Building a Cold Front

Situation at 20:00- Overnight the Youth Crew learnt how to steer the Ship and carry out the duties of the lookout. They also conducted below deckrounds. At the turn of the morning watch all hands were called on deck to wear Ship.At 07:00 all hands were shaken by a terrific wakey wakey pipe. Breakfast and showers followed. At morning brief Navigator Philshowed us the progress we made overnight. He noted that the ‘Spewometer’ was reading very high but hoped that favourable weatherthroughout the day would see it fall. The Salty Sea Dog regaled us with another of her hilarious descriptions of the origins of anautical expression. Engineer Stewy was slow to arrive on the bridge because of the immense load of personal gear he had found sculling and used to fill his scrab bag. Almost all of the Youth Crew and someof the Staff Crew were fortunate enough to have their gear returned to them by Stewy. Naturally enough there was a price to pay for this service… Happy hour was a more subdued event then it was yesterday. Nonetheless, XO Paige was pleased with the results and the Ship was spic and span from stem to stern. An excellent morning tea followed.Then it was time for XO Paige to lead the Youth Crew in the first episode of ‘Rope Races’. This is the only inter-watch competitive activity during the voyage and it is designed to improve Ship’sknowledge and an understanding of nautical terminology.After lunch (thanks Stony) Captain John delivered his lecture on sailing theory. This was an interactive lesson in the basics of how a sail works and some of the considerations taken into account when handling sail. The rest of the afternoon was spent basking in the sun and catching up on sleep. Because of yesterday’s hectic pace,today has been an easy day in order for the Youth Crew to fully adjust to life onboard a Tallship.The wind is building as a cold front moves through our area and overnight we are expecting the wind to back around to theSou’West. This will require the watch-on-deck to handle sail as we shorten in to meet the changing conditions. The storm sails arehoisted and hanging in stops ready for use if necessary.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Fact File: The Ship has a suite of thirteen sails to choose from for varying weather conditions. These range fromthe Drifter, used in light air conditions, to the Storm Jib and Main Trysail, used during heavy weather. All the sails are made from Dacron, a modern sail cloth that is much stronger and heavier than canvas.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Glossary: Tacking- Changing the direction of the Ship by passing the bow through the wind. This is a complexmanoeuvre that requires precise timing and teamwork. Wearing-Changing the direction of the Ship by passing the stern through thewind.Thought of the Day: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln.Yours, AyeJohn CowanLCDR, RAN
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
At sea under four sails. Wind: North at 30 knots, Temp: 21c, Cloud:1/8.
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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”


After a rather nonchalant guts watch with the Bluies, Reddies came in guns a blazing, setting our beautiful square sails preparing us for a speedy and eventful day at sea. Scaling (laying aloft) the Foremast, whilst the ship swayed kept the Reddies on their toes, holding on for dear life as they let out the gaskets for the Topgallant and Topsail Yards. A challenging activity to start off our day rewarded with a beautiful sunrise over Starboard.
During the day we participated in a Meteorology Brief led by our resident Nav guru TOMO, learning everything there is about fluffy, rainy and stormy clouds. This was followed by Lunch and a needed Siesta.
Whilst some slumbered, Bluies kept watch. They had brave volunteers to climb both main mast and to the topgallant yard to sea furl the sails.
In the afternoon, our Watches came together to have Mid Voyage Chats, where we had the opportunity to reflect on our voyage goals, experiences and discuss our hopes for Command Day. There were some very heartfelt talks, from overcoming fears, to gaining confidence in working as a team, and we set our eyes upon what we want to achieve in the rest of the voyage.
The first dog (Reddies) (from 1545 to 1745) was full of excitement, with over 50kn winds and up to 50 degrees on the OOOH AAAH meter (heel). Watching the waves break higher than the rails was an exhilarating experience and kept us holding on tight. Sites of sharks and a Cargo ship kept our lookouts entertained, while Callum lead an engaging activity on Charts. At the end of the first dog watch, Nick and Phil braved these treacherous conditions to lay aloft on the mainmast to wrangle the mainsail!
Rockin and rolling, Youthies (the newest salty sea dogs) Hugh, Bridget, and Nick!!