Day 1 – Cairns to Fitzroy Island

Ahoy there shipmates,Welcome to Young Endeavour’s ninth Voyage for 2014. Our journey starts in Cairns and will conclude at Hamilton Island in eleven days. We have a magnificent tall ship and an amazing coastline to explore, our adventures will take us from the coral atolls of Far North QLD to the deep blue of the Tasman Sea to the sandy islands of the Whitsundays. The potential is limitless and sense of adventure is infectious. I would like to introduce the Team of Staff Crew that will facilitate this voyage of adventure:Captain – MikeSail Master – Dougie/AdamNavigator – JenWatch Officer – SandyRed Watch Leader – TugRed A/WL – MiquelaWhite Watch Leader – DaveBlue Watch Leader – MattChef – AaronEngineer – LindseySupernumerary AdrianVoyage seven officially commenced at 1500 today when the Youth Crew and their families and friends were welcomed onboard to have a quick look around the Ship and meet the Staff Crew. Once our guest had said their farewells the Youth Crew received a basic safety brief and then the Ship departed the Cairns Marlin Marina and put to sea. Once clear of the berth the youth crew divided into their watches and undertook a few ‘ice-breaker’ activities to get to know one another. That was followed by a detailed tour of the Ship conducted by the Watch Leaders.Dinner followed, with Chef Aaron amazing us with his excellent culinary skills. Once we had cleaned up from dinner, I had a chat to the Youth Crew about what their voyage would entail. On completion, Dougie, as Sail Master, gave his talk about some of the rules and safety aspects of Young Endeavour. The Ship then proceeded to anchor in the lee of Fitzroy Island to the east of Cairns. After anchoring Dougie gave a safety aloft brief and a demonstration on how to climb the foremast.This evening, with some nerves and a great deal of courage and determination every member of the Youth Crew undertook their first climb above the deck and made it to the Topgallant yard on the foremast. This was a huge achievement on the first day onboard and quite a challenge with the Ship rolling slightly in the anchorage. This completed today’s activities and after a hot cup of cocoa the crew turned in for their first nights sleep onboard Young Endeavour.I am very pleased to report that all of the Youth Crew has done extremely well on their first day and I am from the outset impressed with both their individual efforts and team attitude.Tomorrow I plan to remain at anchor until early afternoon and then commence the passage towards the Whitsunday Islands. I have a great deal of faith that the Youth Crew will relish the opportunities for adventure ahead of them.Until tomorrow,Yours AyeCaptain Mike   “