Day 1 – Rivergate to Mud island
Ahoy there shipmates,Welcome to Young Endeavour’s fifth Voyage for 2014. Our journey starts in Brisbane and will conclude in Gladstone in eleven days. We have a magnificent tall ship and an amazing coastline to explore, our adventures will take us from sandy islands to coral atolls, from the deep blue of the Tasman sea to the shallows of Hervey Bay. 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 – AdamNavigator – MattWatch Officer – BradRed Watch Leader – JordoWhite Watch Leader – SandyBlue Watch Leader – TillyChef – AaronEngineer – SumoSupernumerary LarsVoyage five 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 before we made preparations to sail from River Gate Marina. We cast off the bow lines at 1600 and proceeded down the Brisbane river and out into Moreton bay to anchor in the vicinity of Mud Island (Matt takes us to all the most amazing places.). While Matt, Brad, Adam and I navigated down the river 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, Adam, as Sail Master, gave his talk about some of the rules and safety aspects of Young Endeavour before giving 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 in some very trying weather. 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 weigh anchor just before lunch and start making way North. 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     “Â
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Weather: overcast, Wind: 154 deg / 14 kts, Temp: 21 deg. C