YTH-1206 Day One

We began this week’s voyage as any other. A brief look into Tucker’s history, parents wielding their cameras like paparazzi and a handful of young landlubbers itching to get back home to Shortland Street, FaceBook and cellphone coverage. After a quick congratulations to all our sponsored trainees from Chris at Far North Holdings we set off into the Bay yet again. There’s no masking the nervous buzz and excited chatter amongst our youth. With Marsha’s local roots aiding her, it was brought to the crew’s attention that mussells would be ripe for the taking, so without a moment of hesitation, and a little drooling from Rob, we put out a request for volunteer divers. Much to Rob’s delight we found keen divers in Te Komata, Pana and Atarea. Pulling in at the Black Rocks, bravado fell short as our three self-proclaimed “hunter-gatherers” needed a little coercion before they got their flippers wet. Our hunter-gatherers returned with just enough kutai to get them back aboard, we set off again for a leisurely cruise around the Russell peninsula and the northern side of the Bay. We made our way towards Orokawa Bay, tonights anchorage.

With a coveted peanut slab put up for grabs in a man overboard drill we had trainees shooting up the shrouds, trying to remember port from starboard and screaming their guesses pedantically at the helm. With Fred, our rugby superstar turned training dummy safe and sound on deck, the peanut slab was awarded to Milan for his closest estimate as to Fred’s time spent as sharkbait. With dinner cooking away in the Galley we had trainees wolfing down bananas, aloft in the rigging and paddling tenders backwards, on purpose of course.

All in all we’ve had a great start to this weeks voyage. We’ve got sacks of mussells, young’uns all getting along well and the crew not deciding to keelhaul anybody yet. Keep watch as this weeks events unfold, it looks like we’ve got exciting times on the horizon and the tides stay low for no man, vessell or Mafia kingpin.

Until tomorrow!!