2013.10.28 Day 1 V18/13

G’day shipmates,Welcome to Young Endeavour’s Voyage 18 for 2013. Our journey commences on foreign shores in the beautiful Harbour City of Auckland, and will conclude in Wellington in eleven days time. We will see and explore the wonders of the New Zealand coast and if today is representative of the voyage ahead, we are truly in for a real treat. The anticipation is immense, the enthusiasm is boundless and the spirit of adventure is empowering. Our adventure under sail promises so much . . .I would like to introduce the Team of Staff Crew that will facilitate this voyage of adventure:Captain – DionSail Master – GuvNavigator – CaitlinWatch Officer – JenRed Watch Leader – JordoWhite Watch Leader – SandyBlue Watch Leader – RickChef – LukeEngineer – LindseySupernumerary – MartyMedical – ZoeLocal Intel Officer – Luke (Navigator off Spirit of New Zealand)Voyage 18 commenced at a slightly earlier time than traditional voyage starts, with an 0800 kick off (catching a few out, but this was very quickly resolved). The Youth Crew were welcomed onboard to have a quick look around the Ship and then were introduced to the Staff Crew before we got into the program. The Youth Crew were given an initial safety brief, divided into their watches to undertake a few ‘ice-breaker’ activities to get to know one another. That was then followed by a detailed tour of the Ship conducted by the Watch Leaders.Then it was straight into some line handling and deck safety in preparation for the afternoon’s activities which included a spectacular parade of sail on Auckland Harbour with numerous other tall ships. After a busy morning of hard work and lots of information it was time for some well earned lunch which had our very own master Chef Luke delivering the goods.We had two delightful people embark the ship specifically for the Parade of Sail. The first being Mr Mike Pigneguy, a Master Mariner with vast experience, who provided a great deal of local knowledge and expertise during the departure and throughout the Parade of Sail. The second being Miss Michelle McKenna of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise who through-out Young Endeavour’s time in Auckland fulfilled an Ambassadorial role assisting the vessel and liaising on it’s behalf for all events and activities.We cast off all lines at 1220 and entered Auckland Harbour to join an impressive fleet of tall and sailing ships that included the Spirit of New Zealand, Europa, Oosterschelde, Lord Nelson, Picton Castle and Tecla, R Tucker Thompson, Breeze, Jane Gifford and Ted Ashby along with countless sailing vessels and spectator craft. It was quite the spectacle as we sailed down Auckland Harbour and it was truly amazing to be a part of. The Youth Crew were thrown in the deep end, setting sails and wearing ship almost instantly, but for the thousands of spectators that had positioned themselves on North head, I can only imagine what a spectacular sight it would have been to see this majestic fleet in all their sailing glory.After achieving sailing out of the harbour and concluding the Parade of Sail it was time to say good bye to our guests as they embarked the ASB Coastguard Rescue vessel, to be transported back to Auckland and we commenced sailing for our overnight anchorage in Man O’ War Bay, Waiheke Island. The scenery was beautiful and the sailing was very pleasurable in near perfect conditions for the first day of a voyage.We anchored at 1730 and Chef Luke upped the anti from an already impressive lunch setting a new benchmark with a simply amazing dinner. (As Captain I felt it my duty to ensure I sampled a small portion of each of the mains choices). Once dinner was seen to, I took the opportunity to have a bit of chat to the Youth Crew about what their voyage would entail. On completion, Guv, as Sail Master, gave his talk about some of the rules and safety aspects of Young Endeavour before giving a safety aloft brief and a demonstration on how to climb the foremast. On completion I undertook a harness confidence check for all members of Youth Crew. This involved each member attaching to a man overboard davit, trained inboard over the deck, and inverting to show they will not fall out of their harnesses. This is our final safety check prior to commencing our first climbs.This evening, with some nerves and a great deal of courage and determination the Youth Crew undertook their first climb above the deck and to the Topgallant yard on the foremast. This was a huge achievement and capped off a massive first day onboard. This completed today’s activities and after a hot cup of cocoa the crew turned in for their first nights sleep onboard Young Endeavour.I am very pleased to report that all of the Youth Crew have done exceptionally well on their first day and I am from the outset impressed with both their individual efforts and the collective teams attitude. A superb start to the voyage.Until tomorrow evening, take care.Yours AyeCaptain Dion Curtis       “