A Magnificent Blue

Situation at 20:00- Overnight the wind stayed fair and we were able to furl the ‘Iron Jib’ and continue Southbound under sail only. The watchesconcentrated on navigation as we closed the Northern Tasmanian coastline. The reddies were aloft to watch a magnificant sunrise over a clear sky.Engineer Stewy managed to snare only two victims with his scran bag at today’s morning brief, both of whom have lovely singing voices. Salty Sea Dog Lukish did his usual job of enlightening us as to the nautical origins of commonly heard sayings. After expending lots of energy at happy hour, the Youth Crew were able to top up atmorning tea compliments of Chef Stony’s baking. The forenoon was finished off with another round of rope races. There is only one round left and it is too close to call as all three watches have shared the lead at one time or another.After lunch all hands were piped to tacking stations as the Ship prepared to anchor in Anderson Bay. The sky was a magnificantblue as the town of Bridport came into view. As we approached the anchorage we were met by an intrepid local in his Kayak. It turnedout that he was the former teacher of one of the current Youth Crew, and he had met the Ship the last time he was out in that particular Kayak…15 years ago as YOUNG ENDEAVOUR was completing her deliveryvoyage from England. What a small world we live in. After all lines were made up and the upperdeck secured, Captain John briefed the Youth Crew on their mission for command day. This will commence tomorrow at 08:00 and last for 24 hours, during which they will have command of the Ship and be required to sail her from Anderson Bay toDevonport. This will be a terrific challenge for the Youth Crew, but by drawing upon the sailing and teamwork skills they have learnedthey stand an excellent chance of successfully completing their mission on time. The last part of the afternoon saw the Youth Crew conducting their command day elections. They have now determined whotheir command team will be and the structure that they will use to complete their mission, and are busily gleaming all they can from the Staff Crew.Being in anchor watches overnight will allow all hands to stock up on sleep in preparation for a busy and demanding commandday. The Youth Crew are busy working out the final details of their plan and they will be ready to commence on time tomorrow morning.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Fact File:The Ship is fitted with two 353 kg Stokes anchors made from cast steel with forged steel shanks. Eachanchor is connected to 5 shackles (450 feet) of 17.5 mm steel anchor cable. The capstans used to weigh the anchors can heave in the cable at the rate of 1 shackle (90 feet) every 2.5 minutes.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Glossary: To ship (as in an object)- to place an object in its proper position is to ‘ship it’, as in ‘ship thegangway’. Plimsoll marks- Load lines on the sides of merchant ships that indicate the greatest depth to which they may be safely loaded in various conditions. They are so named after Samuel Plimsoll, theMP who introduced legislation into the British Parliment requiring their use, that was ratified in 1876.Thought of the Day:If a good person does you wrong, act as though you had not noticed it. They will make note of this and notremain in your debt long. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.Yours, AyeJohn Cowan,LCDR, RANHello all from the sunny shores of Tasmania. As the end of another fun filled day on board the Young Endeavour comes to an end and as we draw nearer the end of the voyage it only seems like yesterday thatwe embarked in the Sydney. Since that time I have had a very enjoyable and fullfilling experience. While the voyage has been moredifficult than I had expected it has been no less enjoyable. The youth crew on board have been excellent and we have all had greatchallenges but most of all lots fun. The highlight of the voyage thus far has been the everchanging environment and the feeling of exhiliration and fear while holding on 33 meters above the deck in rolling seas. I would like to say hello to all my family in Mount Gambier Mum, Dad, Sarah, David and Kenton and a big hello to Tanielle and her family and I look foward to seeing you all in a few days.Bye for nowMark Brooksby, 21 Mount Gambier