Captain's Log

May-16

3 November 2016

Day Five – Some Rough Weather

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to day five of our voyage. Despite a favourable forecast the wind strengthened to over 30kts late last night and during the early hours of this morning which slowed our boat speed considerably and made the conditions unpleasant for the Youth Crew, with a number again succumbing to seasickness.

By morning brief we were located 65nm to the SW of Point Hicks motor sailing in moderate â€“ strong ENE winds but the weather was improving.

Following cleaning stations the wind backed NNE which enabled us to set more fore and aft sail and the swell dropped back down to 1-2m which made the conditions a lot more pleasant for the crew with everyone again overcoming their short bouts of seasickness.

Given these improved conditions we started of the afternoon with a set of rope races which was followed by Navigator Kyleâ€™s meteorological presentation and to finish of the afternoons activities I spent time with all of the crew imparting some knowledge on sail theory.

Now that everyone has their appetites back Chef Jenko spoiled us with a dinner of Sirloin Steaks with a Dianne Sauce, Garlic Prawns, Vegetable Crepes and a number of Fresh Vegetables. Desert consisted of a Fresh Raspberry Tart with Fresh Fruit Salad and Ice Cream.

Overnight the watches will undertake a communication and teamwork exercise call the Bearex while we continue to make best speed to next anchorage which will be Eden.

Volunteering to write tonight’s entry in Captains Log is Lilly & Susie, please enjoy!

Until tomorrow, take care

Yours Aye

Captain Gav

CAPTAINâ€™S LOG â€“ 11MAR16

This morning was met with calmer waters and positive vibes following the rough night at sea with wind speeds reaching up to 30 knots, wet weather and low visibility. The crew enjoyed a lovely breakfast before setting sail bound for Lakes Entrance. Morning brief left the crew entertained with a short performance by the staff before we began setting and furling sails to accommodate for wind changes. The shipâ€™s navigator Kyle later spoke to us about the interaction of wind direction, temperature, various weather systems and currents and their importance to navigating a ship followed by a quick sail theory lesson from the captain. Midday saw beautiful blue skies, etched by soft clouds and warm sunshine. While this afternoonâ€™s tranquil and picturesque waters surrounding Lakes Entrance were welcomed by the crew, particularly those feeling a little under the weather.
Lilly & Susie.

Until tomorrow, take care

Yours Aye

Captain Gav

Latitude/Longitude:

38 01 S / 148 25 E

Conditions:

Currently located 35nm to the SE of Lakes Entrance and experiencing light NNE winds with a .5-1m ENE swell. Our current speed is 7kts and the temperature is 19 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

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Day Five – Some Rough Weather

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