SAIL TRAINING SHIP YOUNG ENDEAVOUR ARRIVES IN BRISBANE DURING FINAL CIRCUMNAGATION

Sail Training Ship (STS) Young Endeavour arrived in Brisbane at 10:00am on Saturday 12 April 2025, completing the first 11-day voyage of a 7-month circumnavigation of Australia.

 

On arrival into Dockside Marina, 24 young Australians were aloft the tall ship’s 33m mast and yards, waving to families and friends waiting for their arrival.

 

Commanding Officer STS Young Endeavour, Lieutenant Commander Andrew Leupen, stated he is thrilled the first voyage of the circumnavigation has been such a success.

 

“There are countless highlights for any voyage, but for this one, watching these 24 Young Australians come together and support each other through the challenges of life onboard a tall ship is by far the most rewarding. We are so privileged to see these brave adventurers achieve things that they never knew were possible” he said.

 

“There is a real magic inherent in the hardship and beauty of life at sea. The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme is a mechanism to unlock that magic and share it with the future leaders of our great country.”

 

“The young people that crossed the gangway on that first day are no longer the same young people. They are changed for the rest of their lives. Their confidence, their comradery, it’s a very real and visible change.”

 

“They’ve overcome their trials of adversity, they’ve discovered things about themselves, they’ve done things they never thought they could. And they’re so proud, and rightly so.” He said.

 

A Young Endeavour voyage includes a digital detox element. The youth crew handed in their digital devices 11 days ago in Sydney, and they won’t have them returned until they depart the ship.

 

“It keeps them present. This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the feedback from the youth crew is they enjoy leaving that online pressure behind so they can be present, enabling a connection back to nature, themselves and their newfound friends onboard,” said LCDR Leupen.

 

“In today’s world, being without a digital device for 11 days is unusual and a bit confronting. The youth crew typically find the first 24 hours the hardest. After that, they don’t even realise their devices are missing,” he said.

 

A new crew of Australian youth will join Young Endeavour at 3:00pm on Wednesday 16 April 2025, for an 11-day voyage north to Gladstone.

 

“During the circumnavigation we’ll be going as far north as Thursday Island and as far south as Albany. The youth crew will sail the ship through some of Australia’s most breath-taking locations such as the Torres Strait, Gulf of Carpentaria, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Australian Bight,” said LCDR Leupen.

 

STS Young Endeavour is a square-rigged tall ship purpose built for sail training. 10 specially trained Royal Australian Navy personnel crew each voyage, delivering the internationally recognised learning program to young Australians aged 16 – 23 years of age.

 

Applications are now open for voyages departing from Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Young Australians aged 16-23 can apply at www.youngendeavour.gov.au.