Day 08 – V11/26, Sydney to Sydney

Welcome to the Captain’s Log (CLOG) for Day 8 of Voyage 11/26, Sydney to Sydney, brought to you by Mitch from White Watch.

Today the youths of STS Young Endeavour (YE)voyage 11/26 awoke for their greatest challenge yet… Command Day! We started the morning off with our beloved laps of the ship and received our morning brief from you guessed it Scotty. Afterward receiving an amazing story from Salty as always which was the final chapter in Admiral Horatio Nelson’s journey we were all quite sad in knowing this was Salty’s last story he will tell us… maybe. We then proceeded on to doing Opposites to prepare us for our roles on Command Day. I personally had the pleasure of talking with Scotty as I was taking my first steps into taking on the role of Sailmaster for the next 24 hours. After opposites we commenced the handover ceremony in which Captain Mike handed our nominated Captain Lucy the envelope in which contained the challenges we have to try and achieve. Some tasks were mandatory and some were just for fun. The first activity we completed involved the BAT, also known as the Beach Assault Team. We assembled a small team to solve the riddle and ride the General Purpose Inflatable Boat (GPIB) over to the beach in order to find the treasure, which ended up being just our navigation instructions. So unfortunately, no life-changing chests of gold or mysteries of the world like the location of the city of Atlantis. After receiving our navigation instructions Jasper, Lucy, Paige and I had a meeting in the nav room in order to plan the day’s events, which included making a hammock to hold the whole YC, sending all the YC aloft for a incredible photo, Staffie Rope Races and a practice tack before we sailed. Although there were numerous bumps through the day it has been an incredible chance to take a step into the minds of the amazing staff and officers on board YE. The challenges they face and how quickly the plans can change. After the staffies carried us out of the bay, we began our command day and with sails set and high hopes unfortunately we came to a quick halt and after continuous work even as I write this CLOG, we are still trying to get the ship moving. After setting all the sails that we believe are the most efficient in the situation we are travelling at 1 and a half knots and are hoping that through the night a Christmas miracle will come early.

Tune in this time tomorrow for YE 11/26 CLOG.
A shout-out to Loui. Can’t wait to see your smile again soon.

Thank you for writing the CLOG for today Mitch, it is also a great read.

Yours aye, Captain Mike

Latitude/Longitude:

33 36.942 S / 151 23.462 E

Conditions:

Wind: 5 knots from the NW Sea negligible and Swell: 0.5 m Southerly Temp: 12 deg C Weather: clear skies with 5% chance of rain overnight

AUTHOR: Peta Binns

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V11/26

22 July 2026

Day 09 – V11/26, Sydney to Sydney

Ahoy there sea dwellers and land lubbers, Welcome to the Captain’s Log (CLOG) for Day 9 of Voyage 11/26, Sydney to Sydney, brought to you by Amberley, Paige, Mitch. Today we rounded out Command Day with a navigation way point task, however….. the wind had other plans. We spent a large amount of the early hours of the morning travelling ~3 knots (nautical miles per hour), which after our rough start in the late hours of the night, was starting to feel like a relief, but… after 0630 our speed dropped to 1 knot. As we crawled and fought our way into Sydney Harbour there was a sense of accomplishment, camaraderie and maybe a little bit of relief as we handed the ship back over to the staffies. We anchored in Hunters Bay and enjoyed a siesta before lunch. After lunch we competed in the final round of ROPIES!!! A final chance for the watches to battle it out for some points, at the end the watches were tied so we went into a brutal bonus round, Zooper Dooper speed eating with white watch taking out the win. An honourable mention to blue watch member Connor for a record breaking 5 seconds to finish a Zooper Dooper!!! We then went into a Command Day debrief where all crew reflected on the last 24hrs. During this brief there were discussions on what went well, what went not so well and the takeaways from command day. A common theme across all groups was a strong sense of camaraderie and teamwork which was well thought of. The very much anticipated rope swing was rigged, and we enjoyed utilising the swing as well as jumping off the bowsprit and we got to have an exhilarating but chilly swim in the Bay. After a long but fulfilling day, we had dinner, and then Harbour Furled the square sails which consisted of the youthies climbing the foremast and folding the sails into themselves to allow the UV cover to protect the sail and square them away. We are anchor watchkeeping overnight and weighing anchor tomorrow morning to proceed to the Fleet Base to pick up our Community Day Sail guests. More on that tomorrow evening. Thank you for writing the CLOG for today, Amberley, Paige and Mitch it was a great read. Yours aye, Captain Mike

V11/26

20 July 2026

Day 07 – V11/26, Sydney to Sydney

Welcome to the Captain’s Log (CLOG) for Day 7 of Voyage 11/26, Sydney to Sydney, brought to you by Viv and RJ, with some inspiration from Jack. T’was the day before command day, when all through endeavour not a youthie was silent, in this lovely weather, The lines were all tiddly the sails were all furled, in a calm night at anchor no one had hurled, Rushed out of their beds youthies keen for a test, BEAREX had started – we would do our best. Oscar was the challenge in the ball pen did he lay, From one end to another in the ball pen he could not stay. Blue watch braced the yards from starboard to square, Not a sound was heard and not a breath to spare. As the sun rose with youthies aloft, Our breakfast was cooking, our banana bread soft. Up next the captain’s assessment, setting and furling we had no resentment. We passed with flying colours for all, Before command day the youthies stood tall. with rope races our knowledge was tested, with several wet days our bunks had festered, Captains challenge came after, The course was set filled with laughter, The clew had stopped and The timer we did pause, It was the staffies that were the cause. After a hard solid work of power Followed our Favorite task called Happy hour. Cabins, café, and staff mess were cleaned, The floors, wall and windows then all gleamed. With a beautiful sunset came a BBQ dinner, We definitely are not getting any thinner. As elections grew near, It was time for our leaders to appear, With a night of anchor watches ahead, The excitement of command day spread. Now for good night, As we are all tucked in bed tight. - Viv and RJ signing off for the night. P.s We still haven’t found the ONE PIECE Until tomorrow, when I will hand control of the Ship over to the Youth Crew for the 24 hours of Command Day. The YC will continue writing the CLOG for the remainder of the voyage. We expect to sail from Broken Bay for Sydney tomorrow afternoon. Thank you Viv and RJ for creating an amazing CLOG poem. Yours aye, Captain Mike

V11/26

19 July 2026

Day 06 – V11/26, Sydney to Sydney

Welcome to the Captain’s Log (CLOG) for Day 6 of Voyage 11/26, Sydney to Sydney, brought to you by Tim & Murray. Ahoy there to those invested in the chilling journey aboard the STS Young Endeavour. Day 6 has dawned upon us faster than the wind in our sails. Without the stars and this Captain’s Log, it is difficult to fault anyone who has lost their sense of time in the sea. As the Youthies’ confidence improve with each tack, their land demons become more fearful to approach them. The Staffies are slowly starting to check away as they let their Watches take the lead in setting and furling the sails. Command Day creeps up, but upon the sight whales, dolphins, and jellyfish, it will be a challenge to find a challenge the Youthies will be unprepared for. Alas, our eyes are met by the rays of the sun as we feel its warmth like a peck on the cheek. The storm is behind us, but we shall not mistake what is given for what is owed, we have seen the wrath of the sea in the beginning. A humbling reminder she gave us, that waves cannot be bought the way land can. Luckily with the Leadership of Captain Mike and the crew, the only worry the Youthies have is which Watch will be the first to dinner. A worry any sailor on a tall ship would consider a luxury to have. Sailing the STS Young Endeavour has been nothing short of incredible and as much as I miss the land, I fear my heart is falling for the sea. I have now learned the true meaning of the phrase, “It is not about the destination, but the journey.” Shout out to mom (Annie) and my brother (Jeremy). Signing off Tim from Blue Watch as I pass it over to Murray to walk us through the day. A fine Saturday, as the Young Endeavour headed down the coast past Newcastle and in to Broken Bay, at the mouth of the Hawkesbury, dropping anchor shortly after lunch. Light breeze, 12 knots or so, kept us moving with four sails up most of the morning. Weather fine and generally sunny, seasickness predominantly overcome. Cruising along for the morning -- practiced a suite of tacking manoeuvres -- cool swim and a short explore at ‘Hungry Beach’ in the afternoon. Our youth crew is cohering into a confident, capable crew. As a team, we have reached a point now where knowledge of the boat is coalescing from what, up to now, has been more so a knowledge of its individual parts. It’s a level of team autonomy that’s difficult to describe in letters on a page, but awesome to be a part of – and it will only grow over the days ahead! Murray from Red Watch signing off. Thank you to Tim and Murray for writing tonight’s log. Another most enjoyable read. Until tomorrow, when I will once again ask for volunteers from the YC to write the CLOG. Yours aye, Captain Mike

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Day 08 – V11/26, Sydney to Sydney

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