CLIENT: Trinity College Goulburn
VOYAGE NUMBER: 20231208
FROM: Sydney To: Sydney
DATE: 9 December 2023
POSITION: Rose Bay
REPORT: Red Watch
We had dramas getting to and on the ship – our dashing sailing master Mal in his majestic dingy came to our rescue braving the elements. Once onboard, we were introduced to the rest of the crew. All of them, especially Cath (bless her heart), made us feel very welcomed to the South Passage.
Once we were all onboard, we were briefed with the expectations we were to adhere to, and unpacked our luggage into our sleeping quarters. Then, the butter chicken was presented, in its all its buttery, macro and micronutrient glory. This was followed, by the sweetest cheesecake in all the land (of course Tony didn’t like it). If you couldn’t tell, Cath was very much a highlight.
Subsequently, it was time for us to slumber; or at least attempt to, as the vibrant boat-party-goers were having themselves a ‘mad hectic night’, and the mysterious snore monster (Zzz Zzz) was in the prowl. This sleep, or lack thereof, was felt in in its full force once we were awoken in the middle of the night for our totally important, crucial and desperately needed watch duties of taking bearings, checking the anchor light, observing nearby craft, noting the wind direction + strength along with checking the depth of the water and weather conditions and getting the vessel’s position from the GPS. Needless to say, some of us were very exhausted come day two, when our voyage began.
After rising from our slumber promptly at 6:30am to the dulcet tones of the ship’s bugle, courtesy of Floyd, the day commenced. Cath, outdoing herself once again, provided not one, but two breakfasts for our hungry bellies. The entire crew then took part in a cleaning of the ship, and prepped it for sailing, raising the sails. In between all of this we found the time for a knot-tying competition – won by Blue watch.
Our voyage took us out of Sydney Harbour and into the mighty blue of the sea. We learnt various sailing skills and manoeuvres such as tacking and gybing. Each watch had their opportunity to shine. Due to the incoming front, we stayed close to the Heads. Later in the afternoon, we sailed back into the harbour, and anchored at Queen’s beach where we had the opportunity to swim (RIP Rohan’s inflatable pineapple). To conclude our evening, Cath produced a wonderful meal of bangers and mash to reward our efforts, and we prepped ourselves for our nightly duties.