Day 10 – My Eyes Were Opened By the Sea

Ahoy Shipmates and armchair reader of this fine log, today marks the end of Voyage 02/25: Eden to Melbourne and what a voyage it was. From the Day One it was clear to my team and I that we had a real bunch of go-getting Youth Crew onboard.
The Youth Crew layed aloft on the morning of Day Two in 30-40kn of wind with each and every Youthie getting up to the T’Gallant and back in record time. A first for me and a sign of things to come. That afternoon we weighed anchor and set and furled sails for the first time in 25 knot winds. With that much weight in the sheets it requires close supervision by ship staff and focussed attention by the Youth Crew themselves. When there is a fair blow in the sails some of these lines have a lot of weight in them and this can be dangerous if not managed closely. That said, the Youth Crew clutched in and dominated. It was so windy that we went back to anchor that night to wait it out.
Day Three and we weighed anchor again, this time in 30kn Southerlies (remember that big storm that hit Sydney? We were in the tail end of it down in Twofold Bay, Eden). The Youth Crew tacked for the first four times of their lives in the bay in big wind and, again, lots of weight in the sheets but they listened, looked out for each other and respected the crew who supervised like diligent hawks! Back to anchor once again while the southerlies blew.
Day Four and we made the decision to brave the rough seas and punch South with our destination Deal Island. The Youth Crew faced an angry sea with 25kn winds and 2-4m seas as we beat our way South requiring multiple tacks. A few green gills wasnt going to stop this determined mob of Australian Youth. Despite a bodycount littering the upper decks at Sunrise the crew rose and cracked on with Day Five. We remained at sea overnight as Deal was still a few clicks over the horizon. The seas smoothed, the winds abated and we arrived in Deal Island in beautiful conditions. The pain was worth it as we got 5 hours ashore exploring the island and meeting a few of the locals (and a swim!).
We reluctantly weighed anchor and headed North overnight to anchor at Cowels Beach, Westernport Bay. Command Day elections were conducted without bloodshed and we had our elected crew for Day Eight; Command Day. The Youth Crew smashed Command Day out of the park with everyone pitching in and helping each other out. It was great to see.
Unfortunately every adventure comes to an end and so too much Voyage 02/25. We arrived at Station Pier today with friends and families collecting their respective Young Australians. Trip of a lifetime and a memorable voyage. Well done shipmates. Absolute pleasure sailing with each and every one of you.
Now we pause, clean up and get the ship ready for Monday when we meet Voyage 03/25 over at Geelong! Check out the Royal Geelong Yacht Race tomorrow – you may see our beautiful blue lady firing her cannons to start the race!
Captain Leups Out +
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Weather: Sunny Wind: 10-15kn SSW Temp: 21C
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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”


After a rather nonchalant guts watch with the Bluies, Reddies came in guns a blazing, setting our beautiful square sails preparing us for a speedy and eventful day at sea. Scaling (laying aloft) the Foremast, whilst the ship swayed kept the Reddies on their toes, holding on for dear life as they let out the gaskets for the Topgallant and Topsail Yards. A challenging activity to start off our day rewarded with a beautiful sunrise over Starboard.
During the day we participated in a Meteorology Brief led by our resident Nav guru TOMO, learning everything there is about fluffy, rainy and stormy clouds. This was followed by Lunch and a needed Siesta.
Whilst some slumbered, Bluies kept watch. They had brave volunteers to climb both main mast and to the topgallant yard to sea furl the sails.
In the afternoon, our Watches came together to have Mid Voyage Chats, where we had the opportunity to reflect on our voyage goals, experiences and discuss our hopes for Command Day. There were some very heartfelt talks, from overcoming fears, to gaining confidence in working as a team, and we set our eyes upon what we want to achieve in the rest of the voyage.
The first dog (Reddies) (from 1545 to 1745) was full of excitement, with over 50kn winds and up to 50 degrees on the OOOH AAAH meter (heel). Watching the waves break higher than the rails was an exhilarating experience and kept us holding on tight. Sites of sharks and a Cargo ship kept our lookouts entertained, while Callum lead an engaging activity on Charts. At the end of the first dog watch, Nick and Phil braved these treacherous conditions to lay aloft on the mainmast to wrangle the mainsail!
Rockin and rolling, Youthies (the newest salty sea dogs) Hugh, Bridget, and Nick!!