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Tricks on the Helm
Situation at 21:00- Last night most of the Youth Crew were successful in climbing to the T’Gallant and Topsail yards. They were also able to practise some of the more frequently used knots, bends and hitches. The hours on watch flew by and in no time at all it was time for the watch-on-deck to shake their reliefs. At 06:30 the daily routine started when all hands were piped on deck. Early morning activity started off with a light jog aroundthe upper deck, followed by some games designed to help us learn each other’s names. Before long Chef Stony was serving up a delicious hot breakfast. At 08:00 the flags were hoisted and morning brief startedwith all hands singing the National Anthem. XO Paige started off by briefing us on the plan for the day. Navigator Phil then outlined our intended track over the next twenty-four hours. Chef Stony and Engineer Stewy then went through the do’s and don’ts for their respective parts-of-ship. Watch Officer Stan, the Salty Sea Dog, thenexplained the origins of a nautical expression. Today she described how we came to have two dog watches in the daily rotation.Facsinating stuff. With morning brief completed, YOUNG ENDEAVOUR gotunderway at 09:00 and commenced the long pilotage down the Brisbane River and through Moreton Bay. As Captain John took charge of seeing the Ship safely through pilotage waters, XO Paige took charge of running the day’s program. Happy Hour was the first order of business. XO Paige took great delight in inspecting the efforts of the Youth Crew’s cleaning stations. A briefing from ‘Captain Safety’ and her lovely assistant ‘Miss EPIRB’ was next on the schedule. Each piece of safety equipment onboard was discussed and the correctmethod of using it was explained. Shortly before lunch the watches commenced ‘Deck Safety and Linehandling’. This will form the basis of the remainder of the Youth Crew’s sail training and explains how to safely handle the different lines used in sailing the Ship.After each watch had rotated through lunch and then completed Deck Safety and Linehandling, XO Paige delivered a lecture on how to set and furl the fore-and-aft sails. This was followed by two hours of practise actually setting and furling the sails. By this time the Ship was clear of Moreton Bay and shaping a course to weather Cape Moreton. The sea and swell had started to build and before long some green faces started to appear. Tacking drills were the last activity of the day. If it becomes necessary to tack or wear the Ship duringthe night, the Youth Crew will now have an understanding of what is expected of them during this complex evolution.During the night watches will take their first tricks on the helm. They will also learn how to act as lookouts and to completebelow deck rounds. Today has been a long day with a huge amount of information to digest. The Youth Crew are fighting through thechallenges facing them and starting to develop effective teamwork.Despite several of them feeling the effects of the Ship’s motion, they are settling into life at sea.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Fact File: The Ship is a 44 metre, 250 Ton Brigantine purpose built for youth development training. She was presented to Australia by the people of the United Kingdom on the occassion of the bi-centennial of the arrival in Sydney of the First Fleet. Over the past fifteen years more than 6,000 young Australians have taken part in the YOUNG ENDEAVOUR experience during voyages lasting between five days and three months.YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Glossary: Knots- the measurement of speed used at sea. One Knot is equal to one nautical mile per hour. Sonamed because speed was calculated by counting the number of knots on a measured line that would run out over the stern in a given period of time. Brigantine- a vessel having two masts and square sails carried from the foremast only. The main mast and stays carry fore-and-aft sails.Thought of the Day: The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Yours, AyeJohn CowanLCDR, RAN
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
At sea under five sails. Cloud:1/8, Wind: North at 20 knots, Temp:18c.
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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”
