night of anchor watches and little sleep due to the rolling seas, this morning’s weather seemed promising. We awoke to a beautiful sunrise in Wineglass Bay with dolphins in abundance, chasing and playing alongside the boat. However, there was a spicy **Insert ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls here** call over the intercom from Chucky to don some wet weather gear. The ‘Captain’s Challenge’ (aka the Pre-Command Day Examination) took place after morning briefing, used by the man who makes the sea seasick (El Capitan Gav) to test the Youthies capability to sail the Young Endeavour by themselves. This was made incredibly difficult by the rain. While many hands were on deck and climbing the rigging, the elected navigators were busy (and dry) pinpointing our location. Given the circumstances, we were able to successfully complete the Captain’s Challenge with 10 minutes to spare! There was a brief respite for lunch, cooked by the ever-amazing Haydo and his Gordon Ramseys’. After which, all hands were back on deck to continue setting and furling sails. This task quickly turned from practice into reality, as we were hit by several squalls that became progressively worse over the course of several hours. The Youthies fought bravely against the roaring winds and blistering cold rain to furl the sails. We succeeded in making the ship safe. We have weighed anchor, and are taking shelter in Prosser Bay (near Orford) tonight. Command Day gives the Youthies (almost) total control of the Young Endeavour for 24 hours. This evening, we conducted elections to determine the leadership team that will be running the ship throughout this period. Here are the results: Captain Paige Sailmaster Sophie Navigator Lochie Officer of the Watch Jeremy Red Watch Leader Summer Blue Watch Leader Jack White Watch Leader Alistair Chefs Aria, Tiffany & Anna We wish all our (land-lubber) families back home all the best. Love ya, Gibbsy and Jezza xoxo