Day 4 – Bass Strait

Ahoy there everyone, Overnight the ship remained at anchor in East Cove Deal Island. At 0700 wakey wakey was piped and all hands arose from a much deserved sleep. During the morning brief the Salty Sea Dog Watch Officer Jordo regaled us with tales of a bygone era when ships were made of wood and sailors were made of steel to the amazement of all. Next Joel the Navigator presented his Navigation brief and proved to all that in fact the earth was not flat but round, the rest of the Staff Crew are still out on this theory and said that next he would be telling everyone that mermaids didn’t exist. He concluded his presentation with the basic principles for navigating the ship using the fitted equipment. Utilising the time at anchor the Youth Crew continued developing their knowledge and teamwork by proceeding aloft to cast loose sails or conduct deck work handling the many lines and winches to set and furl the sails. To maintain this work rate Chef Snowy and his three Youth Crew apprentice master chefs out performed themselves as usual by providing a superb selection of fine cuisine for lunch. After lunch Engineer Josh conducted round three of rope races which saw the non disappear from the non-competitive title as the watches gained confidence in the lay out and terminology of the ship in order to locate the various nominated items.Next Watch Officer Jordo presented a Rules of the Road lecture, this is an important component of safely navigating the ship to avoid colliding with other vessels or running aground. Each of these lessons continue to build on the foundation skills of sailing a tall ship by providing broader situational awareness of the maritime environment.The Youth Crew continued with further deck work during the afternoon despite the intermittent passing rain squalls. Most notably during the afternoon stand down all hands were gathered in the caf� and a very special Young Endeavour happy birthday was sung to Caelli Greenbank wishing her all the best when she cut her freshly baked chocolate cake.By late afternoon the weather had abated sufficiently to enable the ship to weigh anchor and depart Deal Island recommencing our passage motor sailing across Bass Strait in 1.5 metre seas and 20 knot winds. The intention is to continue making ground towards Gabo Island and the NSW South East Coast for the next few days continuing our adventure under sail.Until tomorrow evening.Yours ayeCaptain Damien