Captain's Log

Voyage 11/23

13 July 2023

Day 10 – Ahoy Mackay! (Command Day Part2)

Ahoy there to the people on stable land who don’t fall out of the shower when showering!

Rough seas, roaring winds, but that’s okay because we are salty sea dogs now – woof!

The morning started off with many Youthies feeling the effects of the sleepless night as we were thrown around in our racks overnight. Despite this, we survived the night and having successfully met all 5 waypoints overnight we were forced to hand the keys back to Captain Libby at 1000.

All in all, it was a successful Command Day. We had a nautical day. Forgetting the time we nearly ran aground at Skull Rock, Nav was on point. Shoutout to Sky Watch for staying within a nautical mile of Anthony’s ‘line of perfection’.

After a wet and windy reception with Mackay on the horizon White Watch took the win after our final round of Ropies! White watch won with a whopping 37 points – Whoopiedoo! And we spent the evening eating pizza and reflecting on all the good times we have had as a crew. I think we all agree we will be sad to say goodbye to the vessel that has been our home for the past 10 days and our fellow Youthies that have become our family…but being able to have a metre of space to ourselves will be welcomed with open arms!

I think we are all tired, but this truly has been the adventure of a lifetime. Heading onwards to our next endeavours!

Signing out a final time,

Youthies of V11/23

Ella – To Ollie the Lollie, I love you lots and can’t wait to see you again xoxoxo, and Freya- thanks for taking care of Ollie and being there when I need you. Xoxo

I think they left out two of my highlights from Command Day… Our Youthie Navi-gurus had us speeding along at over 7kts at one point! And they managed to organise a whale show just metres from the boat during their Morning Brief. What a great Command Day! Hopefully our excited Youthies can catch a bit of sleep overnight with our arrival in Mackay just hours away! Stay safe friends, we’ll see some of you soon! Captain Libby+

Latitude/Longitude:

21 09.0'S / 149 14.4'E

Conditions:

Cloudy, Wind SE 15-20Kts, Swell SE 1m

AUTHOR: Libby Newman

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Day 10 – Exhaustion, elation and satisfaction

Ahoy there readers of this fine journal. We started Day 10 with Captain Warwick and his crew of scallywags still holding the weight of the conduct of the ship on their shoulders. We were motor sailing up the East Coast of Australia with the vista that is Sydney Harbour and the Eastern Suburbs as our backdrop to a beautiful sunrise. The urgency on deck was real as the team pushed to complete as many of their Command Day tasks as they could in the final hours that they had left. We found a Warship outside harbour limits who graciously invited us to fall in astern and escort us in to harbour. We set to work furling sails and increased engine speed as we tried to keep up with the sleek great silhouette of the Frigate. Whilst manoeuvring to take our station the Youth Crew were thrilled to be given the task of firing our cannons on approach to harbour limits. With sail handed in we entered Port Jackson. Sydney Harbour is a busy place and we were detoured around to approach Athol Bay via South of Shark Island to avoid a towing operation underway. Nothing is too much for our Navigator Tommo though and he dynamically repositioned the ship and gave us a tour of Sydney! Once at anchor in Athol and the final minutes of Command Day ticked by the realisation that this was it started to hit home for both Youth and Staff Crew alike. At 1300 I took the ship back from Captain Waz and his band and offered heartfelt congratulations to the team for their 110% effort and massive achievements in the 24 hours that they had. This really is the culmination of the program and the Youth Crew met the challenge with zeal. The debrief process after an ordeal like this is extremely important. So we gave the crew a rest before waking them up with a swim and a rope swing in Athol Bay. Nothing like the crisp water of the harbour to wake them up and re-energise the vibe. The debriefs revealed some profound lessons that will go with our Youth Crew as they leave the ship and return to Australian Society. This ship, this program truly changes each and every individual that joins as one but leaves as a member of a close knit team. Pizza Night closed the day of action and Youth Crew settled into their final night of anchor watches and sleep in their quarters. This has been an amazing voyage for all of us. Our beautiful blue ship with her trim sails and fine lines has delivered us from Hobart to Sydney once again. Look out for us on the Harbour as we will be under the Harbour Bridge by 0915 and firing cannons with youth in the yards on approach to HMAS Waterhen, Waverton at 0945 for a 1000 alongside. Take photos, share them online and help make us more famous than we already are!! Captain Leups Out +

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Day 09 – Command Day – back to the high seas!

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!!

THE VOYAGE

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Day 10 – Ahoy Mackay! (Command Day Part2)

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