Day 11 – Fare thee well!
Ahoy landlubbers, armchair sailors and of course, our newly minted shellbacks! Today we farewelled our newest salty sea dogs but before I get ahead of myself allow me to start at the beginning!
Day 11 dawned, a little cloudy and very windy, but nothing could dampen the spirits of our Youthies. We weighed anchor and commenced the short transit north to the Mackay Marina, waking the youthies from their first full night of slumber. A final delicious Haydo breakfast later it was time for Morning Brief. Whilst Sail Master Chucky, Nav Seb and the Salty Sea Dog himself, Matty, gave their final insights, Mother Nature wasn’t quite done yet. Our Youthies were delighted with not one, but two close encounters with whales surfacing just meters from the ship.
All too soon it was time to man the yards and come alongside. We welcomed our family and friends on board, and proudly showed them around our new home. Thankfully Mackay blessed us with the sunny weather we missed on day one, so we mustered on deck for our final farewells. I welcomed everyone back on board and gave a short recap of the adventures we’ve had over the last 11 days. After the presentations and farewells there were two certificates remaining. The Young Endeavour award is normally presented to one youth crew member, signifying the ethos of the program, but on this voyage, we had a hard time choosing just one. It is my pleasure to announce Grace and Cooper as the recipients of the Young Endeavour award this voyage!
A group photo and many hugs and tears later and our Youthies were off again in search of their next adventure!
Well, that’s all folks! We’ve taken many photos, and we’ll have many more memories. We’ve learned to sail, we’ve made some friends, and maybe, just maybe we’ve learned some life lessons along the way. Thank you voyage 11/23, we hope you had an amazing time!
We’re going to have a well-deserved break before getting right back at it very soon! Stay safe friends! Captain Libby+
Latitude/Longitude:
Conditions:
Mostly Clear, Wind SE 15-25Kts
You might also be interested in
Thank you Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt for your narrative of today's events. Intentions are to remain at anchor in Hunters Bay, just off HMAS Penguin, home of the RAN Diving School, a place close to my heart, having spent many a day there under training as a young Officer! The plan is to weigh anchor and proceed to HMAS Waterhen, in Waverton, to pick up our Community Day Sailors from the Windgap Foundation and take them for a sail around the harbour for 3 hours. The Youth Crew will help us host our visitors and give them an experience of Young Endeavour. We will drop them back to Waverton and then proceed to anchor in the harbour where we will have a good view of the Bridge and the Opera House for the Youth Crew's last night onboard. Until tomorrow. Yours Aye, Captain Mike