Log: 22/12

Yesterday was Trainee Day!! We headed to Blumine Island and set the ship up for a sunny swim, rope swing, and water slide. After a delicious lunch made by our cooks, we set off toward our destination for the evening. We hoisted the sails and turned off the engine to enjoy sailing our tall ship all by ourselves, catching some fish along the way. The crew were really impressed with our mahi when we handed the ship back to them that evening. We spent our last night reflecting on our growth and experiences, and enjoying the memories we’ve made together. ✨💖

Log: 21/12

Yesterday morning we deep cleaned the ship and then set our sails. We practiced tacking the ship which takes the whole team working in sync. We got so good at it by the end that we were able to tack the whole ship completely silently. While sailing back round to Queen Charlotte Sound we enjoyed some quiet time on the ship to rest and reflect on all we've accomplished. We ended the day electing our crew for trainee day and they are stoked to take over the ship today!

Log: 20/12

We spent the day in Fairy Bay taking our sailing and ship skills to the next level. We got out our luggers and practiced sailing and tacking in our small boats, zipping around the bay with some pretty variable winds and swell. Then came the chance to climb outside our comfort zone, heading all the way up to the top of the foremast and all the way out the royal yard...incredible challenge but also incredible views. While we were doing the mahi, some of the crew went and procured us some Christmas trees and we spent some time making funny decorations from our recycling to bring some Shipmas Spirit to the aft cabin. We had an intense mini olympics competition after dinner, our shipmates revealing some incredibly bizarre skills. We ended the evening stargazing together with our resident astronomer, learning navigation stars, telling constellation stories, and asking a million awesome questions under some incredibly clear and dark summer skies. Planning for a big sail session tomorrow!

Log: 19/12

Big adventure today off the ship! We went for a long tramp along the Nydia Bay track, through dense native bush and surrounded by birds and beautiful views. The opportunity for a sidequest off the beaten track arose, and so we went off through the bush to find a series of epic cascading waterfalls with naturally cut water slides and water deep enough for cliff jumping! Cold water but so awesome. We sang songs as we paddled back to the ship, and carried on after a delicious dinner with a very loud singstar competition. Tired legs and full hearts, time for bed!

Log: 18/12

Today we set sail for World's End! We took the opportunity along the way for a snorkel at Long Island Marine Reserve and saw heaps of wild life as we explored. During our sail we learned about whales, dolphins, and birds from our nerdy watch assistants. We're on our way to becoming celestial navigators, having spent the afternoon making star charts, practicing wayfinding, and using sextants. We then struck and stowed our sails as we came into Pelorus Sound (which is stunning!!). We were all ready for a big sleep to get ready for a big walk tomorrow!

Log: 17/12

After our morning swim and cleaning our ship we started learning chart navigation and then we're greeted by a big pod of bottlenose dolphins who swam along with the ship for quite a while! We then spent some time learning about how to communicate in teams and give effective feedback. We launched our inflatable rafts for the first time and paddled ashore to Davies Bay where we went all out playing beach games like 4-way tug of war and hilarious relays. Some of the team then challenged themselves swimming nearly a kilometer back to the ship, epic! We had another go on the rope swing and rounded out the evening with a cracking STEM challenge called "Eggs Can Zipline", 2 survivors. Ready for a big day tomorrow!

Log: 16/12

We started yesterday with a sail further up the sounds. We all had our first go climbing up and over the rigging. Under way we played lots of name games so are feeling like a big whanau now. We also did team building activities that helped us explore different types of leadership and group dynamics. Once our sails were stowed and we were anchored in Resolution Bay, we broke out the rope swing and worked on our backflip development programme. We had a delicious dinner followed by a wild and loud game of Playdough Pictionary and we were ready for a big sleep!

Log: 15/12

Yesterday we set the sails for the first time and sailed across the Cook Strait and headed into the Queen Charlotte Sounds by evening. During our sail we played games on deck, learned knots, and saw heaps of seabirds like Toroa a Northern royal albatross and some dolphins! What goes up must come down, so once we arrived we struck and stowed our sails. We spent the evening dreaming up all the awesome things we want to do on journey and made a voyage contract for what we need to do to make them happen. Finished off a big day with a well earned first swim in the South Island!

Log: 14/12

Voyage 930 is underway! We joined the ship on a stunning day in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington and got right into learning the ship, settling in, and getting to know our shipmates. We did the first big leg of our journey from Queens Wharf all the way to Oriental Bay, where we anchored for the night waiting for the southerly to go northerly this morning. Our first sunny swim at 0630 and we are off to cleaning stations then setting sails to head across the Cook Strait!