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Whales visiting
Yesterday was not a particularly good day for sailing but it was a great day. The youth crew were tired and some were still feeling seasick having had nearly 48 hrs of bumpy seas. The crew were a little blue. The wind died away, the seas calmed and the sun shone brightly. Everybody started to perk up. Everybody was asked to put on their happiest and brightest clothes, we cranked the music up and soon everyone was dancing up on deck. A limbo competition then developed followed by a skipping competition. In essence we had a major outbreak of morale.In the afternoon I briefed the youth crew on what Command Day is all about and what is expected of them. These guys have bonded very well and are working as a team so I don’t anticipate any major problems. As we conducted the final set of sailing drills we were pleasantly interrupted by a southern right whale breaching close to the ship. He or she didn’t hang around for long but it was nice to watch in anycase.The ship anchored off Portland at sunset and in the evening the Command Day elections were held in the cafe.This morning we weighed anchor at 0400 and commenced motoring east to put us within striking distance of Port Phillip Bay for the start of Command Day. I will hand over the ship after lunch.STOP PRESS. Another whale has just been spotted. We stopped the ship and spent about 15 mins watching this magnificent creature just lolling around seemingly oblivious to our presence. Special treat for everybody and no extra cost!Chat again tomorrow when I’ll let you know how Command Day is going.Andrew
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Wind 2900/12kts, Temp 17, partly cloudy
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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!!
