A long day!

Having sailed into Moreton Bay the ship anchored off Moreton Island after lunch. The boat was launched and the crew were ferried ashore to the beach for a sports afternoon. Everybody had fun ashore but the most excitement was probably the boat trip back. During the afternoon the wind continued to freshen and a large chop had developed in the bay. Getting the crew up the ladder was tricky but was completed safely. It had become too rough to recover the boat and it was left on a towrope.The planned deck party became a below deck party and we all enjoyed a wonderful meal followed by the infamous ‘banana split bar’. A command day debrief was next on the agenda where everybody participated and said their bit as we analysed what went right and wrong on the day and what we could learn from the experience. Anchor was weighed at 2100 and with boat in tow, motored across the bay to seek shelter in the lee of Mud Is. We anchored some 2 hrs later and recovered the boat. It had been a long day.This morning we weighed anchor and motored up the Brisbane River berthing at 0900 at the Fishermans Island coal wharf. We are now making preparations for taking some special young guests with disabilities for a three hour sail. It’s a great day for sailing with a fresh westerly breeze and not a cloud in the sky.YC entry by James Bunt (age 17 from Newcastle) – Anchoring a stones throw from Moreton Is, we sent the Beach Assault Team ashore to plant the Australian flag and sing the national anthem over the 2 way radio. Once they were ashore the rest of us were ferried ashore for a sports afternoon. Ryan and I went for a run along the pristinewhite sand beach followed by a spot of sun baking that was cut short by our warders – ooops – staff crew. Relaxation soon turned to competitiveness as the sports got under way. Five o’clock came and we all returned to the ship and participated in a command day debrief. Great fun. We finally anchored for the night and bunked down for a good nights sleep.Time to cut and runAndrew (and Jim)
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Wind 260/20kts, Temp 16, still clear and brisk
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Ahoy followers of our Young Endeavour journey! Command Day. We made it.
The beautiful weather at our anchor point at Jervis Bay made for a spectacular day under the command of our fellow Youth Crew! A morning stretch and some wise words from the Ship Crew gave Captain Waz and the team a step in the right direction.
With the new watches all set and ready to go, Captain’s Setting and Furling gave all our youthies the chance to prove their abilities on the high seas. Strong performances from all three watches; Sharkies, Chompers and Narwhals!!
Morning brief gave the Sailmaster a chance to give us the daily orders and help get everyone on the same page. With the staff crew getting ready for a holiday and giving us the ship, floral shirts and party music filled the deck and, with some final preparations, the ship was ours.
The Captain was given a small but very significant envelope that contained the essential, non-essential and completely optional tasks to be done over the course of the next 24 hours. 2 tacks were to be made at a minimum before leaving the bay and safety checks were the essential tasks to start our journey. However.
More amusing, optional tasks allowed some of our youthies to become part of the “Beach Assault Team” while others were put to the task of making a slideshow of the voyage, tying all the knots on the list, etc. These were some activities that bided the time for our incredible navigator - Ruscoe to set out a plan and work together with the Sailmaster - Hugh to create a sail plan.
Tacking stations were the focus for our late afternoon, preparing to weigh anchor and leave such a beautiful bay, for our last stretch of this incredible voyage.
Happy Birthday to the Capitan, Warwick, who turned 24 today! The wonderful MasterChef’s created a “cherry ripe” cake out of rice crispies, coconut, chocolate, and love. With a beautiful ceremony to end our day.
Sailing into the night leaves us the ability to see the lights from our destination. Sydney, here we come!
Wish us luck! From Nat and Tom!!

ARRRGH, ahoy there from the spectacular Jervis Bay! We’ve all been taken A-back by the crystal clear blue waters and snow white sands.
After a well deserved sleep in these sheltered waters which was a refreshing change to clinging to our bunk racks for dear life for the past few days, the ship rose to another banger of a morale tune “sung” by Blue Watch. Brekkie was fun after the early morning activity to get us all up and moving. We held another round of competitive not-competitive rope races which culminated in smashed eggs on deck and the mummification of said egg smashers.
Roast lamb for lunch was prepped by the staffies in the absence of our culinary wizard Steve. Once cleaned up, we took the RHIB’s across to Captains Beach bordering HMAS Creswell which was a mind-blowingly beautiful little spot. Pretty much everyone had a dip in the drink and a roll in the sand and played some creative beach games run by our Suitability legends, Speedy Sam and Eggs.
A few hours at the beach made everyone ready to head back home and attack a teak deck barbeque, devouring cheese platters, steaks, sangas, and salads. With our full stomachs, us youthies initiated the highly anticipated elections for our command day roles. Which will commence sometime around midday tomorrow. We held a vote for each available role that all willing youthies put themselves forward for.
The following roles were voted as follows: Captain – Warwick, Sailmaster – Hugh, Navigator – Ruscoe, Officer of the Watch – Dan, Watch Leader – Nick, Ben, Bridget, Master chef – Emily, Mackenzie, Alyshia
We were greeted after our elections by a low flying anti-submarine MH60-Romeo Helicopter which did a cool fly around our ship. *Thanks Squizz!!* And then watched an amazing film about the rounding of Cape Horn back in 1929 on a 7 story tall sail ship.
Signing off from our anchor watch, Ben and Giles.
“I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: We can transmit it to others”
