Day Eight – Command Day Part 1

Hi Everyone, Welcome to day eight of our voyage.This morning in cool conditions the Youth Crew were awoken at 0630 for an early morning activity which was followed by morning brief and cleaning stations. At 0915 they were ferried ashore so that they could have a quick look around Cowes and enjoy a good coffee at one of the many cafes who enjoyed the extra business.By 1115 everyone was back onboard and following lunch the new Command Team were given 30 minutes with the Staff Crew so that they could ask questions that may assist them in their elected positions during the 24hr command day activity. At 1300 we mustered everyone at midships and I officially handed over the Command Day instructions and the ‘telescope of challenge’ to Youth Crew Captain James and in doing so gave the Youth Crew the responsibility of running the ship for the next 24 hours. The new Command team embraced this challenge and went straight into a thorough planning phase then completed as many tasks as possible prior to making the decision to weigh anchor at 1700 and take advantage of the favourable wind and tide to sail out of Westernport Bay.This they achieved without the use of engines which was extremely well done considering that this was the first sail away from anchor for the voyage. Currently we are located 10nm to the south of Westernport Bay with the Youth Crew completing another one of their tasks which is to navigate and sail the ship through a number of set waypoints. One of the other tasks is for the Youth Crew to write the Captains Log so please enjoy tonight’s edition.Until tomorrow, take care. Yours AyeCaptain Gav Day 8 Hello everyone and welcome to Day 8 of our voyage!Now that the youth crew have come this far in their sailing training, today marked the day when we took over the ship for 24 hours…also known as…â€Command Dayâ€. Recounting the day’s happenings so far is your friendly narrator Vicky, from Blue Watch again.After undertaking Anchor Watches throughout the night, the crew awoke to a beautiful clear morning in Cowes Bay, Phillip Island. An energetic game of “Wizard Stuck in the Mud†then ensued, followed by breakfast and the raising of the flag and national anthem. Another entertaining morning brief was enjoyed by all, followed by an enthusiastic “Happy Hourâ€, in which the youthies chatted and sung their way through their cleaning duties, leaving the ship sparkling and clean.After Happy Hour, the youthies were very excited to be ferried ashore in the RHIB for an hour long exploration of the local town, and to once again reacquaint themselves with the foreign concept of ‘civilisation’. Many exquisite delights were enjoyed, including walking on solid, stationary ground, milkshakes, chocolate and…COFFEE!!! Many of the locals were excited to see the Young Endeavour anchored in port, and asked the youthies about their experience onboard thus far. After leaving solid ground and once again finding their sealegs, the youthies enjoyed another culinary delight from the kitchen, and soaked up the sunshine on deck before assuming responsibility for this grand $20 million vessel for 24 hours. *Gulp*. No pressure at all right?!?Well, your narrator is very pleased to inform you that instead of shying away from such responsibility, all the youthies have stepped up to the plate, and have worked incredibly well as a team to accomplish all the tasks set before us in the next 24 hours. Not only has our captain, James, and navigator, Lindsay established a clear course to follow but we are sailing the ship well. On top of this, our 3 chefs, James, Sam and yours truly cooked up a tasty meal of Shepherd’s Pie and Tacos, followed by Brownies and Ice Cream.The time is now 2040 and Red Watch is currently at the helm, heading south of Phillip Island through the Bass Strait. All is going smoothly, and…touch the deck it continues to, this grand vessel of ours should arrive in Port Phillip Bay by 1300 tomorrow.Until then, take care. Yours aye, Vicky
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Currently located 10nm to the south of Westernport Bay sailing under fore and aft sail in moderate to strong 15-20kt SE winds with a 1m SE swell. Our current speed is 6kts and the temperature is 18 degrees.
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Ahoy followers of our Young Endeavour journey! Command Day. We made it.
The beautiful weather at our anchor point at Jervis Bay made for a spectacular day under the command of our fellow Youth Crew! A morning stretch and some wise words from the Ship Crew gave Captain Waz and the team a step in the right direction.
With the new watches all set and ready to go, Captain’s Setting and Furling gave all our youthies the chance to prove their abilities on the high seas. Strong performances from all three watches; Sharkies, Chompers and Narwhals!!
Morning brief gave the Sailmaster a chance to give us the daily orders and help get everyone on the same page. With the staff crew getting ready for a holiday and giving us the ship, floral shirts and party music filled the deck and, with some final preparations, the ship was ours.
The Captain was given a small but very significant envelope that contained the essential, non-essential and completely optional tasks to be done over the course of the next 24 hours. 2 tacks were to be made at a minimum before leaving the bay and safety checks were the essential tasks to start our journey. However.
More amusing, optional tasks allowed some of our youthies to become part of the “Beach Assault Team” while others were put to the task of making a slideshow of the voyage, tying all the knots on the list, etc. These were some activities that bided the time for our incredible navigator - Ruscoe to set out a plan and work together with the Sailmaster - Hugh to create a sail plan.
Tacking stations were the focus for our late afternoon, preparing to weigh anchor and leave such a beautiful bay, for our last stretch of this incredible voyage.
Happy Birthday to the Capitan, Warwick, who turned 24 today! The wonderful MasterChef’s created a “cherry ripe” cake out of rice crispies, coconut, chocolate, and love. With a beautiful ceremony to end our day.
Sailing into the night leaves us the ability to see the lights from our destination. Sydney, here we come!
Wish us luck! From Nat and Tom!!

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”
