Day 11 – Arrival Gladstone

Ahoy there Shipmates for the final time this voyage,

Sailmaster Thomo woke the crew this morning at 0630 singing his lovely rendition of ‘To Leave Her’. It was then up on deck for the final early morning activity followed by another of Cylvie’s delicious breakfasts. Bags were packed and then it was morning brief and … you guessed it, Happy Hour, the happiest time of the day! But before that the youth crew did their final outstanding task, which was to sing the National Anthem to a different tune and have the Staffies try and guess the tune. Thomo, who has a real musical ear, was the first to pick it as Waltzing Matilda.

While that was happening the Staffies weighed anchor and Navigator Seb then piloted the Ship to the Gladstone Marina entrance and I took the Ship handling responsibilities from him at that stage and manoeuvred the Ship alongside the Service Wharf at 1000. Once all berthing lines were secured we invited friends and family, who had been waiting on the wharf, onboard for a quick ship tour and then the Voyage Completion Certificate presentation ceremony. I also presented the Young Endeavour Award for Voyage 15/23 to Ryda Deveson for his outstanding efforts and for the support he gave to other youth crew members to help them achieve, throughout the voyage.

It was then time for final farewell hugs as the Youthies received their mobile devices back after an 11 day abstinence! As we say to the youth crew, “You may well now be leaving Young Endeavour, but Young Endeavour will never leave you!”

Farewell Shipmates it has been a pleasure sharing our adventures with you over the duration of the voyage.

Yours, Aye

Captain Mike

Latitude/Longitude:

23 50.0' South / 151 15.0' East

Conditions:

Weather: fine, Wind: Light & Variable, 25 deg. C, Sea: Nil, Swell: Nil

AUTHOR: Michael Gough

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Day 10 – Ahoy Brisbane (Meanjin)

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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12 September 2023

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 11 – Arrival Gladstone

Latitude/Longitude:

Conditions:

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