Day 10 – Still Battling Headwinds

Hi Everyone,Welcome to day 10 of our voyage. Today has seen us continue to make ground to the East but currently not at the speed that we would like to due to these pesky headwinds. We are sure that they will moderate soon and even late this afternoon they dropped below 20kts but then came back to 25kts later this evening, probably just teasing us. Our spirits are still high and our focus is not completely on the weather but it does affect most things that we can and can’t do during the day. At today’s afternoon brief I did make a bold statement that the weather will be better tomorrow and that we will pickup the training program with vigour, and trust me that’s just what we intend to do!  One exciting bit of news is that we caught our first Mediterranean fish today which was a nice tuna. It was caught on Shaun’s rod but as fate would have it he slept through the whole thrill of landing this beautiful fish. Given this catch we are all guaranteed that Chef Aaron will be serving fresh fish on the menu tomorrow.  Tonight we are back to Blue Watch’s turn to write the Log so please enjoy tonight’s edition which has kindly been written by Jarrod and Hannah. Enjoy!!  Until tomorrow, take care  Yours Aye  Captain Gav  Captains Logs 13 April 2015Our first big achievement for the day was during the darkness of night as the Cookie Monster Caitlin steered us across the Greenwich Meridian at 03:30. Soon afterwards, Blue watch led the charge with Red watch as we battled with the wind and waves to successfully brace the yards from starboard to port, harnessing the winds of change with the fervent hope of a swifter arrival at port. The sight of the floodlit vessel floating alone in the wide expanse of the black Mediterranean Sea was a sight that I’m sure we will forever remember. It was bedtime for us Blues as we lined up a triple shift day that has seen many lesser coloured watches crumble under the pressure of responsibility. Our fearless leader Captain Gav (whose legendary handsomeness is known to all) once again granted the epic voyagers another well earned sleep-in as a morale booster and to help us deal with the sailors’ curse of seasickness.  Midday saw the exemplary Blue watch gifted power of the helm once more, allowing us to claim our dominance of the ocean. This four hour stint saw us memorising Morse code and exploring the depths of the ships hull, where unexpected surprises such as the half-forgotten Mardi Gras costumes from previous voyages lurked, waiting for a revival of Carnival spirit. Our amazing double-A chef baked up a storm of jam-drop biscuits, but in a cruel twist of fate withheld them until we had cleansed the ship of the unholy dust and allergens that had struck down Sail-master Kenny with a fearsome illness. Once the ship was cleaned to the Captains standard, we Blueys reclaimed our rightful place upon the helm, with biscuit in hand.  Other highlights of the day include our first fish of the voyage being caught! Blue watch’s illustrious leader Shaun had laid the line, and then went and laid in bed for his afternoon nap. Our Conniving Chef commandeered the line to haul a magnificent tuna from the hands of King Neptune himself.For now, Blue watch has once again been called on to display their prowess in all things nautical as we set sails, brace the yards and tack this fine vessel, The Queen of the Seas – The Young Endeavour.  Gotta Sail! Jarrod and Hanna.