AT ANCHOR IN UPSTART BAY

PAST 24 HOURSWITH WINDS REMAINING FAVOURABLE FOR OUR JOURNEY, WE CONTINUED TO MAKE GOOD GROUND TO THE NORTH WEST. THE CONSISTANT 12 KNOTS OF BREEZE FROM THE SOUTH/ SOUTH EAST ENSURED SOME QUALITY SAILING.OVER NIGHT WATCHES CONDUCTED ANOTHER TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY THAT TESTED THEIR KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCEFULNESS, COMMUNICATION AND FLEXIBILITY. HAVING VERY BUSY WATCHES OVERNIGHT OUR TEAM WAS A LITTLE WEARY GOING INTO TODAY. BUT WITH COMMAND DAY LOOMING, THERE WAS NO TIME TO RELAX. AFTER MORNING BRIEF, EACH OF THE WATCHES PROVED THEMSELVES COMPETENT AND SAFE IN SETTING THE SAILS. PLEASESD WITH THEIR EFFORTS IT WAS TIME TO HEAD IN TO ANCHOR AT UPSTART BAY.AFTER YET ANOTHER WONDERFUL LUNCH PREPARED BY BEC, THE TIME HAD COME FOR THESE YOUNG AUSTRALIANS TO NOMINATE THEIR TEAM AND STRUCTURE FOR COMMAND DAY. AFTER A BRIEF ON COMMAND DAY, ELECTIONS WERE HELD AND THE TEAM SELECTED.THIS TEAM WAS ANNOUNCED TO ALL AFTER DINNER. BUT THIS WAS NOT BEFORE WE CELEBREATED ANDREW’S 18TH BIRTHDAY IN STYLE. A SUPERB BIRTHDAY CAKE HAD BEEN CRAFTED AND WE EVEN HAD A VERY SPECIAL RETURN VISIT OF MISS EPIRB. SO IN FULL VOICE HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAS SUNG BY 33 NEWFOUND FRIENDS TO CREATE A UNIQUE BIRTHDAY EXPERIENCE AT SEA FOR ANDREW THAT WILL NOT EASILY BE FORGOTTEN. SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW, HOPE YOU HAD A BALL BIG FELLA. AFTER AMPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE AND STILL NEEDING TO RAMP THINGS UPLEADING INTO THEIR BIG DAY, ANOTHER ACTIVITY WAS HELD TO ENSURE THAT TEAMWORK WAS FINE TUNED. BODIES CONTORTED INTO ALL SHAPES AND SIZES AND SUSPENDED TO SQUEEZE THROUGH ALL SORTS OF GAPS. THROUGH PERSERVERANCE (AND A LITTLE SNEAKINESS – LOU AND WOZZA) THE AIM WAS ACHIEVED. THEN TO SET THE TONE FOR THE NEXT DAYS ACTIVITIES, A VIDEO WAS SHOWN IN THE CAFE, COMPLETE WITH POPCORN, LOLLIES AND LEFT OVER BIRTHDAY CAKE. THE VIDEO OF COURSE WAS WHAT SET THE TONE – NOT THE ASSOCIATED CONFECTIONERY.IT WAS THEN TIME TO REST AND PREPARE FOR THE CHALLENGES AHEAD. THESE 24 YOUNG AUSTRALIANS HAVE EVOLVED INTO A TIGHT KNIT TEAM OVER THE PAST 7 DAYS. TOMORROW, THIS TEAM WILL BE PUT TO THE TEST.COMMENTS FROM YOUTH CREWFROM MUZZA:MANY THINGS WHICH SEEM TO BE RISKS ARE RISKS NO LONGER AND IF THAT RISK HAS BEEN GAUGED BEFOREHAND IT BECOMES A NICETY AND COUNTERED. ARRIVING ON THE YOUNG ENDEAVOUR THE YOUTH CREW WERE NERVOUS AND SCARED OF WHAT WAS TO COME BUT WITH A FEW SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND EXHAUSTING DAYS IT HAS BECOME A EXHILARATION TO BE SHAKEN IN THE MORNING KNOWING THAT WE WILL BE WORKING FOR OUR SHIP, USING THE ELEMENTS TO POWER US TO OUR DESTINATION. WE HAVE ALL MADE GREAT FRIENDS AND LIFETIME MEMORYS WHICH CAN BE REPLACED BY NOTHING.FROM CORY:THIS TRIP HAS BEEN AWESOME. I HAVE MET SOME GREAT PEOPLE FROMQUEENSLAND, NEW SOUTH WALES, VICTORIA AND TASMANIA. THE PAST WEEK HAS BEEN FULL OF AMAZING, REWARDING AND CHALLANGING EXPERIENCES FROM HAULING ON LINES TO THE ADRENALINE FILLED TASK OF CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE MAST. AFTER MANY SLEEP INTERUPTED NIGHTS WE HAVE DROPPED ANCHOR AT UPSTART BAY. THIS TRIP HAS BEEN AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET. THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME TRIP HAS BROUGHT TWENTY- FOUR STRANGERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND MADE THEM INTO A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW CLOSE FRIENDS. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY HI TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN BOONAH AND BEYOND.NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAYAVAST: TO STOP WHAT ONE IS DOING.YOURS AYEDION CURTISLIEUTENANT, RANCAPTAIN STS YOUNG ENDEAVOUR
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FANTASTIC
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Hi Everyone, Welcome to Day 5 of our voyage. Overnight and during the early hours of this morning we continued to enjoy a great sail around the southern Tasmanian coast with all of the watches kept busy with setting and furling sails and doing some practical navigation. By sunrise we were located just to the south of Bruny Island now just sailing under fore & aft sail and hoping that the day would get warmer, which sadly it didn’t. But the cold and a little rain hasn’t dampened our spirits and we have still managed to fit in a lot of great activities today and our young mariners continue to impress with their endless energy and motivation. That’s enough from me I will now handover to Riley and Jack who have done a great job of writing tonight’s Log. Until tomorrow, take care. Captain GavV03/23 – DAY 5
This morning the youth crew of the STS Young Endeavour woke to the frightening sound of red watch singing a parody of Riptide by Vance Joy over the ships intercom. This was then followed by the message that blue watch, the watch that was on guts the night before, could have a well-deserved sleep in. While members from blue watch went back to sleep the rest of the crew made their way down to the galley to enjoy another one of Haydos fantastic meals. After everyone had had breakfast the morning brief was given at 0900 which involved informing the youthies of the day ahead and a very educational story by Matty on the origins of the nautical term “two six heave”. After the morning brief the crew went below decks for Chucky’s favourite part of the day: Happy Hour! (Also known as cleaning the ship hour). In the afternoon the three watches conducted rotational tacking stations. This involved the watches rotating through the positions that the other watches fill when we tack which helped the crew get a better idea on what happens when we tack. Captain Gav came up on deck to give us a crash course about sailing theory and the ships history. This was very interesting and gave the youth crew a helpful insight into why different sails are used depending on different wind conditions. Round 3 of the famous Rope races were then commenced at noon with a twist of the round being worth double points. This highly non-competitive competition ended with Blue and Red watch drawing making it a close race for the rest of the trip The biggest highlight of most people’s day was sailing through the straight between Tasman Island and Cape Pillar in the afternoon. We all gathered at the bow of the ship as we gazed upon the spectacular columnar basalt edged cliffs rose up on either side of the narrow passageway. We had to furl all the sails, which involved sending two youth crew members up the main mast in rough swells and high winds to gasket the sail. Engines where turned on for the first time that day so we could safely pass the straight. The effort was truly worth it as we passed the resident seal colony and schools of dolphins. One of the greatest things about the STS Young Endeavour is even though the ship may sway from side to side and youth crew struggle to walk straight without getting knocked into a wall; the ships Chef continues to work hard and impress us with meals made from a kitchen which is smaller than the size of most people’s laundry room. It continues to amaze me how he keeps this quality in these rocky conditions. Not enough praise can be given to the hard work this man puts in keeping everyone happy. Go Haydo!Hi mum and dad I’m still alive, somehow we are already halfway through. See you in six days. Jack. You probably won’t see this but love you to the moon and back mum and dad. Riley. Until next time… Youthies Jack & Riley

