Indescribable

SITUATION AT 1900It has been another funfilled and action packed 24 hours for the YC of V21/02. Last night we continued to sail into the wild blueyonder, tacking a couple of times through the night in order to make our way seaward. The watches were kept busy throughout the night by engaging in the major teamwork exercise prior to command day. It wasa learning experience for everyone and they are now getting very focussed on the remainder of the voyage.Today, after our ritual morning routine we got into some sail handling in order to try and maximise our speed of advance in someextremely light airs. We finally achieved the goal of having every available length of canvas set before the wind at 1130 this morning, with a total of 10 sails set. The only sails not set were our storm sails. The ship was quite a magnificent sight in this condition and during the afternoon we were able to take full advantage of the tenknot onshore breeze.The ship recieved a real uplift today with many of the YC using the opportunity to refresh themselves under the warm sun bygetting a little wet. Following the post lunch antics, the YC settled in to yet another set of rope races and were then given the low down on what will be expected of them for the Command Day, which is nowlooming up ahead. The YC have achieved a major milestone in their voyage today, with the announcement that myself and all my staff now consider them safe to climb aloft without a staff member present. This is a huge step towards achieving their command day goals and they are, justifiably, very proud of themselves.Youth Crew Entry by Anon:An incredible journey across the sea. Imagine… blue skies,bright sun, dark blue water surrounding us, the sounds of laughterand music, and beautiful smell of dinner from the galley… these will be treasured memories of Young Endeavour that will remain with us. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to share this experience with twenty-three other wonderful young Aussies. And of course, the staff and all those who also remain nameless but who have worked to make this voyage possible, a BIG applause for them. THANK YOU. As we are half way through our program… there are still many more things to come. Stay tuned for the next five days…Youth Crew Entry by Erin Godde, Age 16 of Wangaratta:Hello Mum, Dad, Leah, Babe, Family and Friends. The feeling on the ship is indescribable. It is amazing when I am standing on the ratlines that are swaying with the wind and the boat is rocking and Ilook around and see only the sea, It is a beautiful sight. There is nothing that can describe it. Everyone onboard is fantastic, the crew are so supportive and the Youth Crew are fantastic. I have made so many friends. Climbing up onto the yards is the most awesome experience. Today I had the morning watch so I was up at four and wehad dolphins swimming along side the boat and that was wonderful. I have learn’t so many things and the experiences will last me a life time. I had a great big serve of sea sickness in the first couple ofdays but I am now over that, Thank God. The food is fantastic and Iam never hungry. The adrenaline is pumping which is great, especiallywhen I have had hardly any sleep. There are only five more days to gobut they are going to be as wonderful as the others. Looking forwardto seeing you all soon. Thanks to everyone that has made thisexperience possible for me. I hope to return a changed person, butfor the better. I love you all and I will see you soon.Love Ez XOXOXOXO.6. Youth crew entry by Stephanie Lowe, Aged 23 of MosmanWell here we are 6 days into the voyage and I feel like I have beenon the boat forever. The past week has presented me with experiences I never thought I would encounter and I have loved every moment of it. In addition to broadening my sailing experience I have beenpushing my comfort zone and crossing boundaries. Today was one of the highlights for me as I climbed the ratlines with no fear or concernabout falling off the yards as I hung there casting loose thegaskets. The weather has been fantastic, blue skies, beautifulsunsets, with the occasional shower to cool us off. I have reallyenjoyed working within a team environment but have also found itquite challenging. I know I will be able to take away much of what Ihave learn’t and be able to apply it to everyday life. Like so manyof the youth crew, at times I have been sleep deprived with achingmuscles wondering when our watch would finally finish, however I havebeen lucky enough to find my sea legs straight away, so I haven’tbeen hit with the dreaded seasickness.I look forward with excitement to the next 5 days and everything they entail. From happy hour to sea faring tales to beautiful young maidens visiting the boat, each day brings new surprises. Following our visting from Brother Nuncie, the God of Wind today, I forsee the next few days to be like what we have had, unusual, unexpected but always lots of fun.StephYOUNG ENDEAVOUR Mariner Speak:Braces are the lines secured to each end of the Yard Arm. They are used to pull the yards around to either the Port or Starboard side, in order that the square sails may be set, or to reduce the amount of resistance to the apparent wind. This is called ‘Bracing the Yards’.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Thought for the Day:’Most folks are about as happy as they make up their own minds tobe.’- Abraham Lincoln

Latitude/Longitude:

52Â° 17' South / 52Â° 25' East

Conditions:

17 MILE EAST OF SWANSEA IN A LIGHT EAST NOR' EASTERLY BREEZE

AUTHOR: Commanding Officer STS Young Endeavour

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V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 11 – Last Day of the Voyage

Good morning Shipmates, Sailmaster Sara's final Wakey Wakey song was pumped through the Ship’s speakers to jar the crew of YE from their deep slumber after a particularly tiring day of the Community Day Sail. Activities included end-of-voyage chats for the watches, harbour furling the square sails, eating as much home made pizza, cooked by master chef Ash, as we possibly could and knocking over final command day tasks including the Slide Show. It was up on deck for a quick head count to make sure everyone was out of their ‘racks’ and ready for their final day onboard. Breakfast was followed by the morning brief on the plan for the day and then the Staff Crew weighed anchor and got us underway while the Youth Crew laid aloft for a quick harbour cruise. Navigator Seb piloted the Ship from our Athol Bay anchorage, past Fort Dennison under the Harbour Bridge, where we fired the Ship’s saluting cannon, and then into Balls Head Bay to our berth. We berthed at HMAS Waterhen at 1000 to the warm welcome of friends and family of the Youthies, waiting on the wharf for us. Once we had secured the ship alongside we invited our guests onboard, allowed them a walk around the ship to see where the Youthies had lived and worked for the last eleven days, and then we gathered everyone at midships. Sail Master Sara spoke about our adventures during the voyage and then I presented the Voyage Completion certificates to the youth crew and the Young Endeavour Award to Liv for her outstanding hard work on in undertaking the voyage and her dedication to helping her fellow youth crew members to achieve their voyage goals. We then farewelled the Youth Crew of V04/24 after a fantastic challenging and enjoyable voyage. Thank you for following our adventures and hope you enjoyed hearing about them. Yours, aye, Captain Mike

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 10 – Community Day Sail Sydney Harbour

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

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 9 – Command Day Part 2

Ahoy from Sydney! For today’s Captain’s Log: the Youthies took over and completed several tasks including singing the national anthem in three different tunes as well as giving salty sea facts to start the day in a nautical way. We finally made it! After a long and weary effort of the command team and watches, we were able to fully sail into Sydney Harbour. At approximately 11:50 we anchored in Hunters Bay. To celebrate we had a groovtastic disco in the 12 berth due to excessive rainfall but the youthies made it work, having a blast dancing to Billie Jean. Afterwards, the youthies as well as the staff reflected on our efforts during command day, following the handover of the ship to the Staffies, where we highlighted what we did well, what we could improve on and what lessons we can take back to our normal lives, of which there are many. Continuing on from the previous log, with command day still ongoing. We encountered multiple problems. One of which being that mother nature didn’t bless us and gave us little to no wind to work with. However with the efforts of the Youthies we were able to successfully gather up to 8 knots of speed after a 4am tack in which the youthies persevered despite a lack of sleep enabling us to make our way into Sydney. Before our reflection the Youthies finished their day strong with a ‘Happy Hour’ cleaning session and one final dance. The afternoon was spent relaxing and recharging from ‘Command Day’, going aloft and furling the square sails. For dinner, Ash prepared a barbecue with steak, sausages, chicken kebabs with buns and an assortment of salads with a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. The Youthies are looking forward to the Community Day Sail tomorrow which will be a great opportunity to give back to Australia and put our sailing knowledge to the test. We have learned many lessons during ‘Command Day’, we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and together a crew of 24 youth were able to sail a tall ship into the harbour of Sydney. Today’s score: 9 camels and a donkey (Amazing) Until next time Rock on! Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt. P.S. Happy Birthday for tomorrow little bro, love Lil xx P.S.S. Kai, sorry I didn’t do the thing for Meg. I just remembered and will do it when back.

Thank you Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt for your narrative of today's events. Intentions are to remain at anchor in Hunters Bay, just off HMAS Penguin, home of the RAN Diving School, a place close to my heart, having spent many a day there under training as a young Officer! The plan is to weigh anchor and proceed to HMAS Waterhen, in Waverton, to pick up our Community Day Sailors from the Windgap Foundation and take them for a sail around the harbour for 3 hours. The Youth Crew will help us host our visitors and give them an experience of Young Endeavour. We will drop them back to Waverton and then proceed to anchor in the harbour where we will have a good view of the Bridge and the Opera House for the Youth Crew's last night onboard. Until tomorrow. Yours Aye, Captain Mike

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