DAY 9 – COMMAND DAY PART 2

Ahoy there shipmates, Captain James here!Today included the conclusion of Command day which was certainly quite the challenging experience!We set sail last night at 2000, with the staffies helping us weigh anchor and motor out of Cid Harbour to the first of five waypoints. As all good plans go, as soon as we set sail it went out the window with the unpredictable nature of the sea.From the moment the youth crew and myself took over it proved to be a very challenging task for someone who has never captained a sailing vessel let alone a tall ship, however, the entire youth crew rallied together with incredible teamwork and perseverance.Covering roughly 50 nautical miles in twelve hours, we battled winds of up to 30 knots while setting and furling sails and bracing the yards with watches half the size of what we were used to. We took the ship through her paces, testing both her and our limits. We zigged and we zagged, we went forwards and back, we even undertook some accidental 360 degree turns in the water.While mistakes were made, we were constantly working as a team and learning from all the errors we made. We sailed into Nara Inlet an hour over time, however, the improvements made by all the youth crew over such a short time was incredible.At 1200 hours I passed control of the STS Young Endeavour back into the very capable hands of Captain Mike, who we now had a newfound appreciation of all the hard work involved in running these voyages.Yours Aye,Youth CAPT James—————————————————————— Hey there shipmates,Thank you Capt James and your fantastic crew for taking such great care of Young Endeavour during Command Day. You were very successful in completing the tasks we set you and you managed to have a lot of fun along the way.After we had anchored the Ship in Nara Inlet on Hook Island I took the Ship back from Capt James and his able bodied crew and we all had a couple of hours to have a well-deserved rest following the hectic pace of the last 24 hours!We all got together again for another of Haydo’s delicious indoor BBQs (due to the incessant parade of showers that kept passing over the Ship). This was followed by some time for the watches to prepare their skits for the evening’s SODS Opera (Ship’s concert), which was held at 1930 at midships under the Ship’s awning. The concert was very entertaining and the Staffies as well as all the watches presented individual acts, some of which were musical and all humorous. Simon read a poem, attached below, written by the youthies which depicted the voyage. The show was compared by Lloyd and Talisha who did a fantastic job.The Ship will remain at anchor overnight with the youthies once again keeping anchor watches. It is planned to weigh anchor at 1200 and proceed across Whitsunday Passage to an anchorage off Airlie Beach.Yours, ayeCAPT Mike V07/14 Youthie Voyage Poem We cast our eyes upon her, that afternoon we met,We felt at home within her before the sun had set.With badges pinned to our chest, the colours blue, red, and white,We climbed aloft the first evening, topgallant in our sight.We learnt the ropes and safety boats before we could set sail,No training could prepare us for what the voyage would entail.We went this way and that way, and forwards and backwards.We chundered in the sea. With bodies sprawled across the deck,Not the life for me.At the mercy of the wind, our sea legs not the best,Thank goodness for the anchor; a calm and good night’s rest.We swung into the next day, our spirits were restored,A whisper on the wind told of an abandoned island resort.We had a threeway on the sand, many moments and tales were shared,A barbeque after our day on the land, charades and ice cream – the perfect pair.We sailed the Whitsunday Passage, with perfect weather condish….But all was turned around with the Bearex – nothing was harder than this.A hefty dose of Bullshit and Uno would nurse us back to health,And then we learnt the secrets of the sails from Captain Mike himself.We passed the test to set and furl, and songs to celebrate,Whitsunday Island provided us with snorkelling – not so great…We made it to the epic day 8, under the command of Captain James,We’re not too sure if we were ready for the assortment of fun and games.The cool night air was dense and thick as we rushed from sail to sail,But as our leaders stood upon the bridge, how could we ever fail.So here we stand upon this very ship that bought us to this place,I look around filled with pride at each bright and smiling face.Our crew is now made of steel, the best you’ve ever seen,Now how could one ever forget Voyage 07/2014?