Day – Command Day Part 1

Ahoy shipmates…Command Day so I’m on holidays (sort of). We are currently trucking along at 8 knots under sail…very cool! Now for some words from Captain Curly…until tomorrow, fair winds, Cap K.———-
Captains Log: Day 8-10 November 2019
Blue Watch: Curly
Hey parents, I know you’re all probably extremely eager to find out exactly what us young one’s have been up to in the last 24 hours since the last entry of the ‘Captain’s Log’, but truthfully I have been sitting here for quite the while just trying to figure out exactly where to start amongst the many exciting moments from today.
Following the results from the Command Day elections last night, many of us went to sleep with many mixed feelings of not only excitement and trepidation for the challenges that lay ahead but also of reflection for the many amazing memories from our voyage so far. From learning our first ever knots and sailing drills, setting our first ever sail as we exited the heads from Sydney into the open ocean and coming into the beauty that was Jerusalem bay after a day and night of seasickness. As a team we had grown so much throughout the last week which had felt like a mere two days. And so all of our hard practice and training had come to this day, Command Day. We woke to the sound of Elton John blasting through the ship’s speakers and were told like usual to come up to midships and start walking laps. STS Young Endeavour’s very own Elton John ( Harry ) was there dancing which was definitely a great humorous start to the day. After a good hearty breakfast cooked by the wonderful chef Zac, it was time to report to ‘Opposite’s’ which was where members of the youth crew went and talked one on one with their respective staff member. Speaking from my experience, I imagine that most of us felt quite nervous having to be one on one with the person we knew we would be replacing for 24 hours. Though most of us had felt that initial trepidation, I feel that it’s fair to say that it was an extremely valuable experience to able to discuss the coming challenges with the experts of our roles. Following this, we had an emotional and reflective Remembrance service to remember and give thanks to many men and women who have died in war and those that are currently serving in the armed forces. Not long after this the time fell upon us. One o’clock. Just like that the ship was handed into our hands. Having been elected as Captain for our day of command it was both an exciting and extremely nerve racking moment. With only twenty minutes before our engines would be shut off, the command team set to work figuring out a plan of action. For everyone the first two hours was full of stress and worry as we all grew accustomed to our roles and settled in to our planned course. Through all the stress we managed to get a navplan we were comfortable with as well as get the team stuck into a group of tasks set to the whole crew. Eight and a half hours in and we are on the way to our 3rd out of 5 waypoints and are making good progress at about 6 knots and everyone is enjoying this amazing opportunity that has been given to us. I think it would be fair to say that all of us are keen to continue into the next day and the challenges it will throw at us.

Shout outs: Hi Mum, I know you’ve probably been reading every single entry into the log waiting for the one that I wrote so here it is. I’ve been loving this journey so much and am so grateful you gave me the opportunity. I’m thoroughly enjoying the challenge of having being elected Captain and I can’t wait to tell you all about the amazing adventures I’ve been having the last week. Love you and I can’t wait to see you. Give the dogs a cuddle for me haha.