Captain's Log

V05/25, Sydney to Brisbane

7 April 2025

Day 6 – From the big banana to the most easterly point in Australia, Byron Bay.

Will and Anika provide an entertaining report on today’s activities as we sail into Queensland waters.

Today, Youthies continued to combat the scorching gaze of the sun and developed their learning and expertise in seamanship theory. From revitalising their knowledge on knots, to tacking stations (moving the bow of the ship through the wind), the crew and Youthies truly brought the heat today.

You know what they say, slip, slap, slop, no hat, no play, no sail today.

HAPPY HOUR, HAPPY HOUR, HAPPY HOUR.

Youthies once again adventured to the depths of the cleaning cupboards, from the brutal suction of the vacuum to the watery split ends of the mop. Scrubbing, washing, booming music, followed by Chris’s Dad jokes, assisted the Youthies in their plight for cleanliness.

After proving their ongoing determination and resilience to the repeat of Carly Rae Jepsons “Call Me Maybe” Youthies ventured to the salty sprays of the deck. Captain Leups delivered an engaging lesson regarding the history and theory behind: sailing, tacking and design origins of the STS Young Endeavor.

In the afternoon, a ship wide competition regarding the Youthies knowledge and understanding of the lines and sheets used while tacking began. Afterwards Youthies participated in the voyage’s first set of demonstrational tacks, gaining insight into behind the scenes of turning the ship of turning the ship through the wind.

17-year-old Youthie, Will, commented on his experience during tacking.

“Once we learnt the tacking, everything began piecing together for us Youthies, it was really awesome to see the group collaborating to achieve the final outcome”.

When there’s a beginning there is also an end. This voyage is the start of the final circumnavigation of Australia before she is finally given a rest from being one of the hardest working ships in the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet.

Navigator MattyJ expressed his appreciation of STS Young Endeavor over the years.

“The Young Endeavour is like the warm embrace of an old coat; warm, safe, and dry. She’s never let us down and we will be sad to see her go”, Matty reflected.

Young Endeavour continues to advance towards a brighter future for all of Australia’s youth.

By Salty Sailors, Will and Anika.

Latitude/Longitude:

27 30.08 S / 153 15.08 E

Conditions:

Weather: Sunny Wind: 10kn E Temp: 27C

AUTHOR: Andrew Leupen

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22 May 2025

Day 10 – V08/25, Cairns to Thursday Island

Today is our last full day on this wonderful voyage. We started at anchor in the Torres Strait, near our destination of Thursday Island (conveniently located next to Wednesday and Friday Islands). Overnight we were treated to the sight of a large shiver of beautiful reef sharks. We woke up in this lovely spot taking in all the views of the islands, the clear blue water and playing a game of Ubuntu. We then cleaned the boat for some special guests that were arriving. We had the absolute privilege of meeting the whole of government effort in the Torres strait with representatives from; 51 Far North Queensland Army Regiment, the Australian Federal Police and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We showed them around our ship and the skills we have learnt over this incredible voyage. We also learnt so much off them and the important roles they play in such a remote area as well as the importance of working together to achieve a common goal of keeping Australia safe. We then did our final rope races, with Red watch coming out on top but participation of all watches and staff made this such a fun competition throughout the voyage. We then had our final lunch, and we were treated to a Chicken Parma (not parmi) and teriyaki noodles. We set sail for our last run at sea for a few hours and began making our way to our final destination, anchoring between Thursday and Horn Islands. Whilst at Sea we climbed the yards and challenged ourselves once more by putting on the UV cover of our sails whilst underway at sea but still able to take in the beautiful views of this remote part of Australia. We then went into our end of voyage chats to reflect on our time throughout the voyage. We reflected on how we have all grown and developed into more amazing young people and were also tasked to write a letter to our future selves to read in 6 months’ time. The reflection tasks have helped us to learn about ourselves and the people we want to be and become. After a BBQ dinner we are off to a disco to dance and sing the night away with the amazing people we have become to know over the last 10 days. This journey is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and all the people we have met and made incredible connections with will forever hold a place in our hearts. The memories we have made and the self-development we have achieved has made this voyage priceless. It will be incredibly sad to say goodbye to everyone tomorrow, not just other youthies but also the extraordinary staff that make this program possible. They are the most passionate people you will meet with huge hearts and a lot of love to give. There is no big enough thankyou we can give to everyone on board. If you’re ever thinking of taking this opportunity have no ride regret and just submit that application because it will truly change your life no matter how big or small. Love youse all x Your favourite ginger twins (Georgia and Taylah) +

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Day 09 – V08/25, Cairns to Thursday Island

Ahoy there Landgoers and arm chair readers! Today we awoke abruptly to the call of “all hands to tacking stations!”. It was a rude yet exhilarating way to start the day! As we yelled “two, six, heave!” on the jib, those at the front of the ship were witness to the beautiful amber sun gradually rising over the churning ocean, while towards the stern there were crewmembers holding their heads over the rails and throwing up last night’s dinner into the ocean. What a glorious way to start Command Day. The Command Day Captain (Georgia), Sailmaster (Jackson), Navigator (Elijah), and the rest of the youth crew worked like a well-oiled machine as we pulled the jib to the opposite side of the wind and continued to sail through the great blue ocean. The day was busy with lots of tasks, and it was only through each and every one of us pulling together that we were able to successfully complete our Command Day. As we sailed towards our final destination for command day, the Youthies and the crew prepared for the staff handover. Once Captain Leups and the team took the weight, we finally had two full hours of downtime, with most people sleeping face down on the deck, exhausted. Afterwards, we had command day debrief and reflection where we went through our strong points, areas to improve, and major takeaways from the 24 hour experience. From this, we had time to do some quiet reflection on how we could apply what we learnt to our personal lives. This was a relaxing way to end the day and prepare ourselves for our final full day tomorrow. Nathan & Tobias Out +

THE VOYAGE

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Day 6 – From the big banana to the most easterly point in Australia, Byron Bay.

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