YTH-1206 Day Three

A 7AM wake-up saw the crew and trainees beating the morning sun into the waters of Orokawa Bay. After convincing Pana that breakfast was more important that a lie-in, we hosed off and descended below deck for chores and chow. With the breakfast dishes done and dusted the trainees were given a quick brief on the main aspects of line handling, such as sweating and tailing, coiling and making lines fast, which is not letting a line go with a full load to see which one hits the deck first… After a quick abandon ship drill (yes, it was a drill, take a breath,) we were granted with our first decent break in the weather. Without a moment to lose, Tucker was out on the ocean again with her sails out and a beaming new set of deckhands at the ready. With the expert guidance of our full-time crew, the trainees sailed us towards Army Bay for lunch and landfall. Nearing our destination we spied a foul afternoon ahead of us, so Tucker was guided gently towards the safe haven of Pipi Bay.

Greeted with the warm afternoon sun and a cove of glass-like emerald waters, Marsha emerged from the Galley with leftover brownies and freshly cooked hamburgers. With a bucket of pipis on deck that had spat overnight it only seemed fitting to knock them back during our afternoon anchored in Pipi Bay. With the above priorities and formalities out of the way, the rope swing was let off and crew and trainees alike took to the water for a cool-down swim in the bay. TK, ready as ever with his arsenal of whippies, staples and gorilla-dives made sure that anybody trying to get, or stay, dry was sorely mistaken. With the crew ready for some peace and quiet and our trainees itching to get ashore again, negotiations resulted in Mr. Rob taking TK and Lucas for a dive whilst Milan, Not-As-Tall Bradley, Tall Bradley, Tyrone and Quinn headed ashore to explore the point and the shoreline wildlife. Milan hunted for kina whilst Tall Bradley scoured every nook and crevice for crabs. Not-As-Tall Bradley made the all-important connection with the local fishermen whilst Quinn left us in stitches with his jokes and warm humour. With the crew and trainees re-united on board, Pana, Atarea and Tall Bradley dug their heels in and conquered the summit of the rigging. Unbeknownst to them, there was fresh coco and ginger slice being served on deck. I don’t think anybody has ever come down the rigging that fast without falling. With empty mugs and sweet-tooths soothed, our next destination became Waipiro Bay.

Settled in for the night and eagerly awaiting spaghetti, apple crumble and our first full night of nightwatch, I sit and observe the bonds already forming between the crew, trainees and the ship. Eden, Atarea and Quinn have taken to giving our cook the odd butter-up, whilst Lucas, Kiri and Azalea all seem to have an affinity for bowsprit surfing whereas Pana and TK happily share Rob’s keen divers instinct. With food on the table and a rumbling stomach we’ll leave it at that for today. Stay tuned and don’t hesitate to keep posting your messages of encouragement and homeliness, as much as our trainees enjoy being out on a limb, they love to hear from friends and family just as much. Keep an eye out for the odd message in a bottle or lost sock.

Until tomorrow!!