CLIENT: Gold Youth Voyage
VOYAGE NUMBER: 20230103
FROM: Sydney to Manly
DATE: 4 January 2023
POSITION: Flint & Steel Bay
REPORT BY: White Watch
These summer days dawn before 6am. We ‘woke up’ at 6:00am on the 4th of January and had a lovely breakfast, cereals, toast, scrambled eggs, beans, the whole lot. We kick-started our day with a knot-tying competition. We were split into three ‘watches’ for the voyage, and competition is a great motivation for working together, and doing your best to not let your team down. (White lost everything).
At 8:45am we hoisted the sails (with all hands on deck, it was quite an effort) and left Sydney Harbour. We took turns on various roles such as lookout, standby, and we even got to helm, with massive wooden wheel. The wind picked up, the swell increased, and the ship heeled up and down with the waves. As well as feeling the call of the sea, the wind in our hair, many of us also felt seasick and lost our breakfasts in the waves. However, we made it through, taking turns on duty, taking care of those in need, and even taking the opportunity to venture onto the bowsprit (the very front point of the ship, harnessed in, of course). We stayed in sight of the shore, touring the suburbs of Sydney, scattered among the hills.
In the afternoon we laid anchor outside a national park with dark forested islands, framed by rocks that stayed sharp and jagged despite all the weather and waves of the years. We took the tender (a small dingy) out and landed on the beach. On shore, we went up to the usual beachside shenanigans, swimming, wading, throwing stuff everywhere, rock skipping competition, we even took a short hike up the hill to explore what used to be a military lookout fort. We discovered at the waterside, among other things, a dead jellyfish and other people’s trash (which we of course picked up). This expedition was followed by some debate about showers, another competition (backstay rigging), and a delicious dinner of chicken and mash. Overall, it was a good day.