All:

I feel like I am on the first voyage west.  Being on a boat where the captain is quite certain of what he will find.  Morale is fairly postive but no land has been spotted as of yet.  We have just been given some food from one of the other ships to finish our trip( Hopefully that will be enough).  But until that land mass is spotted it is just a very educated and well thought out analysis of a map that is not complete.  The rest of the crew members are hopeful and the dissension amongst ranks is minimal.  The Gentry and Nobility await news from the flag ship so they can fill their boats with their riches and join.  Make no mistake, these folk with lined pockets will not step foot and follow in their boats until they have proof of land out west.  

Remember Columbus left with hopes of landing in Asia.  Instead he found North America.  It was not what they were expecting but it still proved to be a success over time.

I have this feeling in my gut that our expectations will not be met at first but over time much will be gleaned from the results.

Patience my fellow mates, 

Canadianjay(long time seaman in steerage)