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Captain's Log
24 March 2006
Motor sailing, Bass Strait,
Ahoy Me Hearties,I spoke too soon about the Bass Strait weather – we are now motorsaiing in a 35-40 knot easterly wind, now heading for the shelter of Port Philip due to the high seas. Unfortunately we had to cancel the visit to Stanley in Tasmania because the anchorage is open to the east and to dangerous in this weather.And now a comment from Youth Crew Kylie:Hi all… so much to say and so little space but I’ll try and compress it… on our first night we were straight into it, climbing the ever famous mast which was awesome, such a rush and everyone was keen to help each other out in facing their fears which was great for team building. On day 2 the crew supported each other to get through the dreaded seasickness which is a killer but a vital part of the Young Endeavour experience and we all have now recovered and are back into our sailing of the rough Bass Straight. On a more personal note l’d like to say hi to my mum, dad and Daniel and that l am keeping well on the great food. Hi to Jean, Ali and Tracey l hope that you not missing me too much from the water aeorobics , and finally hi to the Yannadah crew, Elishia and Laur, missing all you guys heaps but loving where l am. Can’t wait to see you all and to fill you in on all the little details…Love Kylie XOXOUntil tomorrow,Yours Aye,Chris Chris GallowayLieutenant Commander, RAN
Latitude/Longitude:
39° 22' South / 144° 53' East
Conditions:
35 - 40 knot easterly
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And so ends another amazing voyage of self discovery and adventure - thanks for the good times Voyage 08/25. On the 13th of May we set sail with 16 landlubbers and today we arrive at our anchorage off Thursday Island with 16 salty sea dogs. We sailed nearly 600 nautical miles and explored some very remote sections of the Australian coastline - and had a lot of fun doing it!
The South Easterly Trades took us North on a beautiful broad reach, right up through the Inner Great Barrier Reef, and we shared the vast ocean with dophins, turtles, and lots of sharks! The odd Spanish Mackerel was seen to be dancing with the ship as we gracefully yawed our way down sea and down wind.
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For now we are going to remain at anchor near to Thursday Island Wharf and clean up the ship. We are hoping to have some visitors from the Australian Navy Cadets onboard tomorrow for a ship tour and a chat. We're making new friends up here in the Torres Strait as we had four members of the Australian Border Force stop by for a visit this morning. As a Royal Australian Navy crew we love engaging with our friends across all services - if you're up here then please reach out and say Ahoy!
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Day 10 – V08/25, Cairns to Thursday Island
Today is our last full day on this wonderful voyage. We started at anchor in the Torres Strait, near our destination of Thursday Island (conveniently located next to Wednesday and Friday Islands). Overnight we were treated to the sight of a large shiver of beautiful reef sharks. We woke up in this lovely spot taking in all the views of the islands, the clear blue water and playing a game of Ubuntu. We then cleaned the boat for some special guests that were arriving. We had the absolute privilege of meeting the whole of government effort in the Torres strait with representatives from; 51 Far North Queensland Army Regiment, the Australian Federal Police and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We showed them around our ship and the skills we have learnt over this incredible voyage. We also learnt so much off them and the important roles they play in such a remote area as well as the importance of working together to achieve a common goal of keeping Australia safe.
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