Voyage 7/13 Day 2 – Newcastle Harbour to Sea

Hello Shipmates,Welcome to Day 2 of the voyage. Following a well deserved and much needed night’s rest the Youth Crew were woken to a beautiful sunrise at 0630 by Sail Master Matt, who treated us to an ‘ice-breaker’ deck game to wake us up. After breakfast the Youthies experienced their first ceremony of ‘colours’ followed by the morning brief at which they met ‘Salty the sea-dog’ (Paul), who explained why the different sides of a ship are called ‘port and starboard’. 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’ (Shayne’s alter-ego!) 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 sailed at 1230 and departed Newcastle harbour for sea. On exiting the shelter of the harbour, the Youth crew got their first taste of the Ship’s motion under the influence of the weather. The wind was south-easterly at 10 knots with negligible swell. 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 setting and furling the Staysails Sail Master Matt gave a briefing on the procedures for setting the Mainsail, after which it was set. Next the Jib was set and the Ship sent to Tacking Stations in order that the Youth Crew could experience Tacking the Ship and what their individual duties entail. 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 10-15 knot SE conditions with all the fore-and-aft sails set we achieved 4 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! The intention is to spend the next 36 hours underway to make the necessary ground towards Brisbane before considering an overnight stop in a sheltered anchorage.Until tomorrow,Yours AyeCaptain Mike       “