COMMAND DAY ELECTIONS

Good Evening Shipmates,I’ll hand over immediately to some of the YC. Needless to say we have had another awesome day.Jade here from Blue Watch. Just want to say hello to Mum and Dad in Miles, and of course Daniel who I miss very much!! So far on this voyage I have had an amazing time (I didn’t get sea sick, YAY!) and it has been a once in a life time experience and something that I will always be able to look back on and say ‘I did it!’ I managed to conquer my fear of heights and have climbed aloft many times now that I actually enjoy it. We have learnt so much that our brains are almost full, but I think we can squeeze in a little more. It’s not long now until we all go our different ways but I think I can say that we are all going to remember this experience with very fond memories of both the youth crew and of course the staffies, especially the 6.30am wake up calls, singing ‘Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows everywhereï¿½..’. I think we all have that song permanently imprinted in our brains.G’day mum and dad and all the family I’m missing you immensely but then I start doing something on the ship and completely forget about ya. Nahhhhh just kidding love you all, cant wait to see you in Mackay. Though I wish this would never end, all of the island hopping has been amazing, all the swimming in clear water deserted beaches on islands far far far away from orange NSW. I still cant escape my nickname of Buble [Michael Buble] and I can be spotted singing around the ship doing well shippy stuff love ya all. don’t worry be happy (bob marley)Hey its Richard here. I am having an absolutely wonderful time. I miss the whole family, but I am having the time of my life, and my only regret is not going for the chef position for command day but everything else has been so truly worthwhile. Yesterday we went to the Percy Islands, and I was able to buy some natural honey that is so deliciously amazing I am thinking about moving there. To anyone who reads this the Young Endeavour is one of the greatest experiences you can hope to have. I don’t know if the friends I have made here will last a lifetime, but I want to have a happy one anyway, they are such amazing people that I would never have met if not coming here. It reminds that these people who I met on the first day seemed like normal every day Joes but as I have got to know them I have realized, that there is no such thing and that every person you meet could become such great friends who having such a zest for life if you just have the right circumstances. I would not want a thing different and these memories I will cherish for a lifetime and more.Hi Family, Tania its Mitch!! Having an awesome time on the young endeavour. First day was a bit iffy but after that we all sort of got to know one another and became a pretty awesome team. We had our elections for command day tonight, although didn’t get into anything still pumped for it, we basically all work together anyway. Got a bit seasick on the second night which wasn’t too fun but after that had an absolute ball! Cant stand up straight on land as of yet, tested it at a few exotic beaches where swimming visits occurred, and discovered that I have sea legs but still it’s the best experience ever!. Anyway see you all on Sunday, Mitch.Hi Mum and Dad, and James. Its Elyse here; Im having a great time. We are still at the amazing place we told you about last night. I love it here, it’s so beautiful. We had election night for command day tonight. I got one of the Chef roles. There are three of us cooking meals for 24hrs. I’m very excited about it. I miss you all very much and love you heaps. See you very soon xxKD says hi to her family and Tom but she doesn’t miss you (sorry). She also suggests that Russell sells his motorboat, buys a sailboat, and moves to the Whitsundays. Love.Hey, it’s Ryan. I wish I could say that I’m missing my family and friends but that would be lying. Each day is better and more rewarding than the last. The first couple of days were less than terrific because of some swell, however I soon got over it and the weather went from great to perfect and onwards. Best memory of this trip is going to be sitting under a palm tree with a coconut that I cracked myself, with a light breeze and a flawless sky. All I can say is that it is a terrific trip and could not ask for more!Hi Toni and Hunter! I’ve been having a blast sailing on the STS and I can’t wait to share all the photos with you, I’ve been thinking of you both everyday and I can’t wait to see you both! All the crew have been wonderful and I have been building relationships with everyone on deck. I will have to be short and sweet, much love and only a few days to go! Much love Alex Ribeiro.Hey its todd here. I’m having a good time thinking of sarah every day and mum and dad and green can I really can not wait to get home keen as !! made some friends and caught heaps of squid and fish at night we stayed up till 4 in the morning fishing and had to get up at 6.30 so that was great. see u all when I get home. can’t wait.Dearest Amy, Mum, Ada, Dad & Alyssa. This has been an incredible experience so far. I cannot wait to share my salty seadog tales with ye all! Argh! Love you all. A McNeilly xxWell its Captain Gunna back at the helm. Thanks to all the YC who made some comments. We spent today at sea conducting our final sail training before we returned to our anchorage off Middle Percy Island late this afternoon. We had a quick swim ashore and then back on board for a BBQ dinner before the Command Day elections were held. The YC have selected a strong team and we’ll find out tomorrow how they go.Tomorrow evening you will hear from YC Captain James.Cheers for now.Captain GunnaCarpe’ diemÂ

Latitude/Longitude:

21Â°39's / 150Â°15'e

Conditions:

Wind 090, 5 kts, Temp 25C

AUTHOR: Commanding Officer STS Young Endeavour

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V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 11 – Last Day of the Voyage

Good morning Shipmates, Sailmaster Sara's final Wakey Wakey song was pumped through the Ship’s speakers to jar the crew of YE from their deep slumber after a particularly tiring day of the Community Day Sail. Activities included end-of-voyage chats for the watches, harbour furling the square sails, eating as much home made pizza, cooked by master chef Ash, as we possibly could and knocking over final command day tasks including the Slide Show. It was up on deck for a quick head count to make sure everyone was out of their ‘racks’ and ready for their final day onboard. Breakfast was followed by the morning brief on the plan for the day and then the Staff Crew weighed anchor and got us underway while the Youth Crew laid aloft for a quick harbour cruise. Navigator Seb piloted the Ship from our Athol Bay anchorage, past Fort Dennison under the Harbour Bridge, where we fired the Ship’s saluting cannon, and then into Balls Head Bay to our berth. We berthed at HMAS Waterhen at 1000 to the warm welcome of friends and family of the Youthies, waiting on the wharf for us. Once we had secured the ship alongside we invited our guests onboard, allowed them a walk around the ship to see where the Youthies had lived and worked for the last eleven days, and then we gathered everyone at midships. Sail Master Sara spoke about our adventures during the voyage and then I presented the Voyage Completion certificates to the youth crew and the Young Endeavour Award to Liv for her outstanding hard work on in undertaking the voyage and her dedication to helping her fellow youth crew members to achieve their voyage goals. We then farewelled the Youth Crew of V04/24 after a fantastic challenging and enjoyable voyage. Thank you for following our adventures and hope you enjoyed hearing about them. Yours, aye, Captain Mike

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 10 – Community Day Sail Sydney Harbour

Good evening shipmates, After a well-earned quality night’s sleep at anchor in Hunters Bay, Sail Master Sara woke us with another of her soothing tunes to get us on deck for a quick early morning activity. After breakfast the staff crew weighed anchor and conducted the transit to HMAS Waterhen, at Waverton. We berthed there at 0900 and prepared to embark our guests for the Community Day Sail. At 1015 we cast off our berthing lines and departed with our 34 guests and commenced our 3 hour tour of the harbour. Our Community Day Sailors were a group 30 members and staff from the Windgap Foundation. We also embarked some defence personnel as well. We again passed under the Harbour Bridge and then proceeded into Rose Bay where we set some sails and commenced sailing back towards Waterhen. Whilst on the harbour our fantastic youth crew helped us host our Windgap special guests. They encouraged our guests to participate in setting the staysails and a square sail by helping to pull on the sheets and clewlines. The youth crew also helped Chef Ash to prepare and deliver the food to our guests on deck. At 1300, after 3 fun-packed hours on the harbour, we berthed back at the southern wharf at HMAS Waterhen. Once we had farewelled our guests it was time to commence our end-of-voyage activities and preparations. The staff crew managed to organise a visit to the RAN Ship MATV Sycamore, which is crewed by a mixture of civilians and Navy staff, is a multi-role aviation training vessel. The youth crew embarked with their watch leaders and were given a 45 minute tour of the ship by some of the Navy crew. On completion they returned onboard and Young Endeavour sailed and proceeded to our anchorage in Athol Bay, which affords a great view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. During the transit to the anchorage the Youthies undertook their end-of-voyage chats, facilitated by their watch leaders, to examine if they had achieved everything in their full-value contracts they had completed at the start of the voyage. After the traditional last voyage dinner of home made pizzas, Sara gave the Youthies the Harbour Furl brief, who then donned their climbing harnesses and laid aloft to undertake the ‘Harbour Furl’ of the square sails to make them look immaculate for our ceremonial arrival at the end of the voyage tomorrow. Once that was completed, the youth crew then finished off their final outstanding Command Day tasks, which were planned for the last night onboard. These included the Voyage Slide Show compiled of photos taken by everyone. This was excellent and provided a touching reminder of what we had experienced and the beautiful coastlines and islands that we had visited during the voyage. The final activity of the day was the end-of-voyage administration, which for the youth crew included a feedback questionnaire asking for feedback on their experience of the voyage, as well as a letter for each crew member to write to themselves on their experiences during the voyage, which the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme will post to the youth crew in 6 months time. The aim of this is to help reinforce what the youth crew have learned about leadership, teamwork and about themselves from the experience of the voyage. Once these were completed the crew were encouraged to go to bed. The Ship will remain in Athol Bay overnight and weigh anchor and sail in the morning at 0900 and undertake the transit to HMAS Waterhen, where family and friends will meet the Ship on arrival at 1000. Until you hear from me tomorrow for the final instalment of Voyage 04/24. Yours aye, Captain Mike

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 9 – Command Day Part 2

Ahoy from Sydney! For today’s Captain’s Log: the Youthies took over and completed several tasks including singing the national anthem in three different tunes as well as giving salty sea facts to start the day in a nautical way. We finally made it! After a long and weary effort of the command team and watches, we were able to fully sail into Sydney Harbour. At approximately 11:50 we anchored in Hunters Bay. To celebrate we had a groovtastic disco in the 12 berth due to excessive rainfall but the youthies made it work, having a blast dancing to Billie Jean. Afterwards, the youthies as well as the staff reflected on our efforts during command day, following the handover of the ship to the Staffies, where we highlighted what we did well, what we could improve on and what lessons we can take back to our normal lives, of which there are many. Continuing on from the previous log, with command day still ongoing. We encountered multiple problems. One of which being that mother nature didn’t bless us and gave us little to no wind to work with. However with the efforts of the Youthies we were able to successfully gather up to 8 knots of speed after a 4am tack in which the youthies persevered despite a lack of sleep enabling us to make our way into Sydney. Before our reflection the Youthies finished their day strong with a ‘Happy Hour’ cleaning session and one final dance. The afternoon was spent relaxing and recharging from ‘Command Day’, going aloft and furling the square sails. For dinner, Ash prepared a barbecue with steak, sausages, chicken kebabs with buns and an assortment of salads with a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. The Youthies are looking forward to the Community Day Sail tomorrow which will be a great opportunity to give back to Australia and put our sailing knowledge to the test. We have learned many lessons during ‘Command Day’, we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and together a crew of 24 youth were able to sail a tall ship into the harbour of Sydney. Today’s score: 9 camels and a donkey (Amazing) Until next time Rock on! Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt. P.S. Happy Birthday for tomorrow little bro, love Lil xx P.S.S. Kai, sorry I didn’t do the thing for Meg. I just remembered and will do it when back.

Thank you Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt for your narrative of today's events. Intentions are to remain at anchor in Hunters Bay, just off HMAS Penguin, home of the RAN Diving School, a place close to my heart, having spent many a day there under training as a young Officer! The plan is to weigh anchor and proceed to HMAS Waterhen, in Waverton, to pick up our Community Day Sailors from the Windgap Foundation and take them for a sail around the harbour for 3 hours. The Youth Crew will help us host our visitors and give them an experience of Young Endeavour. We will drop them back to Waverton and then proceed to anchor in the harbour where we will have a good view of the Bridge and the Opera House for the Youth Crew's last night onboard. Until tomorrow. Yours Aye, Captain Mike

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