2nd July
A-hoy!
With only a few days of the voyage remaining, Tenacious has returned to home waters!
After Sunday’s energetic daytime activities, and some lovely early evening sunshine, a tense evening lay in wait on the Bay of Biscay. Just as our 8pm to midnight watch began an eerie bank of fog rolled in towards us across the water. The ship was enveloped in a dense fog on all sides. The watertight doors were shut and a lookout posted at the bow to watch for fishing buoys and other potential hazards that would be invisible from the bridge. The Watch was also instructed to keep as quiet as possible, as the loss of visibility meant listening out for other ships was important. The fog was starting to clear by the end of our watch and some stars were visible by the time we went to bed, making us nostalgic for the glorious cloud-free night skies of the mid-Atlantic.
This morning we awoke to the news that we had entered the English Channel. This is the first time Tenacious has been here for a few years! The fog had gone, but was replaced by a dull, but rather less dangerous, overcast sky of drizzly cloud.
Rehearsals for the SODS (Ship’s Operatic and Dramatic Society) opera are now in full swing, especially for our Watch, as Lizzy is keen to whip us all into shape for a truly West-end-worthy performance on Wednesday night.
Winds have still been too light for sailing to be possible, though Captain Barbara is still hopeful for a sail this evening, so fingers crossed!
Over and out!
Forward Port: Max, Emma, Barnaby, Paul, George, Alan, Georgina, Maggie, Marco, Lizzy.
3rd July
We are currently zooming along at 4 knots due to wind power and we are sailing with the engines off!
We sighted Berry Head and Dartmouth before wearing the ship to allow us to continue our thrilling sail. Micah cooked a delicious Chicken Normandy and Banoffee Pie and 2nd Mate Maikel boldy accepted his own personal challenge to eat 6 portions.
The night watches were delighted as the clouds cleared and the stars came out. The watches were kept busy as there was a vast amount of shipping. At one point there were fourteen vessels that could be seen on the starboard side. The moon last night was a spectacular colour of red and the crew were treated to an amazing sunrise.
Today a number of voyage crew who were completing the leadership at sea got to experience what it’s like to live with a disability. After being blindfolded for 4 hours Max commented on the amount of trust you have to put into a buddy while still trying to be independent.
We have had contact with Lord Nelson and are looking forward to reuniting with them on our return to Southampton.
Aft Starboard- Roly, Geoff, John, Juliet, Stan, Eleanor, Steve, Katy and Rosie.
4th July
Ahoy Shipmates,
We awoke this morning to a view of the Needles and the lighthouse and have had a lovely morning making our way to and anchoring off Yarmouth.
We are running boats ashore for our last port visit, looking forward to cream tea and fish and chips – it’s been a while!
There has been a change of plans regarding our arrival, the Port Authorities have changed our berth. It will now be 106, accessed through Dock Gate 10. This is the Mayflower cruise terminal. Times remain the same with the added bonus of plenty of free parking near the ship.
We are madly rehearsing for the SODS Opera and our last couple of nights aboard.
Got to go, we don’t want to miss the last boat ashore.
See you tomorrow, Aft Port.
(Robin, Anne & Tim, Nicole, Janeen, Hannah, Ulla, Nigel, Colin and Bob.)
