Day Eight – Command Day

Hi Everyone,
Welcome to day eight of our voyage. On a normal day I would be writing a full days log explaining what we have experienced, observed and achieved but as of 1300 today I handed the ship over to Youth Crew Captain Mitch and his loyal Crew for their 24hr Command Day so this responsibility has now fallen upon his shoulders and I am sure that you will enjoy reading about their exploits.
Until tomorrow evening, take care.
Yours Aye
Captain Gav

7th March: Command Day
From Jervis Bay bound for Sydney
Good evening from the new captain of the Young Endeavour! After seven days of experiencing life on a tall ship through the highs (as Evan would call it ‘that fuzzy feeling’) and lows from climbing to the top of foremast to battling tough challenges and sea sickness; the youth of Australia have taken command and are now on the home stretch to Sydney! After finalising the positions of our command team yesterday afternoon, the youth crew has come together for the first time on the voyage with control over the ship and are now in bound for Sydney; with meals, tacking practise, and navigational courses already carried out as we continue to sail through the night.
The day started with an early swim and rope swing in the gorgeous blue waters of Jervis Bay, where the crew was given the chance to freshen up before their big day in command. After breakfast the staff presented their usual morning brief with another episode of Phil’s very entertaining extravaganzas and a second visit from Horto’s Nanna, who once again cleaned up after us in a very amusing way. Happy hour was then conducted with the youth crew ensuring the ship was spotless, before Guv presented us with a communication exercise in our new command positions. The command team and crew performed exceptionally well in the activity and demonstrated that we more than ready to accept the challenge of finding our way up the NSW coast and into Sydney; with Captain Gav presenting me with the ‘Telescope of Challenge’ which is a symbolic gesture performed on board where the previous captain would hand his role and responsibilities to the next. After receiving the honour, myself and the command team called a briefing to construct a plan on how we will endeavour to sail successfully and safely to Sydney, whilst taking into account 24 tasks we had to complete during the 24 hour command period.
The anchor was then weighed before three practise tacks were performed around Jervis Bay which were quite a challenge at the start for the youth crew due to the new teams, positions and of course leaders running the show. However as we proceeded, the crew had efficiently and successfully managed to perform the three tacks before our navigators set us on a course to exit the bay through a rough swell; before making a left turn to sail up the coast and hopefully reach Sydney by 0830 tomorrow morning. Our three new chefs served us some delicious cuisine for dinner before night watches were initiated and will carry out through the night.
Until tomorrow,
Captain Mitch