Voyage 6/13 Day 2 – Sydney to Sea

Hello Shipmates,Welcome to Day 2 of the voyage. Following a well deserved and much needed good night’s rest the Youth Crew awoke at 0630 to a windy, drizzly Sydney morning. After breakfast the Youth Crew were mustered in the Cafe where they experienced their first morning brief and met ‘Salty the sea-dog’ (Sandy), who explained the nautical origin of the expression ‘above board’. On completion of the brief it was straight into cleaning stations (this activity is known as our ‘Happy Hour’ and even has its own little song).The crew then progressed deck safety training to ensure when we got to sea our new crew members would have the necessary training to ensure they could carry out the basics of setting and furling Young Endeavour’s sails safely. The Ship was also visited by ‘Captain Safety’ (Dougie’s alter-ego who wears his undies on the outside of his lycra suit!) who gave a more detailed presentation on the items of safety equipment onboard. We stopped for lunch at 1115 and then made final preps to put to sea.The ship weighed anchor at 1300 and departed Watsons Bay at for sea. The Ship pitched and rolled slightly as we departed Sydney Heads. The wind was southerly at 15 knots, the swell 1.5 metres from the east and the Youth Crew got their first taste of YE’s motion at sea. Once safely clear of the channel the Youth Crew began practising setting and furling the Staysails as we made ground to the east.After a couple of hours of this practice Guv gave a briefing on the procedures for setting the Mainsail, after which it was set. We then took the opportunity to shutdown the main engines and enjoy the relative quiet and the absence of exhaust fumes which had been plaguing the bridge area since departing the harbour.Next the Jib was set and the Ship sent to Tacking Stations in order that the Youth Crew could experience Tacking and Wearing the Ship and what their individual duties entailed. This is also conducted to satisfy me that the crew are capable of altering the course of the Ship during the night, if necessary. In the 22 knot S-SW conditions with all the fore-and-aft sails set we achieved over 7 knots of boat speed.We completed this practical training at 1700 and, after another of Squizy’s delicious meals, the crew prepared for their first night at sea. This will involve keeping 4 hour Sea Watches through the night, during which they will keep the Ship safe performing duties as helmsman, lookouts, and conducting below deck engineering rounds. No doubt the crew will sleep well after a busy day!Until tomorrow,Yours AyeCaptain Mike     “