Captain's Log

V08/15

14 December 2015

ANOTHER SQUALL

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to day 22 of our voyage. Just as I started to write this log the ship heeled dramatically so I raced to the bridge to find that we had just been hit by a 45kt squall. Straight away we beared away to reduce our apparent boat speed whilst those on watch raced forward to start clewing up the topgallant. In the end it was not required because as quickly as the squall hit it passed, and now the wind is back to 20-25kts and we back sailing comfortably again, the only issue now being that I am cold and soaking wet and desperate need of a hot shower so my entry tonight is very short which I am sure you will understand.

Since last nights log we have continued to make good speed in challenging conditions and are now located 1260nm WSW of Fremantle still experiencing very strong to sometimes gale force WNW winds with a 4m WNW swell.

Kindly volunteering to write tonightâ€™s Captains Log (Message in a Bottle) is Taylor and Rebecca from Whitsunday Watch, please enjoy!

Until tomorrow, take care

Yours Aye

Captain Gav

PS. This is day 358 of the World Voyage for me and tonightâ€™s squall was just another part of this amazing voyage.

To whoever stumbles upon this message in a bottleâ€¦

A lone Albatross glides above midships. We have not seen the outline of land for nineteen sunsets (or approximately 456 hours), and few of us can recall the sight of a tree or the smell of freshly mowed grass.

Our family and friends are all but a jumble of memories, or a photo in a frame, lost in the heavy mist of the Southern Ocean.

Entertainment is futile, with crew resorting to rope races to bring some life to the weary World Voyagers. Others such as Horto have begun to lose their minds, instigating Weet Bix Whistling challenges to the tune of, â€œBlack Bettyâ€ to bring some excitement to the Young Endeavour. Others found cause for concern as they watched their favourite breakfast provisions (Shaun) crumble away into the ocean with every sweet note whistled.

Some, to remind us of home, and simpler times resorted to remedial arts and crafts, bringing the Christmas spirit alive through the creation of a Christmas Tree made from old magazine cuttings of yesteryear, and craft glue.

With our impending arrival, food rations have been somewhat lifted with a select group creating a Biscuit Club, the only joining criteria being, a shared delight of biscuits. We welcomed Dougie to the club creating a sub branch with the ships Photography Club.

However, some had it worse than others. Poor Jenko received the assistance of the accurately named, â€œThree Stoogesâ€ today in the galley. He will have a well earned sleep tonight, after ensuring no blood was lost during the production of dinner. However, sleep may be lost due to the stress of breakfast service, and the potential loss of fingers in tomorrow mornings pancakes.

The sun has briefly peaked through the clouds, giving us hope that as we continue to head East North East towards Fremantle, that we may regain some of our lost summer, and hang up our thermals for good.

A melancholy vibe overtakes the boat as the countdown to land begins.

Small bursts of excitement overtake the ship with thoughts of Christmas, loved ones and mince pies.

Proving that we have become true sailors, and that we can be trusted not to create a mutiny, the responsibility of watch officers, sail master and even potentially the kitchen will be handed over to the world voyagers this week, giving a small amount of relief to our Mighty Staffies at the conclusion of their year long circumnavigation of the globe.

After twenty two days at sea, the dance of carrying ones plate from galley to table has been mastered, as well as that of bathing ones self, the rule being, â€œwait for the swellâ€.

The reality of the conclusion of our voyage sets in a little more each day as we embrace the time we have left together, making the most of this shared experience, which we will carry with us till the end of days.

Taylor and Rebecca â€“ Whitsunday Watch

Shout Outs!

Hi Kelly, Love Bec x

Hi All V21/13 chaps. Hope you are all well, Josh A

Hi Dave and Laura, slowly starting to warm up down here! Hope you guys are doing okay. I will message you about the 21st. Miss you and love you both, Rose xx

Hi Marcosâ€™ Mum, Hope you enjoyed his email. Love Taylor and Rebecca (his favourites from the original Blue Watch).

Shout out to Detroit.

Hey Neeks! Hope all is well at home, and youâ€™re settled into work now. Miss you, Dyl xxx

Hi Will, Izzy, Newton and Catherine. Hope you are all fabulous. Marbles probably says helloâ€¦ Love Rebecca xoxox

Latitude/Longitude:

41 degrees 18 minutes South / 92 degrees 2 minutes East

Conditions:

Currently located 1260nm WSW of Fremantle sailing on a very broad reach and experiencing strong to very strong WNW winds with a 4m WNW swell. Our current speed is 8kts and the temperature is 11 degrees.

AUTHOR: Commanding Officer STS Young Endeavour

You might also be interested in

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 11 – Last Day of the Voyage

Good morning Shipmates, Sailmaster Sara's final Wakey Wakey song was pumped through the Ship’s speakers to jar the crew of YE from their deep slumber after a particularly tiring day of the Community Day Sail. Activities included end-of-voyage chats for the watches, harbour furling the square sails, eating as much home made pizza, cooked by master chef Ash, as we possibly could and knocking over final command day tasks including the Slide Show. It was up on deck for a quick head count to make sure everyone was out of their ‘racks’ and ready for their final day onboard. Breakfast was followed by the morning brief on the plan for the day and then the Staff Crew weighed anchor and got us underway while the Youth Crew laid aloft for a quick harbour cruise. Navigator Seb piloted the Ship from our Athol Bay anchorage, past Fort Dennison under the Harbour Bridge, where we fired the Ship’s saluting cannon, and then into Balls Head Bay to our berth. We berthed at HMAS Waterhen at 1000 to the warm welcome of friends and family of the Youthies, waiting on the wharf for us. Once we had secured the ship alongside we invited our guests onboard, allowed them a walk around the ship to see where the Youthies had lived and worked for the last eleven days, and then we gathered everyone at midships. Sail Master Sara spoke about our adventures during the voyage and then I presented the Voyage Completion certificates to the youth crew and the Young Endeavour Award to Liv for her outstanding hard work on in undertaking the voyage and her dedication to helping her fellow youth crew members to achieve their voyage goals. We then farewelled the Youth Crew of V04/24 after a fantastic challenging and enjoyable voyage. Thank you for following our adventures and hope you enjoyed hearing about them. Yours, aye, Captain Mike

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 10 – Community Day Sail Sydney Harbour

Good evening shipmates, After a well-earned quality night’s sleep at anchor in Hunters Bay, Sail Master Sara woke us with another of her soothing tunes to get us on deck for a quick early morning activity. After breakfast the staff crew weighed anchor and conducted the transit to HMAS Waterhen, at Waverton. We berthed there at 0900 and prepared to embark our guests for the Community Day Sail. At 1015 we cast off our berthing lines and departed with our 34 guests and commenced our 3 hour tour of the harbour. Our Community Day Sailors were a group 30 members and staff from the Windgap Foundation. We also embarked some defence personnel as well. We again passed under the Harbour Bridge and then proceeded into Rose Bay where we set some sails and commenced sailing back towards Waterhen. Whilst on the harbour our fantastic youth crew helped us host our Windgap special guests. They encouraged our guests to participate in setting the staysails and a square sail by helping to pull on the sheets and clewlines. The youth crew also helped Chef Ash to prepare and deliver the food to our guests on deck. At 1300, after 3 fun-packed hours on the harbour, we berthed back at the southern wharf at HMAS Waterhen. Once we had farewelled our guests it was time to commence our end-of-voyage activities and preparations. The staff crew managed to organise a visit to the RAN Ship MATV Sycamore, which is crewed by a mixture of civilians and Navy staff, is a multi-role aviation training vessel. The youth crew embarked with their watch leaders and were given a 45 minute tour of the ship by some of the Navy crew. On completion they returned onboard and Young Endeavour sailed and proceeded to our anchorage in Athol Bay, which affords a great view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. During the transit to the anchorage the Youthies undertook their end-of-voyage chats, facilitated by their watch leaders, to examine if they had achieved everything in their full-value contracts they had completed at the start of the voyage. After the traditional last voyage dinner of home made pizzas, Sara gave the Youthies the Harbour Furl brief, who then donned their climbing harnesses and laid aloft to undertake the ‘Harbour Furl’ of the square sails to make them look immaculate for our ceremonial arrival at the end of the voyage tomorrow. Once that was completed, the youth crew then finished off their final outstanding Command Day tasks, which were planned for the last night onboard. These included the Voyage Slide Show compiled of photos taken by everyone. This was excellent and provided a touching reminder of what we had experienced and the beautiful coastlines and islands that we had visited during the voyage. The final activity of the day was the end-of-voyage administration, which for the youth crew included a feedback questionnaire asking for feedback on their experience of the voyage, as well as a letter for each crew member to write to themselves on their experiences during the voyage, which the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme will post to the youth crew in 6 months time. The aim of this is to help reinforce what the youth crew have learned about leadership, teamwork and about themselves from the experience of the voyage. Once these were completed the crew were encouraged to go to bed. The Ship will remain in Athol Bay overnight and weigh anchor and sail in the morning at 0900 and undertake the transit to HMAS Waterhen, where family and friends will meet the Ship on arrival at 1000. Until you hear from me tomorrow for the final instalment of Voyage 04/24. Yours aye, Captain Mike

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 9 – Command Day Part 2

Ahoy from Sydney! For today’s Captain’s Log: the Youthies took over and completed several tasks including singing the national anthem in three different tunes as well as giving salty sea facts to start the day in a nautical way. We finally made it! After a long and weary effort of the command team and watches, we were able to fully sail into Sydney Harbour. At approximately 11:50 we anchored in Hunters Bay. To celebrate we had a groovtastic disco in the 12 berth due to excessive rainfall but the youthies made it work, having a blast dancing to Billie Jean. Afterwards, the youthies as well as the staff reflected on our efforts during command day, following the handover of the ship to the Staffies, where we highlighted what we did well, what we could improve on and what lessons we can take back to our normal lives, of which there are many. Continuing on from the previous log, with command day still ongoing. We encountered multiple problems. One of which being that mother nature didn’t bless us and gave us little to no wind to work with. However with the efforts of the Youthies we were able to successfully gather up to 8 knots of speed after a 4am tack in which the youthies persevered despite a lack of sleep enabling us to make our way into Sydney. Before our reflection the Youthies finished their day strong with a ‘Happy Hour’ cleaning session and one final dance. The afternoon was spent relaxing and recharging from ‘Command Day’, going aloft and furling the square sails. For dinner, Ash prepared a barbecue with steak, sausages, chicken kebabs with buns and an assortment of salads with a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. The Youthies are looking forward to the Community Day Sail tomorrow which will be a great opportunity to give back to Australia and put our sailing knowledge to the test. We have learned many lessons during ‘Command Day’, we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and together a crew of 24 youth were able to sail a tall ship into the harbour of Sydney. Today’s score: 9 camels and a donkey (Amazing) Until next time Rock on! Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt. P.S. Happy Birthday for tomorrow little bro, love Lil xx P.S.S. Kai, sorry I didn’t do the thing for Meg. I just remembered and will do it when back.

Thank you Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt for your narrative of today's events. Intentions are to remain at anchor in Hunters Bay, just off HMAS Penguin, home of the RAN Diving School, a place close to my heart, having spent many a day there under training as a young Officer! The plan is to weigh anchor and proceed to HMAS Waterhen, in Waverton, to pick up our Community Day Sailors from the Windgap Foundation and take them for a sail around the harbour for 3 hours. The Youth Crew will help us host our visitors and give them an experience of Young Endeavour. We will drop them back to Waverton and then proceed to anchor in the harbour where we will have a good view of the Bridge and the Opera House for the Youth Crew's last night onboard. Until tomorrow. Yours Aye, Captain Mike

THE VOYAGE

Latest Captain’s Log

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Apply for Financial Assistance

FOR GUARDIANS

Youth Safety & Mental Health

FOR ORGANISATIONS

Scholarships for Local Youth

ABOUT US

The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme

OUR COMMUNITY

Make a Donation

ANOTHER SQUALL

Latitude/Longitude:

Conditions:

You might also be interested in

Ready to set sail?

More Information

Donations

Contact Us

1800 020 444

Keep in Touch

1800 020 444