Friends for life

Situation at 20:00Today started off with a 06:30 call to tacking stations. Fortunately this was merely a clever ploy to roust out all hands and have them join in early morning activity. At 08:00 Captain Matt relinquished command of the Ship and command day formally came to an end. The Youth Crew had performed very well and completed their assigned mission on schedule.Once the ceremony of colours was completed, all hands turned to at happy hour cleaning the upperdeck as well as the usual areas below decks. At 09:30 our guests for the half-day sail started to arrive and before long the upperdeck was crowded with people from ‘The Zone’ youth group and the Leven Training Centre. After a quick welcome address by Captain John, the Ship sailed from her berth at 10:00 and cleared the harbour. The half-day sail provided an opportunity for the Youth Crew to show off the skills they had learned onboard, and to act as hosts for our guests. Shortly after clearing the harbour, the Youth Crew entertained us with an impromptu, but very well done skit. A brisk Westerly wind ensured that our guests saw the Ship sailing at her best. At 13:00 YOUNG ENDEAVOUR once again secured alongside her berth in Devonport and we said farewell to our new found friends.The next activity on the agenda was to harbour furl the square sails. This requires the entire Youth Crew to lay aloft and is designed to protect the sails from the elements between voyages. Harbour furling took 90 minutes and as soon as it was complete, the Youth Crew divided into their watches to conduct the command day debrief and end of voyage talks. This takes the form of an in-depth analysis of what happened during the day and was an open and frank discussion involving the entire Youth Crew. The purpose of the debrief is to discover if any of the skills used during command day can be transferred to everyday life. There were many insightful comments made and the debrief process proved to be a valuable experience.Overnight the Youth Crew will remain in sea watches. This will provide them with the chance to say an extended farewell to one another. Over the past ten days some firm friendships have formed and several of the Youth Crew have already made plans to visit each other.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Fact FileConstruction of the Ship began in May 1986 in Lowestoft England and on 3 August 1987 she began the long voyage to Australia with a crew 24 strong comprising young people from Britain and Australia. The official handover ceremony took place on 25 January 1988 in the presence of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, in Farm Cove, Sydney Harbour.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR GlossaryStoppers – Short lines used to temporarily take the weight of a line from the hands heaving it in so that it can be turned up on its pin or cleat. Back- To back a sail is to fill it with wind from the wrong side. A sail is then said to be aback and if unexpected, the ship is said to be taken aback.Thought of the DayNo man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent. Abraham Lincoln.Yours, AyeJohn Cowan,LCDR, RANDear All,This voyage is absolutely fantastic. It is the best thing ever and nothing I expected in the beginning adds up to what actually happened. All the people are great and I’ve made heaps of new friends, especially Cath who is about to write next. She is commonly called the Ice Queen. The best passage is short and sweet so I wonâ€™t take too much of your time. The weather was great but the seas too calm and Rhian, I am now addicted to sailing – help. I’ve gotta go now, cause I’m on watch, but I’ll tell you about it when I get back.Hi to everyone at home and in Launie to my friends at Soc. Missing you guys, see you in a few days. Also hi to Mum, John, Chris, Dad, Helen, Nan and Joy. An extra week on top of what I’ve already had these hols sounds like a great addition to me right now. Anyways, see yous and don’t get up too much without me. Luv Jen.And over to Cathy….Thanks Jen…. o.k. well I have had one of those time of your life experiences. Like Jen, I am in love with sailing. And sailing on the high seas? beyond words. After a successful half day of sailing this morning with visitors, the separate watches evaluated the overall voyage. The outcome was that we all had a great time, learnt plenty about teamwork, commitment to goals, overcoming fears(like climbing aloft…) and sleep deprivation. After being elected as Navigator for command day, I have a new love for charts and plotting routes… so who knows? Hi to mum, Chris and Cam and all my friends. miss you all and see you in a couple of weeks. love Cath.

Latitude/Longitude:

41Â° 11' South / 146Â° 22' East

Conditions:

Wind: Nor' West 15 kts, Temp:17, Sea State:2, Cloud: 3/8

AUTHOR: Commanding Officer STS Young Endeavour

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Brisbane

13 September 2023

Day 10 – Ahoy Brisbane (Meanjin)

We woke up at anchor just across from Tangalooma to the upbeat tunes of Rather Be. A delicious breakfast of pancakes and ice cream lead into a fun new game called Partner Twister. This was followed by an enthusiastic Morning Brief from the Staffies and a particularly detailed Happy Hour. The good ship was soon underway across the picturesque Moreton Bay with the ever-growing Brisbane skyline in the distance. The Youthies were treated to a tasty lunch prepared by the wonderful Chef Ash and the dynamic trio of Master Chefs Wilhelm, Danielle and Thomas. As lunch was wrapping up the Youthies and Staffies were treated to a sail-past encounter with the sail ship South Passage. As voyage debriefs got underway the mood was reflective with many a personal goal being ticked off from each watch’s goal sheet. The Youthies were kept on their toes by occasional calls to tacking stations as the ship neared Brisbane Harbour. A final round of Rope Races ensued involving Zooper Dooper speed eating. With the scores all counted, White watch came out on top of the particularly close competition. Coming to the final berth of the voyage, the Youthies and Staffies combined their efforts, harbour furling the square sails and recovering the ship’s boat. Pizza making and signing handbooks took up the remaining time before dinner with everyone celebrating Ben’s Birthday and looking back on the highlights of the voyage through the slideshow created by Moonie. The night also included important like skills such as ‘How to take a shower on the STS Young Endeavour’, ‘How to work the door shift at K-Mart’ and finally ‘Time Management’, the last being prepared minutes before presentation. As this is the final Youthie contribution to the Captain’s log for Voyage 16/23 I would like to congratulate and thank the Staffies and Youthies for giving their full effort to making this voyage as challenging, enjoyable, empowering and rewarding as it has been for everyone! And to the family members and friends who have been following these logs we all look forward to seeing you again soon! By Elijah and Jessica

Brisbane

12 September 2023

Day 9 – Ahoy Moreton Bay! (Command Day Part 2)

Good morrow our peoples, Ahhh Command Day. What a lovely 24 hours it was!! So peaceful, so smooth, so amazing! Kidding! The weather came in clutch, and made us proper sailors, really hardening those now bullet proof shells on our backs. With watches working around the clock to keep the ship upright and in motion strong winds, harsh rain, and sleepy sailors made for a rough journey, but we made it!! And we are all still alive (a good thing!). We may have missed some way points along the way, but we completed our tasks and navigational course to surpass Staffies standards including an amazing Morning Brief, “chalk mural”, line dance, DIY Hammock, snappy hour and game show. Our very own Cheffos stepped up to create three awesome meals, as well as fulfilling their roles as salty dogs on watch. They created some delicious brownies, which were missed by some as they struggled above decks until well into the night. Morale was kept high though in little laughs here and there through the struggles. After just one night, we were all walking dead. Upon handing over the ship, the Youth Crew could be found cozied up in their bunks, after last nights ‘getting air’ during sleep. We were then awoken from our naps for Rope Races and a nice surprise to see Moreton Island. We then reflected on the good, the not-so-good, and the takeaways from our arduous Command Day, with lessons learned that will stay with us long after our voyage. Jumping straight back to the bonus round of Rope Races, the watches were challenged to an egg drop, with only a limited number of materials at hand. Some eggs survived, and some found themselves with mild concussions. The Whities won, albeit somewhat controversially. “It was legit” they claim. Then a delicious barbeque dinner, with ocean sunset views and a challenging trivia game, with many funky bonus rounds. Allen’s Party Mix won with 48 points all up, but it was fun all round. It’s now past our bedtime, so goodnight for now as we head into anchor watches. By Danielle, Freya and Tayah <3

Brisbane

11 September 2023

Day 8 – Command Day (Part 1)

The big day we’ve all been waiting for is finally upon us – Command Day! With a 0630 start, the Youthies started their day with a quick game of ‘Evolution’ on the deck, before the Staffies delivered a final and enigmatic brief. At 1000 Captain Libby temporarily handed over the STS Young Endeavour to Captain Tayah for 24 hours and gave her, and her Youthie crew, a list of 23 tasks to be completed within this time. The Youthies immediately took to their new jobs, with our Navigator Daegan, Sail master Freya and Captain Tayah moving to the chart house to plan out their new course. Our Cheffies immediately got into action and served a beautiful Italian lunch. Our new Watch Officers & Watch Leaders worked to evaluate the strengths of the crew and empowered them to come together to plan out a course of action for completing our tasks well and truly on time. At 1230 the Youthies reported to climb the foremast and take a few grand photos, before mustering below decks. While Tom, Henry & Ben came together to plan out and deliver our inaugural game show, Angus & Wilhelm designed and completed our deck hammock – which proved capable of holding the weight of the entire Youth Crew! Shortly after we came back down to the cafeteria to participate in our first game show, which was a resounding success with a room full of laughs & thumbs up from our panel of Staffie judges. Called in for a briefing at 1530 – Our navigator briefed the Youthies on the charted course & plan for the next day. After weighing anchor, the Youthies mustered midships to set sails and depart from our anchorage on the Sunshine Coast. However, out patron Gaia would not see the Youthies get through their big day unchallenged. After a very quick Mexican dinner Youthies mustered dauntlessly on deck in wet weather gear to face the heavy winds and rain suddenly sent in to challenge us. After setting, furling and trimming sails – the White watch takes the first watch into a night of unknown challenges & adventures. - Youthies Moony (aka Declan) & Angus

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