Day 8 – Command Day Part One

Ahoy Shipmates…I am officially on holidays (for 24 hours at least). Over to the lovely Annie…fairs winds…Captain Kenny.
Ahoy to friends and family from the salty seas off Sydney.
Once again our youth crew were pleased to gain a few extra hours of sleep due to being at anchor, reducing our usual watch time from 4 hours to 1 and a half. Our duties on anchor watches consist of checking the ships position to make sure we have not dragged the anchor, checking alarms, recording temperatures and more.
Anchor watches finished around 6:30am, about the same time when Sail Master Guv blasted ‘Eye of the Tiger’ from the speakers to wake the sleeping youthies. After this surprising start, we were summoned to Midships to do a few stretches to wake up and prepare for the day. Everyone was treated to a bacon and egg roll breakfast which was served on the decks under overcast skies.
Following breakfast, Captain Kenny gave a talk on tacking the ship, which will come in handy later on when we would be handed control of the ship at 1pm. We then were run off to shore to Balmoral for about an hour, perfect amount of time to grab a coffee, gelato or chocolate like some youthies did. It was great to walk along the beach and stand on some solid ground.
Back on the ship after our run ashore, the clock was ticking down to 1pm where the youth crew would take command for 24 hours. Our command team was decided last night, with Olive as Captain, James as Sail Master and Ollie as Navigator. Captain Kenny passed the ‘Telescope of Challenge’ to Olive, who as of now is in command while the Staffies relax and watch tennis. We were given a set of tasks that needed to be completed in the 24 hours in command and are currently ticking some off.
While the youth crew were waiting at Midships, The Staffies surprised us with their rendition of ‘Summer Holiday’ over the speakers briefly before coming onto deck in full costume and proceeding to jump overboard via a rope swing! After a bit of planning from the youth command team, we also made the plunge into the chilly waters of Sydney. A few brave souls attempted back flips, yet not all succeeded unfortunately.
It was then Anchors up and motors on out of the Sydney heads, where the Staffies turned off the motor and left us to our devices. It took a little while to get going but we are currently cruising along at 4 knots to get to our first designated waypoint. Looking ahead we have a night full of busy watches and a few tacks, but it is a challenge everyone is taking in their stride.
Annie McDonald (White Watch).
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Wind: SW at 12 knots Weather: Overcast Swell: SE at 1.0m Course: 125 Speed: 3 knots Location: Due east of Sydney
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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!!