After all the tense excitement of keeping watch when fog rolled in yesterday morning, I was looking forward to a quiet afternoons snooze, but fate intervened, in the shape of Chief Engineer Shiney, who was going to give Julie and Harry a tour of the engine room. Craig and I tagged along and we were taken through various mysterious doorways in the Lower Mess and the accommodation corridors. It was fascinating seeing all the pipes, cables, tanks & machines that work behind the scenes, and learning about all the work that goes on to keep it all running. We got carried away with it all and missed Smoko. 16.00 We’re brought sharply back to reality with Happy Hour, when we all clean the ship; I get a mop & bucket to wipe the floors.

Thankfully its quickly over with for the day. The food for dinner had been requested by Nat & she’d picked my favourite, chicken curry, followed by pear-offee pie. Afterwards we had an inter-watch ships knowledge competition in the Lower Mess. Sadly my watch didn’t win, but my excuse is that most of us had to be on watch instead on the Bridge. It’s all over with by 2100 hours and Captain Simon decides that sadly we’re going to have to hand (put away) all the sails as the is wind refusing to blow in the right direction for us. Once that’s all done (in the dark!) my watch man the Bridge until Midnight, when we are very grateful to fall into our bunks.

This morning  after breakfast we get our last chance to climb the rigging at sea, when lots of us volunteer to put sea stows in (tidy up) three of the sails we’d hauled in last night. It’s very windy up there with Harry & BM Alan, as we work on the Fore Course yard, whilst Julie & Tony worked with Bosun Rowan on the Main Lower Top, and Annabel, Nat and BM Fred made the Fore Lower Top tidy. It just never stops – fantastic!

Roger, Aft Starbord watch.