Day 20 – Command Day Part 2

Hi Everyone,                  Welcome to day 20 of our voyage. Command Day has progressed extremely well and all of the Crew should be proud of there efforts in making this activity a huge success.  Captain Goody and Eva have put together tonight\’s log so please enjoy reading about there experiences and achievements during Command Day.  Until tomorrow, take care.  Yours Aye  Captain Gav     Captains Log7th March 2015Welcome to my second and final Captain’s Log!It has been a challenging 27hrs that has seen each and every crew member excel individually and succeed as a team. Initially when I put my hand up to be considered the Captain I was unsure what I really had ahead of me. The experience offered me a great deal more than I had expected, of which I’m grateful. I feel I have come out the other side with a greater confidence in leading a team and I’m proud of myself that I stepped up and gave it my all.However a leader never stands alone; I was always surrounded by a truly capable and keen group of Youthies and on that note I’d personally like to thank each and every one of them for their efforts, along with the staffies who supported us throughout.For a breakdown of the day’s activities, I’ll next hand over to Eva to gain her perspective of the command period.Cheers,Captain Goody(Former Captain actually…)Ciao to all our readers!It’s a privilege to share our daily adventures with you and I hope you enjoy today’s log on this special day that is Command Day!  The last 27 hours that we spent with the ship under our control have definitely been a busy and exciting experience for all. Our very own watch leaders and watch officers ensured the overnight watches ran smoothly and contributed to our final destination of latitude 12Ëš40.00N. Sian, our navigator did an amazing job of keeping us on track and our almighty sail master Jezza kept everyone in line with a big grin on his face 24/7. Even the engineers Vic, Fliss and Helena kept us sailing along at a steady speed.  The day began with a morning brief that allowed us to give the staffies a taste of their own medicine. Clare told an epic story that explained the origin of Sandy the Salty Sea Dog, which resulted in the tables being turned when he was covered with water and salt before which he was fawned over by our ‘girls’ Trav and Mac. Finally a bit of revenge! Sian gave us an excellent update on all things nav and left us wondering if she should be taking over Matt’s job… Goody and Jezza put encouraging words into our minds and inspired us to keep up all the good work. We also performed a medley of the Australian National Anthem to a variety of different tunes with help from our very own guitarist Vinnie. These included the likes of Yellow Submarine and Smoke on the Water. The brief was topped off with a unique poem written and performed by Eden.  Many of these activities were part of the 27 tasks that were set for us to complete during our time under command. Ronald, Julie, Vic and Cass from the morning watch completed the difficult task of putting the cover on the fisherman staysail which was an impressive feat as they had no prior experience. After morning brief we conducted a thorough cleaning of the ship during our usual ‘happy hour’ then it was disco time in the boys 12 berth. This was complete with lights, costumes and a solid dance line-up of music! Next up was the mural that we created on upper deck that depicted our adventures on the ship so far. Many contributed to this beautiful work of art and we were all proud of how it turned out.  Lunch was an all round favourite today. A huge thankyou to our chefs Teddy, Bridge and Robbie!! They worked so hard and did an absolutely amazing job of dinner, breakfast, lunch and even afternoon tea today. Our Italian themed lunch consisted of meatballs, pumpkin pasta and ciabatta rolls. Not only was the food themed but we helped decorate the café with Italian flags and phrases as well as giving the majority of the crew a well-drawn moustache. It also gave us the excuse to talk with a heavy Italian accent to the amusement of everyone on board.  Tom proved he was the knot master in the knot tying task and Ronald helped set up a fun round of games after lunch. This consisted of some old school skipping that Bridge and I made to the final round against the Staffies, but Dion and Captain Gav eventually took the win. We then played a good old game of duck duck goose and let’s just say that this game is much more suited to a flat and steady surface…  Goody successfully handed the ship back to Captain Gav with no scratches at 1600 and we were given a well earned rest before we began our overnight watches again.  Overall, our Command Day was extremely successful and I think everybody gained a massive insight into what it’s like to sail a tall ship. It allowed many people to step out of their comfort zone and learn new things about themselves and each other. It’s safe to say that we are looking forward to another chance to commandeer this wonderful ship.Ciao,Eva.Ps. Hi Grandma Marge hope you’re in tip top shape ready for your cruise! Love you lots. Victoria.      “