Chilly Challenges - 8 - Young Endeavour Voyage

6/2/2017

(written 7/2/ 0325)

Watches Kept:

• 0000-0400 Middle Watch (a.k.a the Guts)

• keeping warm on guts watch again
• hammock built to sustain 21 youthies
• I lectured on crochet
• assaulted Kingston Beach
• command day finished - handover and debrief
• Jimmy (an egg version of our watch leader) jumped and did not make it
• learnt astronavigation basics

How am I feeling?

Fatigue and cold really set in for the guts watch and continued as we weighed anchor at Kingston Beach.  

Command Day was challenging on so many bizarre front that on debrief and hindsight I can be really impressed at human perseverance and the necessity to keep learning and adapting as a team, thanks to increased multi-directional communication.

Morale was pretty low over the 24 hours but as with all challenges we've convinced ourselves that it was amazing and rewarding even if oftimes our mood swayed from hating cold to pessimism about seemingly pointless activities.  

Its proper wintry weather here now, exposed on the water.  Kingston Beaches lights cluster like fairies or fireflies on the shores in many directions.  

Storm Bay Command Day- 7 - Young Endeavour Voyage

5/2/2017

(written 0318 7/2/2017)

Watches Kept:

• 0300-0400 Anchor watch

• Rest up
• Hand-over to youth crew (start 24h of youth command)
• Retrieve command day instructions from Isle of Dead
• Photo of everyone aloft
• Chalk mural
• woken up for tacks at 2100 and 2300

I decided waking up via swing into the Tasmanian sea was actually not the bet so I resisting urging to jump in.  

Up the mast an icy wind buffets us, chilling us, youth prepared for milder conditions.  It was a sign of what was to come.  As streaks of white foam painted lines across the increasing bay swell we held on for dear life.   Entering Storm Bay once more we reached rocky seas again.  

That was fine but on waking up for the first tack we found the rain was all too ready to soak our gear and at times the ship seemed like to throw us.  The frigid winds sapped my enthusiasm for the adventure although being responsible for calling the jib was a highlight.  Even with my breaking sleepy voice I directed the crew to heave it in against violent 30 kt winds with shouts of "2, 6, Heave!"

Sunrise Dolphins and Sunset Ghosts -6- Young Endeavour Voyage

1747 4/2/2017

Watches Kept:

• 0400-0800 Morning Watch

Sunrise behind the ship.  Photo credit: Sammie Costin

Unconsecrated church Port Arthur.  Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

• Talked about teamwork
• Apples and Onions (Brought up Good and Not so Good things about people in our group)
• elections for command day
• demonstrational tacks (seeing how tacking works from the bridge)
• Came in to Port Arthur
• Ghost Tour

Preserved house Port Arthur.  Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

How am I feeling?

Not scared by the ghost tour although the room in the parsonage was pretty creepy.  Great hot chocolate on return to the ship.  

Feeling pretty confident on the calls for setting (bringing out so you can sail) and furling (putting away) sails but I will inevitably make some mistake.  That's okay, I'm sure we'll all make mistakes.  

Land dizziness is crazy! (You get seasickness moving from land to sea and moving back the other way you start rocking back and forth on land.)

I chucked up my hand for sail master (I was getting pretty keen for it after demonstrational tacks) but Gus (a more experienced boater) got the vote.  I did get watch leader though.  It was disheartening to see the factions created by the watches (red, white and blue).  

A pod of large dolphins greeted us in the morning and some seals watched out adventure past Tasman island.  

Tasman Passage.  The seals were too shy to be photographed. Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

Swimming in a Wineglass -5- Young Endeavour Voyage

2030 3/2/17

Watches Kept:

• 1800-2000 Last Dog

• Early morning swing off course yard
• Then in to the beach
• Climbed Dove Mountain to lookout
• Weighed anchor about 1400
• Will sail overnight
• Massive nap
• Dolphins

Swimming in Wineglass Bay before being ferried back to the ship. Guess which person is me.  Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

How am I feeling?

Waking up to "Take a chance on me" was fantastic. 

Wineglass Bay was beautiful so I went for a swim up to the waist (still pretty cold) before coming back.  

Watched dolphins from the bowsprit - its so cool that every day they have come to see us and swim in the wave before the prow.  

Found a pink bruise over my eye; guessing I was elbowed while heaving in on the sheets (though I didn't notice at the time). 

Water was cool but not as icy as Lake Macquarie in winter.  

Contemplating positions for command day (when youth crew take control of the ship for 24h).  I like having a bit of responsibility but total decision making scares me a bit.  Still I'm thinking Sail Master (second-in-command), Navigator or Watch leader (manages one of the three watches (or groups) of deck hands whilst its their turn on watch).  I'd also be find to be a basic deckhand.

View of Wineglass Bay from the lookout.  Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

Sailing made Easy -4- Young Endeavour Voyage

2/2/17
(written 2030 3/2/17)

Watches Kept:

• anchor watch 0100-0200
• 1600-1800 First Dog
• anchor watch 2200-2300 (means uninterrupted sleep Yay!)

• weighed anchor at St Helens point (i.e. pulled up the anchor to leave)
• sailed to wineglass bay, manning the helm as we entered
• watched film about Peking (fully rigged barque ship)

Photo from:
 https://www.amazon.com/Peking-Battles-Cape-Horn/dp/0930248066

How am I feeling? 

So tired by the time I got to bed. 

Setting the sails and climbing the masts in the morning was a good workout, stretched out all my muscles.  I did some stretching nearing sunset in wineglass which was much needed.  

The size and beating that the Peking took (in the film) was incredible.  

Climbed the tops'il yard (the middle one) to undo gaskets and it was stupidly easy after the high seas.  Helming in to wineglass was a huge highlight and the view of the whole coast was beautiful.  Sat on the bowsprit for a full hour, watching the other boats around us, including the "Enterprise", a smaller, tubbier tall ship.

I think this is by the entrance to Wineglass Bay.  Photo credit: Jimmy Potter

Beautiful Binalong -3- Young Endeavour Voyage

2200 1/2/17

Watches Kept:

• prev. day 2000-0000 First Watch
• 0800-1200 Morning Watch

• sea-furled the course sail (tied it up)
• shore trip to beautiful Binalong
• 3-way chats
• changed positions to near St Helens

Course yard is the lowest horizontal beam, but it has the biggest and heaviest square sail. Photo credit: Jimmy Potter

How am I feeling?

Great, the vibe on the ship is fantastic with no one sick now that we've reached the eastern side of Tassie.  

Our watch had the fastest speed/furthest distance travelled last night (29.9 nm or 7.5 kts the whole way).  

The crust of salt on my rain jacket after being left out on
 deck in Bass Strait.  I could never forget that it was salt water that
 was spraying across the ship.  It would dry on all surfaces into salt
and sting my face.  

Food is a great joy atm, the cook Marcos is fantastic (I was galleyhand yesterday and this morning).  Makes not being sick double worth it.  

Binalong was beautiful: turquoise water and fiery orange moss on the rocks and white-white sand.  The bay was called the Bay of Fires, which could have been due to the moss (but actually because there were fires blazing on the shore when the English decided to name it). Had a lovely mocha from the restaurant and sat in the sun on the beach.  The wind and swell had picked up by the return trip in the shore boat and I was splashed all over with salt.