Split the Dogs

Situation at 20:00- Last night the watches completed their second climb aloft, this time to the T’Gallant and Topsail yards. The time on watch flew by. The Youth Crew all completed their ‘ Full Value Contract’, agreeing to a standard of conduct and participation during the voyage.All hands were piped on deck at 06:30 for a light jog around the upperdeck, followed by some fun activities designed to help theYouth Crew learn each other’s names. Showers and breakfast were next on the agenda. At 08:00, all hands were mustered aft for the ceremony of Colours and the National Anthem, which was the start of morning brief. XO Phil described in detail the plan for the day, followed by Navigator Lisa with her ‘Where the hell are we?’ segment. Engineer Rags and Chef Stony were next, briefing the Youth Crew on the rulesrelating to their respective parts-of-ship. Salty Sea Dog Jarrod described the origins of the watch rotation system used at sea,complete with an explanation of why we ‘split the dogs’. After morning brief it was off to happy hour. Before long the Ship was spic and span from stem to stern and XO Phil was grinning even more than usual. Chef Stony provided a very tasty morning tea. Then it was time to weigh anchor. As we transited through the channel, clear ofGladstone Harbour, the Youth Crew were exercised at setting and furling the sails. This lasted for several hours and lunch was eaten on the fly. Once clear of the Channel, a course to the East was shaped and the Youth Crew were closed up at tacking stations. They conductedthis complex evolution several times so that if it becomes necessary to tack during the night, they will have a basic understanding of what is required of them. At 16:00 the watch-on-deck closed up and the Ship settled into the evening routine.Overnight we will make ground to the South into Hervey Bay as we shape a course towards an anchorage in Platypus Bay tomorrow night. The Youth Crew will learn how to steer the Ship and act as lookout, as well as conducting below deck rounds. There are some green faces amongat them but they are all rising to the different challenges that YOUNG ENDEAVOUR puts in front of them.> 6. YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Fact File: The Ship has a suite of thirteen> sails to choose from, depending upon the weather. These range from> the Drifter, used for very light wind conditions, to the Storm Jib> and Trysail, used during heavy weather. All sails are made of a> modern sailcloth called Dacron, which is considerably stronger and> lighter than canvas.> > 7. YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Glossary: Bobstay- The chain stay running from the end of the bowsprit down tro the cutwater to provide tension to the bowsprit and from there to the rest of the fore-and-aft rigging system. Belaying Pin- A removable wooden, steel or bronze pin that is slotted into a hole in the pin or fife rail, and about which sheets, halyards and braces are made fast.Thought of the Day: I believe that courage is all too often mistakenly seen as the absence of fear. If you descend by rope from a cliff and are not fearful to some degree, you are either crazy or unaware. Courage is seeing your fear, in a realistic perspective, defining it, considering alternatives and choosing to function in spite of the risks.Yours, AyeJohn CowanLCDR, RAN
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
At sea under five sails. Wind: East at 15 knots, Cloud: 1/8, Temp: 19c.
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Ahoy followers of our Young Endeavour journey! Command Day. We made it.
The beautiful weather at our anchor point at Jervis Bay made for a spectacular day under the command of our fellow Youth Crew! A morning stretch and some wise words from the Ship Crew gave Captain Waz and the team a step in the right direction.
With the new watches all set and ready to go, Captain’s Setting and Furling gave all our youthies the chance to prove their abilities on the high seas. Strong performances from all three watches; Sharkies, Chompers and Narwhals!!
Morning brief gave the Sailmaster a chance to give us the daily orders and help get everyone on the same page. With the staff crew getting ready for a holiday and giving us the ship, floral shirts and party music filled the deck and, with some final preparations, the ship was ours.
The Captain was given a small but very significant envelope that contained the essential, non-essential and completely optional tasks to be done over the course of the next 24 hours. 2 tacks were to be made at a minimum before leaving the bay and safety checks were the essential tasks to start our journey. However.
More amusing, optional tasks allowed some of our youthies to become part of the “Beach Assault Team” while others were put to the task of making a slideshow of the voyage, tying all the knots on the list, etc. These were some activities that bided the time for our incredible navigator - Ruscoe to set out a plan and work together with the Sailmaster - Hugh to create a sail plan.
Tacking stations were the focus for our late afternoon, preparing to weigh anchor and leave such a beautiful bay, for our last stretch of this incredible voyage.
Happy Birthday to the Capitan, Warwick, who turned 24 today! The wonderful MasterChef’s created a “cherry ripe” cake out of rice crispies, coconut, chocolate, and love. With a beautiful ceremony to end our day.
Sailing into the night leaves us the ability to see the lights from our destination. Sydney, here we come!
Wish us luck! From Nat and Tom!!

ARRRGH, ahoy there from the spectacular Jervis Bay! We’ve all been taken A-back by the crystal clear blue waters and snow white sands.
After a well deserved sleep in these sheltered waters which was a refreshing change to clinging to our bunk racks for dear life for the past few days, the ship rose to another banger of a morale tune “sung” by Blue Watch. Brekkie was fun after the early morning activity to get us all up and moving. We held another round of competitive not-competitive rope races which culminated in smashed eggs on deck and the mummification of said egg smashers.
Roast lamb for lunch was prepped by the staffies in the absence of our culinary wizard Steve. Once cleaned up, we took the RHIB’s across to Captains Beach bordering HMAS Creswell which was a mind-blowingly beautiful little spot. Pretty much everyone had a dip in the drink and a roll in the sand and played some creative beach games run by our Suitability legends, Speedy Sam and Eggs.
A few hours at the beach made everyone ready to head back home and attack a teak deck barbeque, devouring cheese platters, steaks, sangas, and salads. With our full stomachs, us youthies initiated the highly anticipated elections for our command day roles. Which will commence sometime around midday tomorrow. We held a vote for each available role that all willing youthies put themselves forward for.
The following roles were voted as follows: Captain – Warwick, Sailmaster – Hugh, Navigator – Ruscoe, Officer of the Watch – Dan, Watch Leader – Nick, Ben, Bridget, Master chef – Emily, Mackenzie, Alyshia
We were greeted after our elections by a low flying anti-submarine MH60-Romeo Helicopter which did a cool fly around our ship. *Thanks Squizz!!* And then watched an amazing film about the rounding of Cape Horn back in 1929 on a 7 story tall sail ship.
Signing off from our anchor watch, Ben and Giles.
“I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: We can transmit it to others”
