CLIENT: Gold D of E GP Voyage
VOYAGE NUMBER: 20220418
FROM: Gladstone to Manly
DATE: 19 April 2022
POSITION: Lady Musgrave Lagoon
REPORT BY: White Watch
Day two of the voyage began with a 6am wakeup call to Ambrose playing jazz on the saxophone. Despite the startling wake up, and everyone still being half asleep, the music was amazing, and everyone was very impressed. After a speedy cold breakfast, we began to raise the sails for the day, and white watch was assigned to the headsails. Raising the sails proved quite challenging with the deck being slippery from the night’s rains, as well as the swells the ship was passing through as we were raising them.
White watch had to manage our team efficiently, so that we could ensure that we were always prepared to go on watch. This included getting our wet weather jackets, water bottles, hats and gloves at the ready. Since all the elements of the ship are connected, we had to work as a team to complete the tasks required of us. This was made increasingly difficult as seasickness affected more and more of the watch. Remaining members had to pitch in and work together, sometimes being lent help from other off duty members, to ensure all tasks were still accomplished.
Lunch was warm hamburgers, and everyone found it delicious and quickly cheered up. Our cooks, Cath and Louise, work tirelessly throughout the day to provide us with delicious meals so we can replenish our strength and energy. Due to the wind remaining under 10 knots, the trip from Pancake Creek to Lady Musgrove Island took longer than expected. The trip was also filled with frequent rain squalls, which made it hard to sleep on deck between watches.
We arrived at Lady Musgrove just after 2pm, where we explored the island and went snorkelling. During the voyage we had the privilege of socialising and working with members of all different age groups. Being the youth team, we found it fascinating listening to the adult’s variety of exciting stories to tell. We certainly appreciated the fact we had different ages, and how we could learn from each other. We also built strong relationships with crew, such as our watch leader Dave, our skipper Garry, and our sailing master Neil. They shared their skills and knowledge with us, and encouraged us through the rough conditions.
To test our skills from today, we finished with a knot tying competition when we returned from the island. Today’s knot was the round turn and two half hitches. Our watch unfortunately came last despite putting in our best efforts, however this has only fuelled our team’s competitiveness and we are determined to make a comeback. We finished the day with rice and beef hotpot, and raspberry cheesecake which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.