Day 3 – Fraser Coast, Confused Seas and 25-30 Knot Winds… and some Awesome Sailing!

Ahoy shipmates…day 3…a bit bouncy with plenty of breeze. The strong south easterly winds have persisted overnight and during the day making for some outstanding sailing conditions. The confused seas caused by swells from two different directions have challenged the youth crew. To their credit they have soldiered on. As I write we are about to round Breaksea Spit at the top of Fraser Island and enter Hervey Bay. We are hopeful of a stop at Lady Musgrave Island tomorrow morning, dependent on the weather. If current conditions persist we will most likely press on to Great Keppel Island…tough I know…we are a bit spoilt for choice up here! The gang from Red Watch can fill you in on the details of todays activities so until tomorrow, fair winds, Captain Kenny———-
Captains Log
13 May 2019
Many woke up to a bright, lovely sky along with empty stomachs due to the parade of overboard hurling the night before; bananas became a sacred snack as not only did they taste good going down, but even better coming up… (BANANA SMOOTHIES ALL ROUND). Although the morning started off on a rough note, most of the youthies overcame their sickness during the regular briefing, however not as enthusiastic as the morning before. Happy hour was not one of the happiest this morning, as many struggled with nausea while cleaning below deck. Though as day broke, many stood strong and continued setting and furling the sails in command of the wind, while others diligently remained on watch to ensure we did not visit the titanic. Spirits were lifted after lunch with wraps and toasties, followed by Reggie’s thrilling game of Rope Races. With the waves gradually picking up during the day, a few youthies stepped out of their comfort zones and decided to climb up the loft during the choppy seas, providing an exhilarating experience. The day continued with Tracey’s short navigation brief, which will be expanded on during tonight’s watches. The youthies were then given a few hours to clean up their living spaces, including dirty laundry and much needed showers, before Marcus’ master chef meals of baked salmon or carbonara ravioli with the latter being the most popular as it was easier to hold down.
Attempting to write this is a task in its own with the chair sliding backwards and forwards with the swell, pushing my chair away from the sole laptop aboard.
We have been out in pitch black changing the main sails in 30 knot winds which was of much excitement. We had crew members slipping left right and centre on the sea soaked deck whilst trying not to lose our fingers in the ropes to the strong winds. This is far more excitement than I could have ever conceived of having on a Monday night!
We are looking forward to a good nights sleep tonight as most of us have finally gotten over our sea-sickness. To help with the sickness we recommend white bread, banana’s, the occasional apple and ginger nut biscuits ïŠ
We have already learnt so much as a team – we can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip will entail…Harri, Cameron and Jess (Red Watch)
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Wind: ESE at 22 knots Weather: Overcast and Squalls Sea: Moderate Course: 339 Speed: 7 knots Location: Just to the NE of Fraser Island
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Ahoy followers of our Young Endeavour journey! Command Day. We made it.
The beautiful weather at our anchor point at Jervis Bay made for a spectacular day under the command of our fellow Youth Crew! A morning stretch and some wise words from the Ship Crew gave Captain Waz and the team a step in the right direction.
With the new watches all set and ready to go, Captain’s Setting and Furling gave all our youthies the chance to prove their abilities on the high seas. Strong performances from all three watches; Sharkies, Chompers and Narwhals!!
Morning brief gave the Sailmaster a chance to give us the daily orders and help get everyone on the same page. With the staff crew getting ready for a holiday and giving us the ship, floral shirts and party music filled the deck and, with some final preparations, the ship was ours.
The Captain was given a small but very significant envelope that contained the essential, non-essential and completely optional tasks to be done over the course of the next 24 hours. 2 tacks were to be made at a minimum before leaving the bay and safety checks were the essential tasks to start our journey. However.
More amusing, optional tasks allowed some of our youthies to become part of the “Beach Assault Team” while others were put to the task of making a slideshow of the voyage, tying all the knots on the list, etc. These were some activities that bided the time for our incredible navigator - Ruscoe to set out a plan and work together with the Sailmaster - Hugh to create a sail plan.
Tacking stations were the focus for our late afternoon, preparing to weigh anchor and leave such a beautiful bay, for our last stretch of this incredible voyage.
Happy Birthday to the Capitan, Warwick, who turned 24 today! The wonderful MasterChef’s created a “cherry ripe” cake out of rice crispies, coconut, chocolate, and love. With a beautiful ceremony to end our day.
Sailing into the night leaves us the ability to see the lights from our destination. Sydney, here we come!
Wish us luck! From Nat and Tom!!

ARRRGH, ahoy there from the spectacular Jervis Bay! We’ve all been taken A-back by the crystal clear blue waters and snow white sands.
After a well deserved sleep in these sheltered waters which was a refreshing change to clinging to our bunk racks for dear life for the past few days, the ship rose to another banger of a morale tune “sung” by Blue Watch. Brekkie was fun after the early morning activity to get us all up and moving. We held another round of competitive not-competitive rope races which culminated in smashed eggs on deck and the mummification of said egg smashers.
Roast lamb for lunch was prepped by the staffies in the absence of our culinary wizard Steve. Once cleaned up, we took the RHIB’s across to Captains Beach bordering HMAS Creswell which was a mind-blowingly beautiful little spot. Pretty much everyone had a dip in the drink and a roll in the sand and played some creative beach games run by our Suitability legends, Speedy Sam and Eggs.
A few hours at the beach made everyone ready to head back home and attack a teak deck barbeque, devouring cheese platters, steaks, sangas, and salads. With our full stomachs, us youthies initiated the highly anticipated elections for our command day roles. Which will commence sometime around midday tomorrow. We held a vote for each available role that all willing youthies put themselves forward for.
The following roles were voted as follows: Captain – Warwick, Sailmaster – Hugh, Navigator – Ruscoe, Officer of the Watch – Dan, Watch Leader – Nick, Ben, Bridget, Master chef – Emily, Mackenzie, Alyshia
We were greeted after our elections by a low flying anti-submarine MH60-Romeo Helicopter which did a cool fly around our ship. *Thanks Squizz!!* And then watched an amazing film about the rounding of Cape Horn back in 1929 on a 7 story tall sail ship.
Signing off from our anchor watch, Ben and Giles.
“I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: We can transmit it to others”
