Day 7 – A not so Sunshine-y Coast

Ahoy there dear readers, what an action packed day of adventure it was today.
Having remained at sea overnight we motorsailed NNW in a relatively calm sea-state, overcast with passing squalls and northerly winds @ 10-15 kts, conducting a watch teamwork and communication activity, as well as navigation and sail handling consolidation.
Then at 0700 it was time for each watch to prove their sail handling expertise through a validation activity to ensure all Youth Crew are at the same benchmark, leading into Command day. Hoppy the engineer and myself gave them a big ol thumbs up and they gave themselves a well deserved pat on the back, as they were all indeed deemed safe and competent.
Then as the ship closed Noosa Heads, we rolled into Demonstrational Tacks, whereby several members from each watch were given the bridge view of tacking the ship ie. what’s required and when. This is the final piece of the puzzle, to set up these youthies for success as Command Day fast approaches. We conducted four tacks and rotated everyone through, before coming to anchor in Lagoona Bay. Lovely spot… Bit wet though!
After lunch, Matty transported the youthies ashore to explore Noosa. They all returned around 1700, just in time for an amazing BBQ under a spectacularly colourful sunset (due largely to the Tongan volcanic eruption in January, I’m told!). Red sky at night, sailors delight 🙂
After dinner, I gave youth crew their Command Day brief, detailing what to expect and how things would roll… In short, they would receive navigation instructions and task list tomorrow at 1000, when we hand the ship over to them and they would be required to follow said instructions and tasks for 24 hours, aiming to achieve as much as possible.
The elections then commenced and I can happily announce the following Youth Crew elected positions:
Captain – Sophie
Sailmaster – Elliot
Navigator – Jacinta
Watch Officers – Matty B and Kate
Watch Leaders – Caitlin, Zoe and Norm
Chefs – Riley, Ivana and Tash.
Wowee. How exciting. Congratulations to all and I hope you serve your crew well (I’m sure you will!). To finish off the day in style we shared our favourite film with the youthies (including pop corn), before everyone turned-to sleeping stations. The ship will remain at anchor overnight with youth crew in anchor watches keeping us safe.
Peace. Captain Adam Charlie Farley+
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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”


After a rather nonchalant guts watch with the Bluies, Reddies came in guns a blazing, setting our beautiful square sails preparing us for a speedy and eventful day at sea. Scaling (laying aloft) the Foremast, whilst the ship swayed kept the Reddies on their toes, holding on for dear life as they let out the gaskets for the Topgallant and Topsail Yards. A challenging activity to start off our day rewarded with a beautiful sunrise over Starboard.
During the day we participated in a Meteorology Brief led by our resident Nav guru TOMO, learning everything there is about fluffy, rainy and stormy clouds. This was followed by Lunch and a needed Siesta.
Whilst some slumbered, Bluies kept watch. They had brave volunteers to climb both main mast and to the topgallant yard to sea furl the sails.
In the afternoon, our Watches came together to have Mid Voyage Chats, where we had the opportunity to reflect on our voyage goals, experiences and discuss our hopes for Command Day. There were some very heartfelt talks, from overcoming fears, to gaining confidence in working as a team, and we set our eyes upon what we want to achieve in the rest of the voyage.
The first dog (Reddies) (from 1545 to 1745) was full of excitement, with over 50kn winds and up to 50 degrees on the OOOH AAAH meter (heel). Watching the waves break higher than the rails was an exhilarating experience and kept us holding on tight. Sites of sharks and a Cargo ship kept our lookouts entertained, while Callum lead an engaging activity on Charts. At the end of the first dog watch, Nick and Phil braved these treacherous conditions to lay aloft on the mainmast to wrangle the mainsail!
Rockin and rolling, Youthies (the newest salty sea dogs) Hugh, Bridget, and Nick!!