The Wise Sage Visits the Ship

Situation at 21:00- Overnight we continued to make ground towards Coffs Harbour while the Youth Crew learned more about the Ship and how to sail her.The lack of wind meant that there has been no need to call all hands to tacking stations and accordingly, the Youth Crew are well rested.Today has been another busy time with one activity following another. At morning brief, Salty Sea Dog Loz kept us enthralled with her explanation of the origin of the nautical name for the toilet-the heads. Engineer Stewy was disappointed over the small haul he made for his scran bag. The good news is that this means the Youth Crewhave learned how to properly secure their personal gear. After Happy Hour and morning tea, the Youth Crew conducted an exercise designed to show how different groups can communicate even though they are using different mediums. This proved to be a good challenge that they succeeded in overcoming and will be of practical use during commandday. The last activity of the forenoon was the first set of Rope Races. The Whities and Bluies are tied for the lead but the Reddiesare close on their heels.After a terrific lunch, XO Chooka took the Youth Crew through the second sail theory lecture. This required them to work as a teamto determine the best way to sail YOUNG ENDEAVOUR to and from an anchorage. Their solutions were well thought out and will be put to use tomorrow. The next activity was a visit by the Zucchini Brothers. They led the Youth Crew through a series of deck games that had everyone rolling with laughter. Because of the poor sailing conditions due to the lack of wind, the Youth Crew joined hands and summoned YOUNG ENDEAVOUR’s Eastern wind mystic, Brother Nuncie. Before long this wise sage from over the seas had all hands chanting for wind. Although unsuccessful, the visit proved to be very’uplifting’ for the Youth Crew.Shortly before sunset, we passed through the breakwater and anchored in Coffs Harbour. The Youth Crew have just completed theirthree-way talks, which proved to be a lot of fun. Divided into groups of three, each person is required to learn the life story of the other two members of the group. At the last moment, they are assigned to role play the story of one of the group in front of the rest of the Ship’s Company. Everyone takes a turn and uses their imaginationto fill in the blanks where they have forgotten the details. The Youth Crew will stand anchor watches tonight. This will allow them to get to know members of the other watches while they ensure that theShip remains safely at anchor.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Fact File: The Ship is fitted with two 460 kg anchors connected to 5 shackles (450 ft) of 17.5 mm cable. Thesehave held YOUNG ENDEAVOUR safely in winds up to 50 knots. The anchors are weighed by two capstans that can recover one shackle of cable every two minutes.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Glossary: Pitch, to- A ship pitches when a wave lifts her bows, and then after passing down her length, subsequently lifts her stern giving her a fore-and-aft motion. Harden-In, to- The operation of hauling in the sheets of a sailing vessel to present the sails at a more acute angle to the wind.Thought of the Day: We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. Abraham Lincoln.Yours, AyeJohn Cowan, RAN