Stonehaven Bay, Hook Island – Whitsundays

Ahoy shipmates and welcome to day 6.It’s Dion here again to fill you in on the day’s activities. Overnight each of our watches conducted a teamwork and communications challenge. The activity definitely throws all of our tall ship sailors in the deep end and pushes them to boundaries that they wouldn’t have anticipated only 24 hours ago. They all did a brilliant job and are coming together nicely in their tight little units. Today the wind came in (from the south at 25 knots) and we did some quality sailing and got one of the square sails out for the first time. In all, the bond and ultimately the teamwork on display is very pleasing and has set a very high bar. I’ll now hand over to Keeley, Jonah and Livvy now to fill you in on the activities from their perspective.Until tomorrow, fair winds, Sailmaster Dion                    Ahoy there maties from Keeley, Jonah and Livvy. After a jam-packed morning, starting off with a bit of whale watching on Livvy’s sunrise watch, a hearty breakfast from the world’s greatest chef and Jonah and Keeley laying aloft to cast loose the topsail gaskets (in rough conditions), STS Young Endeavour sailed for the first time with no help from either of our engines. Next up was a true blue lunch of meat pies and chicken. Following this, the youth crew attempted numerous rotational tacks (and a wear). After only just getting the hang of our own tacking stations, we were set free to learn the various other tacking positions on the ship. Initially feeling like headless chooks, the youthies eventually completed multiple successful tacks with help from our beloved staffies. Feeling very accomplished, the staffies decided it was only fair to reward the crew with a snorkelling trip to Manta-Ray bay, where we saw an array of different sea life including sharks and sea turtles. After our snorkel, each watch sat down to talk about how the trip was going for them so far, sharing goals for the rest of the voyage as well as discussing our new found respect for one another. Mentioning the food in the youthies log is becoming a bit cliché, but we believe that because we have been so well fed, our enthusiasm for everything we do has only increased. After a brilliantly prepared cheese platter and BBQ organised by our junior Masterchefs: Ellie, Zach and Bree, the egg drop egg-stravaganza began. Each watch was required to tell the story of how their watch leader (the egg) ended up in the situation of being dropped out of a plane (the lower top platform), then construct a contraption that would allow them to be dropped safely without being scrambled. Congratulations to Whities and Reddies for safely landing their precious cargo and a special mention to Steph for coming up with the best story. Every day manages to top the last on this voyage and we can only look forward for what follows what has already been such a surreal experience. Shoutouts:Jonah – Hello Mum, Dad, Zara, Josh, Leroy and Lightning. Just want to let you all know that I am having the time of my life and I cannot wait to tell you all about it.Keeley – Hey guys, such a fantastic time on this voyage, can’t wait to tell you about it when I get home… miss the animals at home LLivvy – Hey Mum, Dad, Cooper, Molly, Demi and Jorja, missing you all. Having an amazing time out here sailing, and can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get back.