Sydney to Newcastle with the YE

“My Young Endeavour voyage was from Sydney to Newcastle. I come from Perth, so it was exciting to see what the coastline in the eastern states is like. It was very beautiful, and being used to WA beaches, that’s saying something! I particularly loved seeing the mouth of the Hawkesbury River from the ship, and jumping off the rope swing as we were moored in this beautiful setting.

The sailing was quite challenging at times, particularly when it was quite rough. When it was rough it was absolute carnage on the deck, with people feeling so sea sick. The rough seas were also incredible to be on though, and I wouldn’t have wanted it to be calm the whole time. It made it so memorable.

I made great friends on my voyage. There is something about midnight to 4:00am watches that help you get quite close to your watch group. People share all sorts of things to pass the time! I’m still friends with the people I met on my voyage. It was great when I moved to Canberra last year, as I had some friendly faces here.

An unexpected benefit of the voyage was my first interaction with people from the Navy. I now work for Defence as a public servant. It was great to get to know Navy personnel so well in that environment, and have the opportunity to learn about the culture and structure of the Navy.

My Young Endeavour experience also (re)kindled an interest in sailing, and I started crewing at a Yacht Club on the Swan River. I hope to sail on a tall ship again one day – it’s definitely the best way to travel!”

Charlotte Corbyn