DEPARTED BREST

Hi Everyone,Welcome to day 12 of our voyage. Following a very enjoyable visit to Brest we are now back at sea heading south. We really did fit a lot into our four days in Brest with activities like a full day bus trip and tour of Normandy, official reception, tours of the local Bretagne region and lets not forget about the dining out at the fantastic local restaurants where we all enjoyed great cuisine and some wonderful French wine. The World Voyagers of Passage six not only enjoyed themselves but also proved throughout this visit that they are wonderful ambassadors for Young Endeavour and Australia.Sadly we had to farewell one of our World Voyagers today as overnight Katrina (Kat) had an attack of severe stomach pains which luckily was diagnosed very quickly by our very own Dr Nick as an appendicitis and she was rushed to the local French Military Hospital where her appendix were removed early this afternoon. From all of us onboard Young Endeavour we wish Kat all the best and hope that she has a fast recovery, she will be missed!!As highlighted, we are now heading south with our next port of call being Tenerife in the Canary Islands which is currently located 1300nm away. The first part of the passage will see us cross the notorious Bay of Biscay then head down the West Coast of Portugal. The good news is that we have a favourable weather forecast with us expecting moderate north westerly winds for the next five days which should give us some enjoyable sailing (unlike our experience last week in the English Channel).Tonight it is back to Blue Watches turn to write the Log and kindly volunteering to tell you about their adventures in Brest are Amy and Stephen, please enjoy!PS A big thank you from the Crew of Young Endeavour to the DA- Paris Colonel Rupert Hoskin, Ed Cameron (Aus Embassy – Paris) and our French Navy Liaison Officer ‘Yann’ who all provided us with some amazing support throughout our visit to Brest. We really enjoyed your company and will not forget your efforts in ensuring that our visit to Brest was a success.Until tomorrow, take careYours AyeCaptain GavCAPTAINS LOG 02 SEP 15Well after a few days of cheese-fuelled hiatus, we are back on board having said “au revoir” to France!Our first night in France was spent anchored just out of the Port of Brest, where we climbed aloft and harbour-furled the Topsail and enjoyed the purple haze of sunset from the fore mast. An early rise the next morning saw the sun rise again over the bow, and then with our Pilot on board we made our way into our berth at Brest’s Poste 01 Naval Base, shadowed by a suitably French and amazing looking stone fort. World Voyagers manned the yards of the Topsail and the Topgallant, which made for some great photos from afar, but some soggy world voyagers as the rain set in for the first few days of our summer stopover in France.After a rough week traversing the English Channel everyone onboard was excited to set their wet feet on dry land. The inclement Bretagne weather had other ideas; we later heard that in Bretagne the saying goes “In Bretagne we have good weather a few times a day”. In the excitement of showering and digging around for dry clothes we failed to notice the incoming storm that promised a soaking whilst we restocked the ship with food for the next leg of the voyage. The rain did not quell our desire to explore Brest so we finally set out to reacquaint ourselves with land. The hunt for cheese, Wifi and croissants began early Sunday morning needless to say France provided!After mingling with some locals in a typically French town square over a game of boules, a group of us took their advice and headed out of town to explore the countryside and rugged coastline of Bretagne. After a sunny picnic of cheese with a side of cheese by the sea, we wandered the long way out of town to a fort built on a rocky island. Rudy showed off her talents with the local language picking up a fine sweater at the local flea market, whilst Amy and Ted (nee Vita) had a swim in the beautiful turquoise waters (we were later informed by the lifeguard that the beach had been declared unsafe for swimming that morning following heavy rains in the vicinity of the local sewerage plant!). Others enjoyed the parks, cafes and museums of Brest, as well as catching up on washing and well-earned sleep.Monday saw us continue our quest for cheese, Wifi and croissants, while the crew busily readied the ship for our official reception in Brest that night. The event saw official guests and members of the French Navy come aboard to enjoy the hospitality of all of the crew, as we told stories of our journey so far and took tours around our beautiful ship. Marcos, having been busy all day in the galley, provided us once again with an incredible spread of hors d’ouvres- special mention goes out to the incredible lentil and tomato masterpieces (written by two very appreciative vegetarians!).Kenny and our local go-to from the Australian Embassy, Ed, have been busy for weeks planning a tour for the crew of some highlights of Northern France, and by all accounts the early rise and long hours in the bus were well worth it. The tour included stops in Bayeaux, Mont St Michel, and the beaches of Normandy, including laying a wreath at the Commonwealth war graves at Arromanches.With the boat ship-shape for the next leg we motor-sailed out of Brest at 1600, en route for Tenerife in the Canary Islands with fore and aft sails set in impeccable unison! French has been thrown out the window, and Spanish lessons are already underway. We are excited for twelve days of sunshine, northerly winds and plenty of bed sheets flapping in the wind!Adios amigos, y hasta luego! Amy and Stephen- Blue Watch