Clouds were moving in and out, making us wonder what sort of weather we would have for our tall ship adventure on the Sailing Training Vessel (STV) One & All (http://oneandall.net.au/). We left Christies Beach about 0740 and traffic was much lighter than it had been on Friday. Thus, we arrived almost an hour before we could board the ship. We wandered around the wharf and watched other folks who were coming on the harbour cruise with us. We ended up with about two dozen passengers altogether. Anna and Kent talked with Stan for a bit before being the first to board. We waited until 0950 before setting sail (using the diesel motor rather than the wind) as the draw bridge wouldn't open until 1000 (and it would reopen at 1500, so our return time was also pretty well set). As the ship started underway, we wandered around the deck and took notice of several interesting items: the ship's bell (http://www.clockguy.com/SiteRelated/SiteReferencePages/ShipsBellsExplained.html), the saloon (where we would get our food – hey that's important!), the 5 km of ropes used for rigging the sails, and the ornamental dolphin in the handrail. Our course took us through the river mouth and out into the harbour before returning along the same. After passing beneath the bridge, passengers were able to climb the rigging about halfway up the main mast. Kent took advantage of the opportunity while Anna watched (she wasn't sure that she had the strength to make the climb). Stan helped Kent into a climbing harness that was standard safety equipment for everybody (including crewmembers). Kent waited for most of the other passengers to make the climb before making the ascent and descent. Then, he went out on the bow rigging, making the most of his time in the climbing harness.
Stan pointed out several interesting locations on the way out, including the yacht club near his residence – Stan and his wife moved there about 7 years ago so Stan wouldn't have to make a long drive after returning from a sailing trip. The cruise was pretty smooth in the river mouth, then got choppy once we entered the harbour. The sun also ducked behind the building clouds and the wind freshened a bit. We watched some weekend sailors in a sailing race – Stan was concerned for their safety as the wind had become quite strong and some of the teams weren't coping so well with the conditions. We finally raised some of the sails (not the main sail, but a couple of the smaller ones) and turned off the diesel motor. Sailing under wind power alone was a fantastic experience – we could really enjoy the sounds and smells of the sea (even this close to the shore). Raising the sails gave the passengers, including Anna and Kent, a chance to get their hands dirty with shipboard duties. We learned how to "haul away" (do the actual work of raising the sail), "ease away" (take in the excess rope on the other side), and coil the ropes before stowing them (making sure that everything was "ship-shape" and that no untidy ropes were left laying around to trip folks). We also learned about "baggy wrinkles," bits of frayed rope attached to rigging lines to prevent the sails from chafing. The trip got a bit rough (and wet with the spray!) before we re-entered the river mouth on our way back to the wharf. We caught another glimpse of the shipyard where they were building several ships (a destroyer and a submarine), as well as refitting a submarine (Stan mentioned this was the main shipyard for building all the submarines in the Royal Australian Navy). Tying in at the wharf brought a reluctant end to our magnificent day. We told Stan that we definitely wanted to take a longer cruise (3 - 7 days) and would plan our next trip to Adelaide accordingly.
