There was much excitement in our household this week-end as Tess returned to land from the high seas. We arrived at the Mackay Marina to see this magnificent vessel rocking along with the swell.
Initially we marvelled just at the ship until Rob spotted the black dots perched along the yards. On closer inspection, we realised that they were the Youth Crew in their navy shirts…
And amongst them, the boys sighted big sister Tess.
It was absolutely exhilarating to hear the chorus of young sailors sing our National Anthem from their perches as the ship was steered into the stillness of the marina.
Now I could ramble about the wonderful things that Tess has done over the past 11 days or I could pass the baton and ask her to tell of the adventure. I choose the latter!
So over to you Tess…
When I applied for the Young Endeavour I was signing up for the personal development aspects. I thought I would hear theories on leadership styles and participate in teamwork exercises – which are inspiring at the time but let’s be honest, rarely come into play when needed. I did my ‘googling’ and learned a little on the history of this 44m brigantine. It was a Bicentenary gift to the Australian people from Britain, to be directed to its best use by the Australian Defence Force. So essentially I was prepared for what I expected, but never considered the unexpected.
So on Thursday afternoon at 1500, 22 aspiring sailors climbed on board the Young Endeavour and were stripped of our mobile phones, iPods and all electronic devices except our camera. We were then given two rules to abide by:
1. To have an unconditional positive regard for others, and
2. Leave with no regrets.
With that freshly embedded in our minds we were given all the safety briefs and a climbing harness. A quick ice-breaker activity later we were on our way climbing up to the Topgallant yard (very top horizontal bar)! The climb didn’t bother me too much as I had a purpose in mind and didn’t look down – easy as pie. The next step involved leaning out and stepping onto the foot rope, holding on to the yard and swapping my harness attachment. So I took the required big sidestep out to the foot rope and looked down to swap my harness attachment. I had a minor freak out as I saw how high I was and how little was holding me up! I then realised why they gave us the ‘No Regrets’ rule. Sucking it up I focused on the job at hand and made my way along the yard to where we essentially climbed on to and straddled the yard. Quite a few found this task the hardest but luckily I had a lifetime of horse-riding on my side so I swung my leg over, kept my body low and put both feet forward in case it bucked! We then made our way down to our triple bunk ‘racks’ to settle in to bed after a busy first day.
‘Shakes’ are at 0630 when the ship was at anchor so bright eyed and bushy tailed, we stumbled up on deck and started to dance it out to the dreaded song that woke us. Early morning activities were a novel way to get us all moving feeling somewhat human as the voyage brought some rough nights to wake up from….
Once fed and watered, the Youth Crew were instructed to meet at midships (the mustering point of the vessel) to start to make sense of the myriad of ropes and winches surrounding us. At 0900 we raised the National Flag and the Royal Australian Navy White Ensign as the National Anthem was sung, and headed out to sea!
Once fed and watered, the Youth Crew were instructed to meet at midships (the mustering point of the vessel) to start to make sense of the myriad of ropes and winches surrounding us. At 0900 we raised the National Flag and the Royal Australian Navy White Ensign as the National Anthem was sung, and headed out to sea!
The program for day two was to split the Youth Crew up into three ‘watches’ or groups: Red, Blue and White watch. Once in our watch, our leader began to teach us the names for the staysails (set on an angle and furl around a core), which ropes to pull and release to set the sail, and which to use to furl the sail. About an hour into this foreign language I had a breakthrough. The two ‘sheets’ that they referred to were in fact ropes, not sails. The simplest concept that had most of the watch utterly bewildered! As the day progressed we became more efficient at our designated tasks and eventually sailed the Young Endeavour out of the protection of islands and off into the high seas.
When at sea for the night, the Youth Crew are required to take watch for 4 hour shifts – hence where Red, Blue and White watch come into play. During our night watch our group of eight share the role of Port side lookout, Starboard side lookout, Helmsman and doing the rounds. In a nutshell we watch for ‘contacts’ (land or other vessels), steer the wheel to hold our wind angle or course, and check the wind, swell, air pressure and engineering equipment for changes or problems. If the wind or swell causes us to change course unintentionally, everyone is woken to swap the sails to tack (turn the bow of the ship through the wind) or wear (turn the stern of the ship through the wind) as all hands are needed. As the wind picked up throughout the night, the swell rose and made for rough seas that began to test a few stomachs.
The testing continued as in the dark the Youth Crew were called upon to tack the ship several times – a feat that left myself and a few others victims of bumps, bruises and rope burn! Although blurred, the photo above shows the ropes made up on their pins after we tacked the ship in the middle of the night. Being the watch on duty, my team of Red Watch went around and made the ropes up while our mates stumbled back to bed. Anything to fill in four hours of midnight oil burning! Morning came and we attempted to shower and eat – A task that lead me to ‘join the ranks of the Navy’! 18 of the 22 Youth Crew were in the same boat so I had plenty of company. Some spent the night up on deck with harnesses clipped onto the side rail – so I think I had it easy!
After a rough night with even rougher seas, we lay on the deck trying desperately to find our sea legs. The only time we moved was when sea spray and waves hit us up on deck, or to line our timid tummies with Le Chad’s fresh bread rolls (every night he would leave an ample stash out in the kitchen for us). Amazing how well you can get to know your new mates when comparing the grosser details of seasickness!!
In the afternoon on day three our watch leaders whispered a little word that if we chanted loudly, may give us some reprieve. That was all the encouragement we needed to plead ‘RAAON, RAAON, RAAON’.
RAAON stands for Remain At Anchor Over Night, and the nearest anchor point just happened to be Whitehaven Beach….
RAAON stands for Remain At Anchor Over Night, and the nearest anchor point just happened to be Whitehaven Beach….
So after a much needed night of rest and chance to fill our tummies with Le Chad’s scrumdillidumptious food, we boated over to Whitehaven Beach for the morning. It was so nice to be on dry land again, so we wasted no time in gallivanting around the beach to a little dodge-ball, frisbee throwing and seeing who had the best tricks on the sand – I believe Reece’s handstand push ups and back flips won.
The chef then recruited us back to the ship for lunch, before a little theory lecture on how square sails work. Growing up watching the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies, the whole Youth Crew had a little underlying excitement about setting the ‘squares’. Without further ado our staff leaders rock-paper-scissored (the go-to decider in the Navy we concluded!) to see which team would set which sail. A few climbers from each team were elected to undo the ‘Harbour Furls’ (neat sail furl used when ships go into harbour) while the rest of the team waited on deck to heave in on the sheets and clew-lines to set the sail! With careful guidance from the amazing staff crew, about an hour later the Youth Crew had ourselves a Pirate Ship. Aha, me Hearties!
Since sail training is the foremost purpose of this ship, whenever a new sail is set, we furl it again before rotating watches to set and furl a similar sail. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Here we are working as a pair to ‘sea furl’ (quick and dirty way of tying a square sail up when it is going to be used again shortly) the topsail. While hanging on, we bunch the sail as tightly as we can onto the yard and secure it with the short blue ropes called gaskets. So much upper body strength was needed and when your arms got tired – too bad.
When sailing with the square sails set, the desired wind angle changes to maximize the drive and maneuverability of the vessel. Day four provided us with ample wind to make the trek to our next destination – Blue Pearl Bay. Here we anchored overnight before I awoke to a beautiful birthday sunrise. The usual wake up alarm sounded and we all gathered up on deck for early morning activities. A quick game of ‘Knights, Cavaliers & Mounts’ got the blood pumping. As our crew met for the morning brief I was treated to a very enthusiastic and vocal singing of ‘Happy Birthday’ from all the staff and crew – quite a novel location for a 21st birthday!
The boat then took us over to the shore to spend the morning snorkeling on Blue Pearl Bay – pictures speak louder than words here.
Needless to say for a birthday present this defined for me that the best things in life cannot be bought…
Needless to say for a birthday present this defined for me that the best things in life cannot be bought…
When walking into the water we had to start swimming mid-thigh or we would step on coral or fish.
Breathtaking.
Each day the chef would request two or three kitchen hands (Masterchefs) to help him prepare the food. He was reportedly asked to step aside in the kitchen for a few hours and just after lunch the Youth Crew was called to the Cafe. I was treated to a massive Tiramisu birthday cake loaded with strawberries and a birthday message piped on the top. A massive thank you to the guys responsible for this masterpiece. I felt very spoiled – amazing what can be concocted out at sea.
Over the next few days we were given opportunities to learn about navigation by charts, radars and astrology. Some theories made more sense than others but at the end of the day, it was all exposure to new skills. I was particularly interested in the navigation from the perspective of one day going for my Private Pilots License…
We grew stronger as a team when exposed to challenges such as a midnight rigging and setting of a sail we had never seen before. All these drills and training were preparing us for Command Day – A 24 hour period whereby the staff handed the ship over to the Youth Crew with five weigh points to sail past and 23 tasks to complete.
As a little breather before Command Day, the staff proposed to organize a day visit to Brampton Island. We anchored there early in the morning on Day Seven and made contact with the island’s resort. To the surprise of the staff the resort had been closed two years prior, but we were welcomed to use the beach front. The trusty boat motored us across to shore and we could hardly believe what we saw – the man we had contacted had his little boat anchored at shore but other than that the bay was deserted. It was the perfect day with new friends.
With nothing but a packed lunch, a coconut tree, a beautiful bay and priceless company.
In true caveman style, the boys set about the task of ‘hunting and gathering’ for us gals. What more could you want than fresh coconut cracked for you!?
Perhaps a teak deck BBQ breakfast?
While anchored off Brampton Island, this friendly little whale spent the morning showing off and having a peak at what we were up to. Given the tiny black dot is all the evidence I have, it shall be recorded as a ‘had to be there’ moment. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera on me for the dolphin and dugong spottings…
Command Day commenced at 1300 on Day Eight and we took to the tasks with a rapid pace. A beach assault team (BAT) set off to collect our navigation instructions and return with a piece of Brampton Island usable in our themed dinner – coconuts! In their absence we set about the other tasks that had to be completed at anchor such as constructing a 23 man hammock out of ropes, and taking a photo of the entire Youth Crew laying aloft on the foremast.
After our explosive start we weighed anchor and set the sails, preparing for the speed at which we would navigate the seas since we were now in charge. Twelve hours later we had moved 400 yards – 200 of which were out with the tide, and the other 200 were back in with the tide… A peak of 4 knots of wind still left us at a standstill! We begged the captain to let us use the engines and he eventually gave in, claiming we had to get to Mackay (only 20 nautical miles away) before the weekend. Command Day concluded with all 23 tasks complete and 3 of the 5 weigh points navigated.
We then arrived in Mackay on Day 10 to give a very special half day sail demonstration to the Mackay Lifestyle Choices members. It was an amazing chance to give something back to the community and support our peers with either disabilities or learning difficulties. A crew of 24 enthusiastic helpers came aboard for a 3 hour sail – I even spotted a familiar face.
It was back out to sea for our last night before we made our grand entrance at 1000 Sunday. We were permitted to ‘Man the Yards’ for our entrance – nothing like a final challenge!
I felt very special to have my welcome wagon of little people smiling and shouting up to me!
So I returned the favour.
YE Voyage 13/12 – For the win!
This program was so different to what I had anticipated. I went expecting theories on leadership and instead I saw and participated in leadership that succeeded at times and failed at times. Equal amounts were learned from both. Instead of being told to value all team members, we saw first hand that without everyone the job could not be done. We were only as strong as our weakest team member – so the best way to lead the team was to help those in need. It wasn’t about knowing the answers, it was about learning how to facilitate an environment where we as a team could harvest solutions. It was inspiring to watch how 22 people could be put together on a 44m vessel, coexist, and learn to sail to the point where we could control and maneuver the Young Endeavour for 24 hours. The amount of energy and intensive learning styles present on that voyage will certainly redefine how I approach uni this semester – imagine what can be done in a subject with 12 weeks of lectures when we could learn to sail a brigantine in 8 days!
Carpe Diem
(Seize the day)
Just in case this post was lacking in length…
There was a 23rd member of the Youth Crew for this voyage, although he stretched the age bracket a little. A Parliamentary Senator, the Hon. Nigel Scullion came aboard this particular voyage. He is the Deputy leader of the LNP (Nationals) and the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs. In previous terms he has served as the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries. Nigel wasted no time in fitting into the Youth Crew, imparting his knowledge from a life at sea and letting us fire political questions at him and pardoning our ignorance and filling us in on what we didn’t know. He offered myself and one other Youth Crew member a chance to travel down to Canberra and tail a Minister in a field of our interest for a week or two to learn about the Parliamentary process and what is being done about current issues. While I am not planning a postcode in the ACT just yet, I am excited and eager to see what I will be exposed to!
An amazing opportunity I intend to grab by the horns.
Could that be another guest post…?
Carpe Diem
(Seize the day)
Just in case this post was lacking in length…
There was a 23rd member of the Youth Crew for this voyage, although he stretched the age bracket a little. A Parliamentary Senator, the Hon. Nigel Scullion came aboard this particular voyage. He is the Deputy leader of the LNP (Nationals) and the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs. In previous terms he has served as the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries. Nigel wasted no time in fitting into the Youth Crew, imparting his knowledge from a life at sea and letting us fire political questions at him and pardoning our ignorance and filling us in on what we didn’t know. He offered myself and one other Youth Crew member a chance to travel down to Canberra and tail a Minister in a field of our interest for a week or two to learn about the Parliamentary process and what is being done about current issues. While I am not planning a postcode in the ACT just yet, I am excited and eager to see what I will be exposed to!
An amazing opportunity I intend to grab by the horns.
Could that be another guest post…?
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