SAILING, WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS

The liquid sunshine keeps falling from the sky, but life onboard remains busy and action packed despite the damp conditions.Last night the watches achieved some excellent sailing. Shortly after dark we handed in the Topsail and came hard onto the wind to make ground to the south east. A snappy tack at 4am to the port tack allowed us to start making ground to the west, and close Whitsunday Island in the hope of a break in the weather and a run ashore at Whitehaven Beach.Unfortunately the weather didn’t break, so we decided to continue sailing and consolidate some of our skills learnt overnight. Morning brief involved Whips’ artistic representation of the travels of the previous day, and special congratulations to Blue Watch for the best distance made during their watch overnight. Ian gave us a very interesting explanation of how the soft iron correctors near the magnetic compass were given their name. The ship’s Nanna returned to owners various items of clothing that had been left sculling below – the price for this service? a song to the rest of the crew onboard.This morning Lindsay took the youth crew through their first round of Rope Races, a slightly competitive but mostly educational tool assisting us all in learning where various pieces of equipment are stowed and what they are called. The White Watch dominated, but the enthusiastic efforts of the other watches mean that they will not be able to rest on their laurels if they are to remain in front.After a delicious lunch from Chad and his able assistants, we started the first of several sessions looking at sail theory and navigation. Whip’s explained the art and science of navigation, and now our eager youth crew are plotting our position on the chart and monitoring our progress far more closely.The sailing has been fantastic thus far, with steady breezes and a low swell. The sea sickness seems to have all but disappeared which is very pleasing indeed for all except the fish.Yours AyePhil GadenLieutenant, RANRQUOTE”The pursuit of excellence is gratifying and healthy. The pursuit of perfection is frustrating and neurotic. It is also a terrible waste of time.” Author Unknown.Youth Crew ImpressionsBen, 22, HobartIt’s fair to say that day two became known as day spew, and Chad’s awesome food went over the capping rail for the benefit of the fishes and dolphins that we saw today. I am now however feeling much better and aiming for salty sea dog status within the next couple of days. To all the people who I know who haven’t been on Young Endeavour but should have (I’m talking to you AMC desk jockeys) then what are you waiting for, get amongst it and apply before you get too ancient.Julian, 21, SydneyOur journey aboard the Young Endeavour continued throughout the night. As the early morning watch sang a rendition of happy little vegemites over the ships PA we slowly rolled out of bed, which was helped slightly by the fact that the ship was already leaning to one side. The rain hit our ship again today, however our spirits were far from dampened as we were all keen to learn more about sailing the awesome endeavour. So far I have enjoyed being pushed outside my comfort zone, while meeting a bunch of cool new guys. Oh, and the cooking, what can I say other than Chad (our chef) is amazing. Looking forward to facing the remaining days onboard, and hopefully if we’re lucky the sun will stick its head out to say G’day.