Day 10 – Command Day Part 2 – Kingston Beach and Summer at Last…Briefly!.

Ahoy shipmates…Cap K is still on holidays (bludger!).
Captain Log Day 10
Day 10 and the last half of Command Day. After sailing for nearly 10 hours we anchored at Kingston Beach at around 0130, with the calmer waters bringing a peaceful sleep to those not on watch. The amazing choice of wakeup song at 0630 brought the youth crew back to our childhoods – we truly were “All in this together”. The gathering on deck was followed by a dance lesson from Jordan and Vani that consisted of us all learning the “K” dance to shake away our sleepiness. As certain youthies in the chart room determined where we were going next (staying at anchor), a delicious breakfast by Lilli, Ayla, and Kel was served, including frittatas and crispy bacon! At 0900 we had the privilege of meeting some new and/or revised characters in our scheduled morning brief. Hannah gave us the plan for today, Nav Tjina showed us where we’d come from as well as giving a weather report for the day, Sun Safety Bruce (whose resemblance to Jack was uncanny) telling us to Slip, Slop, and Slap, and finally Salty Nic recounting the origin story of how Tinderbox Peninsula was named. To top off the brief, we headed to midships for a musical interlude before the happiest of hours ensued. The morning continued with all of the Youth Crew scrambling to complete the various tasks we had left before the end of Command Day, such as a chalk mural on deck and a knot demonstration. The Italian themed meal satisfied us all as the chefs somehow sprouted moustaches and served ravioli and spicy chicken for lunch. After digesting our food, all the youthies donned harnesses and climbed aloft at the same time, with people on all three yards as well as both the Upper and Lower top. After the necessary group photo – yet another task – we made our way down to formally hand back the ship to the Staffies. Captain Jack thanked the youth crew for their hard work and the Staffies for their advice throughout the day. He then handed the Official Captain’s Hat and Telescope back to Kenny, with the exchange of a hug marking the return of the ship to the staff crew.
As a reward for taking care of the Young Endeavour so well, Captain Kenny (reinstated to his rightful position) let us go ashore to Kingston Beach. All of the Youthies jumped at the chance to go for another swim on this hot day. While ashore we indulged in hot chips, cold ice creams and milkshakes at the local café.
We also met some of Nic’s family who happened to be ashore enjoying the beach as well!
After we got back to the ship we debriefed about Command day and sat down in groups to consolidate what we had learnt and what we could have improved upon. This reflection gave us an opportunity to think about some of the things we might be able to take away from our time on the Young Endeavor and utilize in our everyday lives to improve our teamwork and leadership skills.
Dinner was delicious once again as Adam our wonderful chef was reinstated to his home in the heart of the ship, the Galley. Our after dinner entertainment tonight was a Sod’s opera by each watch and the crew. The Staffies dressed to impress with spectacular costumes making up for a very shaky ‘Tasmanian’ adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. We laughed and cried to a beautiful melody by Phoenix, a poem by Blue watch, a skit about our trip to Port Arthur and an insightful demonstration of the origin story of Captain Kenny’s power over the seas.
“Speak less, Say more.” -Anon