Mackay Half Day Sail

Ahoy shipmates,All good things must come to an end, as is the case for the Youth Crew of Voyage 12/18. We have had a remarkable voyage, been blessed by outstanding weather, and visited some truly amazing places. It has been the great pleasure of the Staff of Young Endeavour to get to know these fine Young Australians over the last 10 days…they have performed admirably and will be missed. They are all now part of the “Young Endeavour Family”, and as such I think it only fitting that they have the last say.We wish them fair winds and following seas.Captain Kenny Half Day Sail and some End-Voyage ActivitiesSunrise today was marked by a climb by Blue Watch up the foremast and plenty of beautiful photos. Shortly before, the Staffies performed a quiet and speedy weighing of the anchor much to the dismay of the guys. Sharing the 12-berth with the anchor chain and “Betty the Bilge Iguana” made for an uncomfortable wake up call. Yet by the time breakfast was eaten and harnesses donned, the STS Young Endeavour was powering along towards Mackay.Reaching the marina at 0900, the crew prepared to conduct the half-day sail. Whilst we as Youthies, are fortunate to be fully physically and mentally able to come aboard and crew the YE, the scheme recognises that there are those that are not as fortunate. The Half-Day Sail is a chance to give Australians less fortunate than ourselves a chance to crew this great ship. Members of the community group Mackay Lifestyle Choices were welcomed aboard and the ship pulled away from the pontoon for a leisurely sail. At least that was the plan, a lack of wind made engine power and unfortunate necessity. A great time was had by all, as Youthies and guests heaved on the lines, set sails and rushed to tacking stations. Fantastic food was provided by our chef Zac and many guests went away with full bellies and great memories.The Youth Crew were blessed by a short spell of shore leave. Ice creams (the author confesses to having a triple scoop), milkshakes and coffees accompanied the watches to their End-Voyage reflections. This was a great opportunity to catch up on some goals and take the time to think on their voyage in its entirety. Returning from their thoughts, the Youthies were soon set to work setting the squares in the dreaded “harbour furls”. Although the result looks incredible, many of the Youth Crew were not enamoured of the time spent aloft and the difficulty of concertina folding canvas sails. The Staffies made it look easy.With sails furled nicely and the ship looking shipshape (and in Bristol Fashion, whatever that means), the Youthies were treated to a end-of-voyage concert. The Staffies performed a Sod’s Opera of “Harry the Pooh (Maritime Adventures)” whilst Red, White and Blue watches performed their own takes on the pantomime genre. A beautiful rendition of “Riptide” was performed by the Youth Crew who then retired to writing letters to themselves; end of voyage critiques and for some, the Captain’s log. Tom wants to say hello to his family. And for that matter, a big hello to all of our families – looking forward to seeing you all soon ☺Have a great evening,Lachie, Joel and Tom.