Whale Tails, Sunrises and Rope Races

SITUATION AT 2030As you can see, we have reached our first checkpoint for the voyage. Overnight we had an eventful night, after making good timeheading out to the East with a fair wind from the south, it was decided that, in order to make it back to Broken Bay in good time we would have to alter course and try not to get too far offshore. At midnight we all heaved ourselves up on deck to Tack the Ship and we altered again at 5.00 am. The effort whilst being tiring for allinvolved, was well worth it as we sailed into Broken Bay at 9.00 and commenced passaging through a particularly scenic part of the coastline.While all this was going on the YC were given another instalment of Rope Races which proved to be very hotly contested, with theWatch scores all locked up at four each in a three way tie. This was followed by a lecture in Sail Theory.At 1230 after the scenic tour of Broken Bay, we proceeded to anchor where we will remain overnight. After a hectic couple of daysthe YC and Staffies alike, are looking forward to a relaxing night at anchor. In the meantime the YC have been kept busy, going ashore for an afternoon of sport and games. Once we were all back onboard and following the evening barbeque, we had a session of three way talks and Lukey has just finished explaining the concept ofAnchor Watches. The YC will soon be closing up to maintain a good watch over the Ship for the night.At the end of day four of the voyage, I am starting to see some very tired but happy, smiling faces. It has been most rewardingto see the YC battle with sea sickness, frustration and tiredness, all have come through to this point maintaining their sense of humour and looking forward to the next leg of our voyage.Youth Crew Entry from Kate Webster, 18 of Turner, ACTHowdy all. Well its been a very interesting trip so far, between Whale tails, rope races and rain everyone has been very busy and very tired. The food is fantastic,I never thought you could eat such great food while at sea. I just want to say hi to the kids atNewcastle Waters School, NT. I know you’ve been following the trip daily. Well I made it to the top of the mast which is apparently 30 m. Ive also been to the topsail to untie the gaskets while at sea. Itwas the scariest thing I’ve ever done but when I got down I was so proud I did it, although im not in a hurry to go back up. Except maybe to watch the sunrise like we did in Sydney harbour the other day, that was amazing. There will never be another sunrise like it. Anyway Im heading to bed and im going to enjoy a bed that isn’tmoving as much as usual. Love you all and I’ll see you when I get Back.KateYouth Crew Entry from Tamara Robertson-Whalan of Darwin NTHi folks, Tam here, really enjoying this exhiliarating voyage making great friends with everyone. So far I was only sick once and I’m hoping that it is the last time that i feel like that. I have climbed right up to the topgallant and the was while climbing with my pal Rod he is a real legend, great supporter. Mum just ask Clanc what these terms are. Last night I clmbed to the topsail with rough weather persisting, climbing out onto the yard, once again with the great support of Chris a real buddy. Enough about me and a little on the crew, Polly is a laugh and the rest of the crew are legends and I will never find such supportive people in my life again. Pushing your limits with the support of all crew, great guys. Just a special hello to my family Mum, Dad, Clancy, Regi, Matty, Nan, Pa, Jc Baby and horsey…Totally missen ya all, can’t wait to let ya all in on my funand excitement. Love ya all and I’ll see ya all soon, with some great gifts. Ok gotta go ok love every one out there Tam xoxoxYOUNG ENDEAVOUR Mariner Speak:The Middle Watch is the watch kept at sea during the middle of the night between the hours of 11.45 pm and 3.45 am. It is also commonly known as the ‘Guts Watch’ as it kicks you in the Guts the next morning…YOUNG ENDEAVOUR Thought of the Day:’You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the spark in your eyes, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistable surge of your will, and energy to execute your ideas…Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress.’- Henry FordMore to follow,Paul BarrieActing Commanding Officer

Latitude/Longitude:

0Â° 0' South / 0Â° 0' East

Conditions:

AUTHOR: Commanding Officer STS Young Endeavour

You might also be interested in

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 11 – Last Day of the Voyage

Good morning Shipmates, Sailmaster Sara's final Wakey Wakey song was pumped through the Ship’s speakers to jar the crew of YE from their deep slumber after a particularly tiring day of the Community Day Sail. Activities included end-of-voyage chats for the watches, harbour furling the square sails, eating as much home made pizza, cooked by master chef Ash, as we possibly could and knocking over final command day tasks including the Slide Show. It was up on deck for a quick head count to make sure everyone was out of their ‘racks’ and ready for their final day onboard. Breakfast was followed by the morning brief on the plan for the day and then the Staff Crew weighed anchor and got us underway while the Youth Crew laid aloft for a quick harbour cruise. Navigator Seb piloted the Ship from our Athol Bay anchorage, past Fort Dennison under the Harbour Bridge, where we fired the Ship’s saluting cannon, and then into Balls Head Bay to our berth. We berthed at HMAS Waterhen at 1000 to the warm welcome of friends and family of the Youthies, waiting on the wharf for us. Once we had secured the ship alongside we invited our guests onboard, allowed them a walk around the ship to see where the Youthies had lived and worked for the last eleven days, and then we gathered everyone at midships. Sail Master Sara spoke about our adventures during the voyage and then I presented the Voyage Completion certificates to the youth crew and the Young Endeavour Award to Liv for her outstanding hard work on in undertaking the voyage and her dedication to helping her fellow youth crew members to achieve their voyage goals. We then farewelled the Youth Crew of V04/24 after a fantastic challenging and enjoyable voyage. Thank you for following our adventures and hope you enjoyed hearing about them. Yours, aye, Captain Mike

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 10 – Community Day Sail Sydney Harbour

Good evening shipmates, After a well-earned quality night’s sleep at anchor in Hunters Bay, Sail Master Sara woke us with another of her soothing tunes to get us on deck for a quick early morning activity. After breakfast the staff crew weighed anchor and conducted the transit to HMAS Waterhen, at Waverton. We berthed there at 0900 and prepared to embark our guests for the Community Day Sail. At 1015 we cast off our berthing lines and departed with our 34 guests and commenced our 3 hour tour of the harbour. Our Community Day Sailors were a group 30 members and staff from the Windgap Foundation. We also embarked some defence personnel as well. We again passed under the Harbour Bridge and then proceeded into Rose Bay where we set some sails and commenced sailing back towards Waterhen. Whilst on the harbour our fantastic youth crew helped us host our Windgap special guests. They encouraged our guests to participate in setting the staysails and a square sail by helping to pull on the sheets and clewlines. The youth crew also helped Chef Ash to prepare and deliver the food to our guests on deck. At 1300, after 3 fun-packed hours on the harbour, we berthed back at the southern wharf at HMAS Waterhen. Once we had farewelled our guests it was time to commence our end-of-voyage activities and preparations. The staff crew managed to organise a visit to the RAN Ship MATV Sycamore, which is crewed by a mixture of civilians and Navy staff, is a multi-role aviation training vessel. The youth crew embarked with their watch leaders and were given a 45 minute tour of the ship by some of the Navy crew. On completion they returned onboard and Young Endeavour sailed and proceeded to our anchorage in Athol Bay, which affords a great view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. During the transit to the anchorage the Youthies undertook their end-of-voyage chats, facilitated by their watch leaders, to examine if they had achieved everything in their full-value contracts they had completed at the start of the voyage. After the traditional last voyage dinner of home made pizzas, Sara gave the Youthies the Harbour Furl brief, who then donned their climbing harnesses and laid aloft to undertake the ‘Harbour Furl’ of the square sails to make them look immaculate for our ceremonial arrival at the end of the voyage tomorrow. Once that was completed, the youth crew then finished off their final outstanding Command Day tasks, which were planned for the last night onboard. These included the Voyage Slide Show compiled of photos taken by everyone. This was excellent and provided a touching reminder of what we had experienced and the beautiful coastlines and islands that we had visited during the voyage. The final activity of the day was the end-of-voyage administration, which for the youth crew included a feedback questionnaire asking for feedback on their experience of the voyage, as well as a letter for each crew member to write to themselves on their experiences during the voyage, which the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme will post to the youth crew in 6 months time. The aim of this is to help reinforce what the youth crew have learned about leadership, teamwork and about themselves from the experience of the voyage. Once these were completed the crew were encouraged to go to bed. The Ship will remain in Athol Bay overnight and weigh anchor and sail in the morning at 0900 and undertake the transit to HMAS Waterhen, where family and friends will meet the Ship on arrival at 1000. Until you hear from me tomorrow for the final instalment of Voyage 04/24. Yours aye, Captain Mike

V04/24

19 February 2024

Day 9 – Command Day Part 2

Ahoy from Sydney! For today’s Captain’s Log: the Youthies took over and completed several tasks including singing the national anthem in three different tunes as well as giving salty sea facts to start the day in a nautical way. We finally made it! After a long and weary effort of the command team and watches, we were able to fully sail into Sydney Harbour. At approximately 11:50 we anchored in Hunters Bay. To celebrate we had a groovtastic disco in the 12 berth due to excessive rainfall but the youthies made it work, having a blast dancing to Billie Jean. Afterwards, the youthies as well as the staff reflected on our efforts during command day, following the handover of the ship to the Staffies, where we highlighted what we did well, what we could improve on and what lessons we can take back to our normal lives, of which there are many. Continuing on from the previous log, with command day still ongoing. We encountered multiple problems. One of which being that mother nature didn’t bless us and gave us little to no wind to work with. However with the efforts of the Youthies we were able to successfully gather up to 8 knots of speed after a 4am tack in which the youthies persevered despite a lack of sleep enabling us to make our way into Sydney. Before our reflection the Youthies finished their day strong with a ‘Happy Hour’ cleaning session and one final dance. The afternoon was spent relaxing and recharging from ‘Command Day’, going aloft and furling the square sails. For dinner, Ash prepared a barbecue with steak, sausages, chicken kebabs with buns and an assortment of salads with a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. The Youthies are looking forward to the Community Day Sail tomorrow which will be a great opportunity to give back to Australia and put our sailing knowledge to the test. We have learned many lessons during ‘Command Day’, we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and together a crew of 24 youth were able to sail a tall ship into the harbour of Sydney. Today’s score: 9 camels and a donkey (Amazing) Until next time Rock on! Tarvi, Kaeden and Matt. P.S. Happy Birthday for tomorrow little bro, love Lil xx P.S.S. Kai, sorry I didn’t do the thing for Meg. I just remembered and will do it when back.

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

THE VOYAGE

Latest Captain’s Log

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Apply for Financial Assistance

FOR GUARDIANS

Youth Safety & Mental Health

FOR ORGANISATIONS

Scholarships for Local Youth

ABOUT US

The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme

OUR COMMUNITY

Make a Donation

Whale Tails, Sunrises and Rope Races

Latitude/Longitude:

Conditions:

You might also be interested in

Ready to set sail?

More Information

Donations

Contact Us

1800 020 444

Keep in Touch

1800 020 444