Sydney to Newcastle
03 December 2024
Day 9 – Command Day ends in Newcastle
Following a delicious Asian themed dinner by our Masterchefs; Lacey, Yumi, and Crystal, we were officially sailing away! Through the night, weather conditions picked up and sea traffic required us to tack, twice, at different points alongside, keeping regular night watches. Despite the long night, everyone seemed in high spirits in the morning, with most of our sails set as we headed into Newcastle. We entered on a reach, with a sigh of relief that we had managed to sail the ship and make it there on time. From there, we then proceeded to furl all the sails, then climb the yards. As we entered the harbour, the ships cannons were fired to announce our arrival.
After the crew pulled us up alongside, our masterchef's cooked us a lovely spaghetti lunch. We finished our Command Day with a happy hour and a set of rope races for the staffies. Then, we handed over the ship, with the majority of our many tasks complete. After Command Day debriefs and reflections, we spent some time with our watches, before our final round of rope races. Despite a close battle Red Watch emerged victorious.
We now look forwards to a pizza night, and our showcase for some of our creative tasks, before our final night of sleeping on STS Young Endeavour.
Looking forward to seeing family and friends soon,
Murray and Annabelle.
Dear readers,
STS Young Endeavour is, by the definition and origin of her name, about Aussie youths trying hard to achieve something difficult. This voyage certainly provided that... and then some. A real challenging experience from all angles and areas. Yet the Youth Crew prevailed and found success. They should therefore be justifiably proud of themselves for persevering, seeing the silver lining and never waivering in their mission to have a great adventure. I am very proud of all of them and I'm sure you are too!
9 Days ago, 22 Youth Crew from all over Australia, came together to sail this vessel, have fun and challenge themselves. They have not only done that, but have faced and overcome fears, and learnt a lot about themselves and each other. They leave with new skills, improved persistence, resilience and adaptability, as well as generally knowing they are more capable than what they probably thought. And of course, having made great new friends - most probably, friends for life. It never gets old for us staff members, as we truly love our work. Fair winds and following seas.
Captain Adam Charlie Farley - Out+