Day 3 – Hands to Tacking Stations!

Ahoy there landlubbers on stable ground.

Things got a little bit rocky today as we finally set sail! We said our goodbyes to HMAS Moreton and officially began our journey North!

We started with Shaun the Man and a game of Ropies. Then we chewed the fat with Matt.
We learnt the ‘Rules of the Road’ and found out that at night, boats have a red light on the port (left) side and a green light on the starboard (right) side. There are also a lot of different things to consider when deciding who has right of way on the water including if you see red, if you’re more manoeuvrable than the other boat or, in the case of sailing, if you will block the other’s wind.

Next, was Happy Hour! We cleaned our new home and jammed to some music.

Most of today involved practicing our sailing skills. We worked in teams to set and furl sails including the main staysail, topgallant staysail and the forestaysail. All the Youthies helped on the jib. We also learnt our tacking stations to change the direction of the ship. Blue watch were the Heaving Hotties.

Wildlife spotting! We saw a lot of dolphins and even some whale spouts!

Shoutout to Haydo for some of the best cooking we’ve ever had. Food is better here than back at home! Dinner was amazing as usual, however, as we approached open waters some of us lost it overboard. A lot of us have been feeling unsteady as our land legs transition to sea life. More than a few of us have chundered and while writing this, someone has broken Chucky’s spewing etiquette rules and didn’t quite make it out onto deck. Hopefully this phase will pass, it’s not very enjoyable.

Tonight is our first night conducting 4 hour watches, we’re currently on First Watch. We have port and starboard lookouts, someone steering the ship, and we’re navigating and adjusting sails as needed.

The crew are keen for Floral Friday tomorrow!

Written by:
Brooklyn – To my mum Kylie, I miss you x.
Savannah – To Mum Kelly and my boyfriend Mitchell.
Kit – To my dog Milo, I hope she’s getting spoilt.

Latitude/Longitude:

26 24.5'S / 153 28.8'E

Conditions:

Partly Cloudy, Wind W 10-15 Kts, Swell 0.5m

AUTHOR: Libby Newman

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We woke up at anchor just across from Tangalooma to the upbeat tunes of Rather Be. A delicious breakfast of pancakes and ice cream lead into a fun new game called Partner Twister. This was followed by an enthusiastic Morning Brief from the Staffies and a particularly detailed Happy Hour. The good ship was soon underway across the picturesque Moreton Bay with the ever-growing Brisbane skyline in the distance. The Youthies were treated to a tasty lunch prepared by the wonderful Chef Ash and the dynamic trio of Master Chefs Wilhelm, Danielle and Thomas. As lunch was wrapping up the Youthies and Staffies were treated to a sail-past encounter with the sail ship South Passage. As voyage debriefs got underway the mood was reflective with many a personal goal being ticked off from each watch’s goal sheet. The Youthies were kept on their toes by occasional calls to tacking stations as the ship neared Brisbane Harbour. A final round of Rope Races ensued involving Zooper Dooper speed eating. With the scores all counted, White watch came out on top of the particularly close competition. Coming to the final berth of the voyage, the Youthies and Staffies combined their efforts, harbour furling the square sails and recovering the ship’s boat. Pizza making and signing handbooks took up the remaining time before dinner with everyone celebrating Ben’s Birthday and looking back on the highlights of the voyage through the slideshow created by Moonie. The night also included important like skills such as ‘How to take a shower on the STS Young Endeavour’, ‘How to work the door shift at K-Mart’ and finally ‘Time Management’, the last being prepared minutes before presentation. As this is the final Youthie contribution to the Captain’s log for Voyage 16/23 I would like to congratulate and thank the Staffies and Youthies for giving their full effort to making this voyage as challenging, enjoyable, empowering and rewarding as it has been for everyone! And to the family members and friends who have been following these logs we all look forward to seeing you again soon! By Elijah and Jessica

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Day 9 – Ahoy Moreton Bay! (Command Day Part 2)

Good morrow our peoples, Ahhh Command Day. What a lovely 24 hours it was!! So peaceful, so smooth, so amazing! Kidding! The weather came in clutch, and made us proper sailors, really hardening those now bullet proof shells on our backs. With watches working around the clock to keep the ship upright and in motion strong winds, harsh rain, and sleepy sailors made for a rough journey, but we made it!! And we are all still alive (a good thing!). We may have missed some way points along the way, but we completed our tasks and navigational course to surpass Staffies standards including an amazing Morning Brief, “chalk mural”, line dance, DIY Hammock, snappy hour and game show. Our very own Cheffos stepped up to create three awesome meals, as well as fulfilling their roles as salty dogs on watch. They created some delicious brownies, which were missed by some as they struggled above decks until well into the night. Morale was kept high though in little laughs here and there through the struggles. After just one night, we were all walking dead. Upon handing over the ship, the Youth Crew could be found cozied up in their bunks, after last nights ‘getting air’ during sleep. We were then awoken from our naps for Rope Races and a nice surprise to see Moreton Island. We then reflected on the good, the not-so-good, and the takeaways from our arduous Command Day, with lessons learned that will stay with us long after our voyage. Jumping straight back to the bonus round of Rope Races, the watches were challenged to an egg drop, with only a limited number of materials at hand. Some eggs survived, and some found themselves with mild concussions. The Whities won, albeit somewhat controversially. “It was legit” they claim. Then a delicious barbeque dinner, with ocean sunset views and a challenging trivia game, with many funky bonus rounds. Allen’s Party Mix won with 48 points all up, but it was fun all round. It’s now past our bedtime, so goodnight for now as we head into anchor watches. By Danielle, Freya and Tayah <3

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Day 8 – Command Day (Part 1)

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Day 3 – Hands to Tacking Stations!

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