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Command Day
Hi Everyone,                  Welcome to day eight of our voyage. Following a peaceful night at anchor in the beautiful Jervis Bay we awoke to overcast morning with a slight chill in the air. This did not deter us from having a refreshing morning swim which was followed with a BBQ breakfast of egg and bacon rolls. Morning brief and cleaning stations followed then we gave the Youth Crew Command Team an opportunity to meet with their Staff counterparts to discuss their roles and responsibilities and to learn as much as possible from the Staff before the commencement of the 24hr command period. At 1000 everyone was mustered at midships and during a short ceremony I handed Captain Stephen the ‘Telescope of Challenge’ and in doing so giving the Youth Crew of Voyage 14-17 the responsibility of running the ship. During the 24hr command period they have numerous tasks to complete as well as navigating and sailing the ship safely the 80nm to Sydney. One of the many tasks that they need to complete is to write the Captains Log for tonight and tomorrow so please enjoy reading tonight’s log written by Captain Stephen and his trusty Sail Master Mercedes. Please enjoy!Until tomorrow, take care Yours AyeCaptain Gav       22nd October: Command DayFrom Jervis Bay sailing for SydneyAhoy all!Your Captain and Sailmaster, Stephen and Mercedes, reporting here from the vast expanse of the great blue ocean, the wilderness of the sea, 5 nautical miles from the coastline.This morning began like every other morning; the shrill echo that shakes us from our overnight power-nap, Evan’s voice. But there was something different about this morning. Was it the always soothing wakey wakey song? No. Was it the treat of an early morning swim? Close, but no. Was it the scent of Keely’s delicious breakfast wafting into our cabins? Even closer, but still not quite. Rather it was the thought that in three hours, this beautiful blue Brigantine we have been so lucky to call home for the past seven days, will be under our command.After the happiest hour of our day (cleaning stations) , 10am came upon us and Command Day began. As Stephen accepted the Telescope of Challenge from Captain Gav, the whole crew were washed from head to toe with a sense of responsibility, pride and excitement. The ship had been officially handed over.With our set of tasks calling, we began by sending our beach assault team to shore, set our artists to work on our midships mural while our engineers constructed a 26 person hammock strewn above the deck. On completion of these gruelling activities, we climbed onto our next task, ascending the foremast, but not without first conducting a quick slip, slop, slap. One awesome photo later, we descended the mast and finished off our mural by each writing one word on the deck that described our Young Endeavour experience thus far; challenging, fun and family being among the many.Reluctant to leave the beauty of Jervis Bay, this ship was built to sail so we headed out to sea. With a perfectly timed ‘engine failure’, we set the sails skimming past Point Perpendicular, crossing the threshold into the open waters. With the staffies absent, we realised how much they had really taught us in seven short days. We came together as a team to begin our journey towards Sydney.This is where we leave you for now, giddy up.Regards,Captain Stephen S & Sailmaster Mercedes B
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Currently located 15nm to the northeast of Jervis Bay sailing in light - moderate 8-12kt SSE winds with a 1m SSE swell. Our speed is 4kts and the temperature is 14 degrees but feels like 12.
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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
