Captain's Log

Nov-16

19 July 2016

Day 8 – Command Day Part 1

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to day eight of our voyage. The large rain belt that had caused so much rain in Northern Australia continued to cross over the Northern Queensland Coastal overnight which meant that we awoke to another wet morning which resulted in the cancellation of our Early Morning Activity.

Following morning brief and cleaning stations the Youth Crew were given some question time with their Staff Crew counterparts prior to taking command of the ship. At 1300 all of the Youth Crew and Staff were mustered at midships and I conducted a brief ceremony where I officially handed over the â€˜Telescope of Challengeâ€™ and the responsibility of running the ship for the next 24hrs ship to Youth Crew Captain Ellen.

What followed, was a very good planning phase which saw the Youth Crew Command Team methodically plan how they would achieve all of the tasks they had been set. After completing a number of these tasks the order was finally given at 1530 to weigh anchor and depart Dunk Island.

Despite requesting the use of main engines to depart the anchorage they were not required as the Youth Crew achieved a perfect sail away from the anchorage. Once clear of any navigational dangers they set the remaining fore and aft sail then shaped a course to the NNE.

As the evening progressed the wind freshened from the east and the Youth Crew have continued to sail the ship well and look well on track to achieving their final waypoint at Fitzroy Island by 1000 tomorrow morning.

The time is now 2100 and we are currently located 10nm to the SE of Innisfail sailing close hauled under fore and aft sail.

One of the many tasks to be completed over the 24hr Command Day period is for the Youth Crew to write tonight and tomorrows Captains Log so please enjoy tonightâ€™s edition written by Maddie and Jess with Captain Ellen chipping in to write the final paragraph, enjoy!

Until tomorrow, take care

Yours Aye

Captain Gav

Day Eight, Command Day!

Hey guys itâ€™s Maddie and Jess here, we stole Gavâ€™s computer and decided to add some youthie flare to tonightâ€™s captains log.

This morning there was a hushed excitement running through the ship. Today the youth crew are ready to take all the responsibilities associated with commanding a tall ship. Courses will be drawn, sails will be set and the helm will be manned â€“all in a well structured mutiny.

At 1300 today our fearless Captain Ellen, our delightful Sail Master Alec, dashing Navigator Grant and our almighty Watch Officer Ollo received our orders to sail from Dunk Island to Fitzroy Island with a long list of goals and tasks to achieve in the proceeding 24 hours. The first task completed was to have all 24 youthies up the 35 metre foremast for the greatest picture opportunity ever. This was successfully completed with photographic proof and a nice healthy shot of adrenaline.

Then it was all hands on deck to begin our 64 nm journey to Fitzroy Island, by weighing anchor and setting our sails to direct us to victory. Our three Chefs Sam, Sandy and Michael undertook the arduous task to cook for over 30 crew members and were triumphant! A scrumptious dinner of chicken curry and spaghetti bolognaise was enjoyed followed by a delicious Cake celebrating Bekâ€™s birthday!

We are looking forward to sailing through the night and working to achieve the rest of Captain Gavâ€™s tasks. Our watch leaders Sarah, Ash and Daniel will help us keep the ship on course and on time overnight as we try to get some speed up as we head north. Weather is fair at 1900 but the young endeavour youthies are prepared for anything and hoping for some nice strong winds.

We have decided to end the mutiny tomorrow at 1300 and we will be giving back command of our ship because this is really tiring and we already need a nap. We will hopefully see you tomorrow, depending on how mad Captain Gav is about us pinching his laptop â€“Adios, Maddie and Jess
PS. Hi Lucy, Mum, Dad and Nan, miss you guys! â€“Maddie

PPS. Miss you Colin, Mum and Dad – Jess

Hey everybody, Captain Ellen here, the girls have given you an amazing rundown on the days events so Iâ€™m just here to say how lucky and proud I am of my fellow youthies! Every single person on this ship has put in 100% today and it is so great for me too see how far everyone has come since day 1. I have seen people do things they would never have dreamed of achieving when stepping aboard the Young Endeavour. Whether itâ€™s climbing the mast, safely completing a stopper knot, or taking command of a group of their peers and setting sails, everyone has come leaps and bounds and Iâ€™m honestly so happy to be in command of such and amazing group people! Until tomorrow guys, stay safe! P.s Heya keezo! Miss you, see you soon!

Latitude/Longitude:

17 39 S / 146 13 E

Conditions:

Currently located 10nm to the SE of Innisfail and experiencing moderate 12-15kt ESE winds with a .5m SE swell. Our speed is 5kts and the temperature is 18 degrees

AUTHOR: Commanding Officer STS Young Endeavour

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Good evening shipmates, After a well-earned quality night’s sleep at anchor in Hunters Bay, Sail Master Sara woke us with another of her soothing tunes to get us on deck for a quick early morning activity. After breakfast the staff crew weighed anchor and conducted the transit to HMAS Waterhen, at Waverton. We berthed there at 0900 and prepared to embark our guests for the Community Day Sail. At 1015 we cast off our berthing lines and departed with our 34 guests and commenced our 3 hour tour of the harbour. Our Community Day Sailors were a group 30 members and staff from the Windgap Foundation. We also embarked some defence personnel as well. We again passed under the Harbour Bridge and then proceeded into Rose Bay where we set some sails and commenced sailing back towards Waterhen. Whilst on the harbour our fantastic youth crew helped us host our Windgap special guests. They encouraged our guests to participate in setting the staysails and a square sail by helping to pull on the sheets and clewlines. The youth crew also helped Chef Ash to prepare and deliver the food to our guests on deck. At 1300, after 3 fun-packed hours on the harbour, we berthed back at the southern wharf at HMAS Waterhen. Once we had farewelled our guests it was time to commence our end-of-voyage activities and preparations. The staff crew managed to organise a visit to the RAN Ship MATV Sycamore, which is crewed by a mixture of civilians and Navy staff, is a multi-role aviation training vessel. The youth crew embarked with their watch leaders and were given a 45 minute tour of the ship by some of the Navy crew. On completion they returned onboard and Young Endeavour sailed and proceeded to our anchorage in Athol Bay, which affords a great view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. During the transit to the anchorage the Youthies undertook their end-of-voyage chats, facilitated by their watch leaders, to examine if they had achieved everything in their full-value contracts they had completed at the start of the voyage. After the traditional last voyage dinner of home made pizzas, Sara gave the Youthies the Harbour Furl brief, who then donned their climbing harnesses and laid aloft to undertake the ‘Harbour Furl’ of the square sails to make them look immaculate for our ceremonial arrival at the end of the voyage tomorrow. Once that was completed, the youth crew then finished off their final outstanding Command Day tasks, which were planned for the last night onboard. These included the Voyage Slide Show compiled of photos taken by everyone. This was excellent and provided a touching reminder of what we had experienced and the beautiful coastlines and islands that we had visited during the voyage. The final activity of the day was the end-of-voyage administration, which for the youth crew included a feedback questionnaire asking for feedback on their experience of the voyage, as well as a letter for each crew member to write to themselves on their experiences during the voyage, which the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme will post to the youth crew in 6 months time. The aim of this is to help reinforce what the youth crew have learned about leadership, teamwork and about themselves from the experience of the voyage. Once these were completed the crew were encouraged to go to bed. The Ship will remain in Athol Bay overnight and weigh anchor and sail in the morning at 0900 and undertake the transit to HMAS Waterhen, where family and friends will meet the Ship on arrival at 1000. Until you hear from me tomorrow for the final instalment of Voyage 04/24. Yours aye, Captain Mike

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Day 9 – Command Day Part 2

Ahoy from Sydney! For today’s Captain’s Log: the Youthies took over and completed several tasks including singing the national anthem in three different tunes as well as giving salty sea facts to start the day in a nautical way. We finally made it! After a long and weary effort of the command team and watches, we were able to fully sail into Sydney Harbour. At approximately 11:50 we anchored in Hunters Bay. To celebrate we had a groovtastic disco in the 12 berth due to excessive rainfall but the youthies made it work, having a blast dancing to Billie Jean. Afterwards, the youthies as well as the staff reflected on our efforts during command day, following the handover of the ship to the Staffies, where we highlighted what we did well, what we could improve on and what lessons we can take back to our normal lives, of which there are many. Continuing on from the previous log, with command day still ongoing. We encountered multiple problems. One of which being that mother nature didn’t bless us and gave us little to no wind to work with. However with the efforts of the Youthies we were able to successfully gather up to 8 knots of speed after a 4am tack in which the youthies persevered despite a lack of sleep enabling us to make our way into Sydney. Before our reflection the Youthies finished their day strong with a ‘Happy Hour’ cleaning session and one final dance. The afternoon was spent relaxing and recharging from ‘Command Day’, going aloft and furling the square sails. For dinner, Ash prepared a barbecue with steak, sausages, chicken kebabs with buns and an assortment of salads with a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. The Youthies are looking forward to the Community Day Sail tomorrow which will be a great opportunity to give back to Australia and put our sailing knowledge to the test. We have learned many lessons during ‘Command Day’, we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and together a crew of 24 youth were able to sail a tall ship into the harbour of Sydney. Today’s score: 9 camels and a donkey (Amazing) Until next time Rock on! Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt. P.S. Happy Birthday for tomorrow little bro, love Lil xx P.S.S. Kai, sorry I didn’t do the thing for Meg. I just remembered and will do it when back.

Thank you Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt for your narrative of today's events. Intentions are to remain at anchor in Hunters Bay, just off HMAS Penguin, home of the RAN Diving School, a place close to my heart, having spent many a day there under training as a young Officer! The plan is to weigh anchor and proceed to HMAS Waterhen, in Waverton, to pick up our Community Day Sailors from the Windgap Foundation and take them for a sail around the harbour for 3 hours. The Youth Crew will help us host our visitors and give them an experience of Young Endeavour. We will drop them back to Waverton and then proceed to anchor in the harbour where we will have a good view of the Bridge and the Opera House for the Youth Crew's last night onboard. Until tomorrow. Yours Aye, Captain Mike

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