COMMAND DAY PART 2

Hi Everyone,Please find attached the second part of Command Day.Yours AyeCaptain GavCOMMAND DAY PART 2After a night of what meteorologists would term as “Light and Variable” winds the Youth Crew of Voyage 06/10 have achieved not only our goals for Command Day but also learnt a lot of valuable lessons about ourselves that we can take back to our shore lives.Around midnight we found ourselves with less than 2 knots of wind and drifting around with our square sails set in the now infamous Storm Bay. Over the next 3-4 hours the watches of Youthies tried their very best to ensure that we stayed on course and maintained a little bit of boat speed. This proved to be quite a difficult Endeavour.Throughout the night Dan, our Sailmaster, was in and out of bed keeping an eye on proceedings as we proceeded to preform a series of what us young sailors have termed “Doughies.” As any seasoned mariner will tell you, without any wind it is very difficult to sail a course.The staff set us 24 challenges to complete whilst we had the ship under Command, including having 25 Youth Crew sitting on the yards at one time, constructing a hammock that would hold all of the Youthies off the deck, cooking for all crew, and general sailing skills like navigating, taking watches and rope tying. The nominated chefs were Dan, Sean and Chris and to be honest the food was of a really high standard, better than Mum makes, but please don’t tell her that.We also had to “Navi-guess” our way through a series of Way Points which led us to our safe anchorage point and current location off Kingston Beach. Our fearless navigator Glenn took no prisoners and had us arriving 90 minutes early. Glenn also had the good ship SYS Young Endeavour sailing within 1 nautical mile of all our Way Points, great effort.Upon arriving off Kingston Beach I assembled a Beach Assault Landing Team to row ashore and claim a patch of beach in the name of all Australian Youth by raising the Australian Flag and singing the national anthem, as witnessed by recreational surfers and local media.Whilst the Assault Team was ashore the Young Endeavour pool was open for business under the watchful eye of Dutchy and Gav. Most of the crew enjoyed a nice, if slightly chilly, 17 degree Celsius swim in the Derwent River.Around 1130 hrs it was with a tinge of relief but sadness that the Youth Crew handed back command of the ship to its rightful crew. The Staffies do a great job on board by supporting the Youth Crew and really making this adventure one to remember.Many lessons were learnt over the past 24 hours by all. These were both personal discoveries about our own abilities and limits and also lessons that will stay with us for life. We dealt with lack of sleep, fatigue, communication issues, dud winds, challenging conditions and dizziness from the number of donuts we sailed overnight.On a personal note I have been honoured to serve as Youth Crew Captain and the 26 crew members that surround me are some of the best and brightest people I have ever met. I cannot speak highly enough of these young people and I can guarantee that if we are the leaders of tomorrow’s generation, Australia is in very good hands. So a massive thank you to all my crew for their support and dedication.Tomorrow is our last full day on STS Young Endeavour and on board we are living by the mantra: “No Regrets,” so whatever comes out way we are ready. Until next time, stay safe.Josh :-D