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Day Eight – Command Day
Welcome to day eight of our voyage. It has been another action packed day for the crew of Young Endeavour starting of with a morning visit to Phillip Islands, township of Cowes followed by a Captains Challenge, a set of Demonstrational Tacks then of course handing the ship over to the Youth Crew for Command Day.
On a normal day I would be writing a full days log explaining what we have experienced, observed and achieved but given it is now Command Day I have handed this responsibility over to Youth Crew Captain Ben and his loyal Crew who I am sure will do an amazing job of telling you about their adventures .
Until tomorrow, take care.
Yours Aye
Captain Gav
21st Feb Command Day
Westernport – to– Port Phillip Bay
G’day from the new Captain of the Young Endeavour! After a week of learning the ropes (literally) the youth of Australia have taken command and we are heading towards Melbourne with high spirits and full bellies. Last night we had our elections and decided on who we felt should be in charge of navigation, sail-setting, cooking meals and a host of other roles. We have come together from all over Australia, stretching from Alice Springs to Hobart, and have managed to find our rhythm as a single unit and become a functioning tall ship sailing crew.
We woke up this morning off the western side of Phillip Island and started our day with a quick walk around the deck to warm up. After breakfast and a morning brief on how/when our command day would commence, we ventured into Cowes (the main town of the island), for real coffees and a chance to experience civilization again. With anticipation and excitement building we finished the last of our manoeuvring drills and awaited the start of our final test. At 1400 (2pm) the metaphorical “keys of the ship†were handed over to us, and we accepted command of the Young Endeavour for the next 24 hours.
On this voyage across the notorious Bass Strait we have seen and experienced all sorts of weather conditions and were prepared for almost anything. Of course the one thing we weren’t prepared for was a beautiful summer day with only a slight breeze to gently guide us towards our destination. No complaints from us though! As we steadily make our way towards the entrance of Port Phillip Bay we have seen shawls of fish being herded by local fur seals, native sea birds flocking in the water around us and a striking sunset to finish the day as we drift along.
Tomorrow will be another opportunity for us to grow together as a team and will see us one step closer to the completion of our voyage. We are going to give it everything we’ve got. Look out Melbourne, here we come!
Cheers,
Captain Benjamin of the Young Endeavour.
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Currently located 15nm to the SW of Westernport Bay sailing under a full press of sail and enjoying light to moderate ESE winds with .5m SW swell. Our current speed is 4kts and the temperature is 17 degrees.
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