Quality Kids
Good Evening Shipmates,Captain Gunna here for the penultimate time. We woke this morning to a mirror sea as there was absolutely no wind. These things cannot be helped and shortly after our flag hoisting ceremony at 0800 we weighed anchor and motored the short way to Darwin Naval Base. We berthed alongside and then very quickly prepared ourselves for our guests. Food was loaded onboard and garbage taken ashore. At about 0945 I welcomed approximately 50 guests from Camp Quality that were embarking for a three hour sail. At 1000 we departed and shortly thereafter we had sails set but with barely a zepher, it was more a case of drifting with style. Our guests seemed to enjoy the experience nonetheless and I was very proud of the YC in the way they acted as hosts and made our guests feel very welcome onboard.As luck would have it just as we returned alongside the afternoon sea breeze started to pick up. Murphy (of Law fame) was against us it would seem. Next time we pay homage to Brother Nutsie (the wind God), we had better try harder. We said our farewells and our guests departed as happy campers.At the Naval Base Dion arranged a visit to one of the Patrol Boats (of Sea Patrol fame) which the YC thoroughly enjoyed. They may have been genuinely interested or perhaps they just enjoyed the opportunity to enjoy some time in air conditioned comfort.With all YC back onboard we sailed from our berth; literally. Every now and again when the conditions are just right and you have a crew that knows what they’re doing, I’ll sail from alongside and not use the engines. It was very tight and I will admit to using my engines for a very short while to avoid getting too close to the Patrol boats berthed in the small naval basin. However it looked very cool having the square sails set pulling off the wharf. As a wise man once said, ‘It’s all about looking good’.This evening the YC had their end of voyage discussions where we ask them to reflect on their journey and determine what they would be able to take away on a personal level from their experience. This soul searching exercise was followed by the last of the Teak Deck BBQ’s for this voyage. As I type, the YC are enjoying their last sunset onboard and harbour furling the square sails. We will then be running a slide show with pictures accumulated during the voyage and then that will be it for the evening.Tomorrow we will proceed alongside the Darwin Naval Base at 1000 concluding Voyage 11. What a great ride it has been.Yours ayeAndrew ���Gunna’ RourkeCommanding OfficerCarpe’ Diem
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
At anchor Darwin Harbour
You might also be interested in
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