Captain's Log

V07/15

11 October 2015

A CLEAR DAY ON THE ATLANTIC

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to day 20 of our voyage. Well the weather gods have continued to be kind today with lots of sunshine, some moderate to strong wind and a much smaller swell. With the stronger wind we did manage to put the ship under a full press of sail for most of the day but this evening has seen the wind moderate to 10-12kts and veer to the SE which has meant that we are now back to sailing downwind just under squares.

It is hard to believe that we already up to day 20 of our voyage with only eight days and just over 1000nm until we reach Cape Town. This voyage has gone really quickly but each day we still find something different to do and our World Voyagers continue to enjoy the majority of our daily activities (well maybe not cleaning stations).

Starting from today we have introduced a guest Sail Master which gives a World Voyager the opportunity to run the daily routines and activities and gives Adam a bit of a break. Our volunteer for today was Oscar who set a very high standard and kept everyone busy and amused throughout the day with a PT session and lectures given on Morse Code, Gyroscopic Inertia and Photography.

Volunteering to write tonightâ€™s Captains Log Leigh(roy) from Bay Watch so please enjoy reading about his day.

Until tomorrow, take care

Yours Aye
Captain Gav

Good Day and welcome to the World Voyagers entry to the Captainâ€™s log for this eventful day of Tuesday the 10th of November, where we had a near miss involving a foreign object in the lavatories, rogue rotten potatoes restricting access to parts of the ship, some healthiness and also hard lessons for the World Voyagers.

Many thanks to Captain Gav for giving his update on the ships location and weather prognosis as mentioned above. As I write this we have most sails set and have a light to moderate following breeze. It is a partially cloudy evening with a low following swell. Apart from the cool temperature from the wind, some may say the conditions are perfect and most unlike the reputation which is expected of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.

The morning started at 0700 with U2â€™s song â€œBeautiful dayâ€ playing, which was fitting for the awesome morning which awaited us. â€œWhich Watchâ€ who were lookouts on the 0400-0800 watch were treated to a wicked sunrise atop the mast and were keen to make it known to the on coming watch what we had missed out on.

At the morning briefing we were alerted to a possible crisis on board the Young Endeavour in relation to the plumbing. Our celebrity sail Master for the day, Oscar was clipping his fingernails during a morning restroom visit when a rascal wave dislodged the clippers from his firm grasp sending them spiralling into the toilet bowl! Little more can be said on this matter other than to say they had to be rescued prior to the flush. Henceforth a new rule has been introduced in which no foreign (metal) objects are to be used whilst in the lavatory.

Towards the end of the forenoon watch there was some confusion occurring on the starboard side of the bridge. The area was blocked off and the reasons were initially unknown. The closed deck was a hot topic of conversation, in particular on the port side of the vessel where the watches were meeting for handover of watch. The mystery was solved shortly thereafter where we were told some potatoes had gone off the grid and become rotten. Due to the limited space on board the vesselâ€™s fruit and vegetables are stored in all locations around the vessel including the deck. Once the area was cleared and well ventilated the starboard side of the deck was reopened to the public and calm returned and we have been told there were no potatoes lost.

The afternoon consisted of a Personal Training session on deck followed by some hard lessons for the World Voyagers. We were split up into three groups and had lessons on Morse Code, Gyroscopic Inertia and Photography. We also discussed the plans for the vessel once we get to Cape Town next week including some community and tourist activities. This reminded the crew of some of the luxuries which await us in the not so distant future, including real coffee and proper laundered clothes. However tempting this treats will be, they will not provide a moment in time such as this voyage is offering. I highly doubt any of us will return to the Southern Atlantic Ocean on a Tall Ship under sail to make a transatlantic. Every day provides a new environment, be it the cloud cover, wind strength or direction, swell size and bearing, vast array of sea life and the pure remoteness of the endless ocean which we must ensure to appreciate before we rejoin the real world.

On a personal note a shout out to family and friends back home. My mother is always concerned about the food: however she need not to worry here.

Onwards and upwards always, Leigh(roy). Bay Watch out

Special thanks for today:

– Oscar first celebrity sail Master ïŠ

– Jess and Loren for undertaking trivia last night ïŠ

– Galley swags Zoe, Liam and Jared ïŠ

Shoutouts:

A special happy 20th Anniversary to my lovely wife Maryanne, Love Jenko.

To the beautiful Di, missing you and looking forward to seeing you in Cape Town, at this rate should beat you there! Shout out to Lucy, Clive and Zara, have been enjoying the trip, not much action after breaking the rod. Weather has been very nice but also have had some good sailing in 30kt which was good fun. Love you guys. Mike

Dear Hagemanâ€™s, Crooked Mob and Mr Crooman, love you all xxx

If youâ€™re reading this Duncan, which your probably not; I miss u and little Duke. Iâ€™m looking forward to coming home ïŠ Hey mum and dad again ïŠ ïŠ Love you all, Rachel.

Latitude/Longitude:

36 degrees 42 minutes South / 3 degrees 25 minutes West

Conditions:

Currently located 1050nm from Cape Town and enjoying moderate 10-14kt SW winds with a 1.5m SW swell. Our current speed is 4.5kts and the temperature is 13 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

A CLEAR DAY ON THE ATLANTIC

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