TNS460 19/05/2016

19th May 2016 Tenacious Blog

Well what an eventful 24 hours some of it spent in our very own time zone as
we missed 24 hours and are now ahead of the UK. Ben 3rd officer gave a short
but controversial talk on time zones including his plan to decimalise time –
so 100 minutes in an hour and 10 hours in a day and 10 days in a week and 10
months in a year – so many benefits including having one’s birthday in a
different season each year…so maybe you’re thinking we’re going a bit
crazy out here as we are sailing wonderfully with still no one else around –
this includes planes/boats/ships and mammals in the sea apart from 2 tropic
birds and another ‘black one’ and truck loads of flying fish ( they don’t
fly high enough to land on the bridge Mike chucks them up there when they
land on deck but don’t tell the early watch).
What Matt spotted was the Albert Meyer Reef last spotted in 1911 and to his
mind quite clearly there on  starboard. The rest of us used binoculars and
remain mildly sceptical of the dark coloured water with no clear breaking
water over it being land (and there are clouds in the sky which cause
shadows) However the consensus is to rename it Matt’s reef.
Last night the wonderful Tracey (Cooks Ass) designed a quiz which our watch
team Budgie Smugglers came an incredibly healthy second place.
Alice especially ably assisted by Mike van B, and Ben have earned heroic
status by trying to sort the Fore mast Royal sail (top sail of the foremast)
not once but twice and at one point attempting to go out on a yard which was
at a 60 degree angle. The problem is that the royal lift (which helps
support the yard) became stuck inside the yard due to the wind and  although
currently stable will need further work once we are alongside. When you
watch the movement of the top of the mast you have a real respect for these
guys climbing and up there for a substantial time  to try and resolve the
problem.
Mislav was asked to try out as our watch leader on the 8-midnight watch.
Well suffice it to say that we were never dismissed so stayed on watch all
night as he beat a hasty retreat to his bunk as the next watch appeared.
Apart from that he managed to change helmsman regularly, ignored the frogs
Matt heard and needed reminding for that all important wake up call for the
next watch.
Lastly Shiny – Chief Engineer – has 19 more sleeps before leaving both this
voyage and JST for pastures new.
We all send our families and friends who are reading this and thinking of us
but unable to contact us as we are in the middle of the sea by ourselves
lots of love.
F’ward Port watch which includes Mike, Matt, Michelle (French),
Michelle(Jersey), Jimbo, Lesley, Steve (mess man), Mislav, Terry and Myself
(Ruth)