CLIENT: ISPA Japan Voyage
VOYAGE NUMBER: 20170808
FROM: Townsville TO: Mackay
DATE: 12 August 2017
POSITION: Cid Harbour, Whitsundays
Report by: White Watch
The morning broke, t’was clear and fine,
The night had passed serenely;
Until the time for bugle call,
The din it was unseemly!
The knot to tie, in dawn’s gold light
Was the Clove Hitch, firm and true.
Despite the battle, fierce and strong,
The winning watch was Blue.
When breakfast and the chores were done,
The sails were raised with gusto;
With water tanks and stores near low,
To Airlie Beach we must go.
The rubbish dumped and decks were cleaned
and after lunch was plated,
we took a wander into town,
our sugar fix was sated.
The sky and sea were shades of blue,
The racing yachts were dashing;
We sailed across to Harbour Cid
The light on water, flashing.
Whilst heading east across the waves,
The sheet-bend knot was calling;
with White Watch blowing all away,
From 1st, the Blues were falling.
Through all this frantic fun and noise,
Red Watch remain serene;
They quietly go about their tasks
But are still part of the team.
The Japanese have found their voice
And today, two were made bosun;
The singing groups of yesterday
Replaced with ballroom dance fun.
Another one of Hughie’s meals
Has filled us to the brim;
And today would have been perfect
If we could have had a swim.
If scenes of our adventures
You would like, yourselves, to gauge;
There’s plenty for you all to see
Upon our Facebook page.
– Tracey, White Watch Leader
With not many more words to say, White Watch would like to give a huge shout out to Tracey, as she has been the mastermind behind our wild and wicked ways. Without this incredible lady, South Passage would not be the same.
In the words of Dave- gnarly and Goodnight.
Peace out, Ashlee
PS BWL
Well how do you beat that? I don’t think I would even try. But as I sit here in the wee small hours of the morning (nearing 6 bells in the middle watch) with my crew once again ensconced in their bunks, it is time to reflect on the previous day’s activity.
Earlier in the day, we had a change of guests from the shadow boat aboard, and so that they didn’t miss out, another rendition of ‘home among the gum trees’ was presented.
From a rather reticent approach on day 1, it is now well and truly apparent that the crew have gelled together as an operating unit. As mentioned in Tracey’s rhyming ditty, it would have been a step outside the square for some of our bosuns today, but isn’t that what sailing on SP is all about? To step outside your comfort zone and see just what is possible if you try. I would like to be a fly on the wall when the overseas crew return to their home port and relay their experiences to their parents, although I would imagine that some of the stories will be padded a touch.
Of course there are the usual operational problems. For example how do you get your duty lookouts to concentrate when there is so much extra-curricular entertainment happening around you? Our only female Japanese crew member Natsuko is apparently a bit of a ballerina fiend, and watching someone do the splits on SP’s roughened deck surface? Well I will leave that to your imagination.
If it happens that SP gets another voyage with ISPA, you will have to get on the waiting list for watch-leader behind me!
And so ends another day. Oyasumi! (That’s good night to you).