Sunrise Dolphins and Sunset Ghosts -6- Young Endeavour Voyage

1747 4/2/2017

Watches Kept:

• 0400-0800 Morning Watch

Sunrise behind the ship.  Photo credit: Sammie Costin

Unconsecrated church Port Arthur.  Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

• Talked about teamwork
• Apples and Onions (Brought up Good and Not so Good things about people in our group)
• elections for command day
• demonstrational tacks (seeing how tacking works from the bridge)
• Came in to Port Arthur
• Ghost Tour

Preserved house Port Arthur.  Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

How am I feeling?

Not scared by the ghost tour although the room in the parsonage was pretty creepy.  Great hot chocolate on return to the ship.  

Feeling pretty confident on the calls for setting (bringing out so you can sail) and furling (putting away) sails but I will inevitably make some mistake.  That's okay, I'm sure we'll all make mistakes.  

Land dizziness is crazy! (You get seasickness moving from land to sea and moving back the other way you start rocking back and forth on land.)

I chucked up my hand for sail master (I was getting pretty keen for it after demonstrational tacks) but Gus (a more experienced boater) got the vote.  I did get watch leader though.  It was disheartening to see the factions created by the watches (red, white and blue).  

A pod of large dolphins greeted us in the morning and some seals watched out adventure past Tasman island.  

Tasman Passage.  The seals were too shy to be photographed. Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

Swimming in a Wineglass -5- Young Endeavour Voyage

2030 3/2/17

Watches Kept:

• 1800-2000 Last Dog

• Early morning swing off course yard
• Then in to the beach
• Climbed Dove Mountain to lookout
• Weighed anchor about 1400
• Will sail overnight
• Massive nap
• Dolphins

Swimming in Wineglass Bay before being ferried back to the ship. Guess which person is me.  Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

How am I feeling?

Waking up to "Take a chance on me" was fantastic. 

Wineglass Bay was beautiful so I went for a swim up to the waist (still pretty cold) before coming back.  

Watched dolphins from the bowsprit - its so cool that every day they have come to see us and swim in the wave before the prow.  

Found a pink bruise over my eye; guessing I was elbowed while heaving in on the sheets (though I didn't notice at the time). 

Water was cool but not as icy as Lake Macquarie in winter.  

Contemplating positions for command day (when youth crew take control of the ship for 24h).  I like having a bit of responsibility but total decision making scares me a bit.  Still I'm thinking Sail Master (second-in-command), Navigator or Watch leader (manages one of the three watches (or groups) of deck hands whilst its their turn on watch).  I'd also be find to be a basic deckhand.

View of Wineglass Bay from the lookout.  Photo Credit: Jimmy Potter

Sailing made Easy -4- Young Endeavour Voyage

2/2/17
(written 2030 3/2/17)

Watches Kept:

• anchor watch 0100-0200
• 1600-1800 First Dog
• anchor watch 2200-2300 (means uninterrupted sleep Yay!)

• weighed anchor at St Helens point (i.e. pulled up the anchor to leave)
• sailed to wineglass bay, manning the helm as we entered
• watched film about Peking (fully rigged barque ship)

Photo from:
 https://www.amazon.com/Peking-Battles-Cape-Horn/dp/0930248066

How am I feeling? 

So tired by the time I got to bed. 

Setting the sails and climbing the masts in the morning was a good workout, stretched out all my muscles.  I did some stretching nearing sunset in wineglass which was much needed.  

The size and beating that the Peking took (in the film) was incredible.  

Climbed the tops'il yard (the middle one) to undo gaskets and it was stupidly easy after the high seas.  Helming in to wineglass was a huge highlight and the view of the whole coast was beautiful.  Sat on the bowsprit for a full hour, watching the other boats around us, including the "Enterprise", a smaller, tubbier tall ship.

I think this is by the entrance to Wineglass Bay.  Photo credit: Jimmy Potter

Beautiful Binalong -3- Young Endeavour Voyage

2200 1/2/17

Watches Kept:

• prev. day 2000-0000 First Watch
• 0800-1200 Morning Watch

• sea-furled the course sail (tied it up)
• shore trip to beautiful Binalong
• 3-way chats
• changed positions to near St Helens

Course yard is the lowest horizontal beam, but it has the biggest and heaviest square sail. Photo credit: Jimmy Potter

How am I feeling?

Great, the vibe on the ship is fantastic with no one sick now that we've reached the eastern side of Tassie.  

Our watch had the fastest speed/furthest distance travelled last night (29.9 nm or 7.5 kts the whole way).  

The crust of salt on my rain jacket after being left out on
 deck in Bass Strait.  I could never forget that it was salt water that
 was spraying across the ship.  It would dry on all surfaces into salt
and sting my face.  

Food is a great joy atm, the cook Marcos is fantastic (I was galleyhand yesterday and this morning).  Makes not being sick double worth it.  

Binalong was beautiful: turquoise water and fiery orange moss on the rocks and white-white sand.  The bay was called the Bay of Fires, which could have been due to the moss (but actually because there were fires blazing on the shore when the English decided to name it). Had a lovely mocha from the restaurant and sat in the sun on the beach.  The wind and swell had picked up by the return trip in the shore boat and I was splashed all over with salt.

The Girls in Brisbane

Some shorter and longer anecdotes from our trip to Brisbane:

 Sunday.  No appetite but navigating Brissy seems Sinch.  Warm day, bed and book- just perfect :)

Monday.  Lounging in deck chairs surrounded by that humid spring heat watching the rainbow playground clamber over the soft fall.  Fake beach a solid mirage amidst the city.  Skyline BRISBANE Skyline.  Yummy all day breakfast omelette 7.50.  Thongs digging into my feet.  :D ^.^ :P

Tuesday.  Getting lost in the car. Griffith uni.  City cat 33 degrees, 3 hours, putting me to sleep.  Appetite :) kebab $4 at West End

Wednesday.  The queen street mall and we're hummingbird shopping. Our eyes flit from store to store and we walking but never stopping.  Aromas of at least seven kingdoms in a marvelous food market- a bubbling yummy concoction that's too hot to touch.  

South bank is just as lesuirely as always; like a cool breath upon a harried soul.  Even though my feet feel like over grilled fish we meander through QAG(the art gallery) until my eyes are permanently wide and my elbow are getting cold from the air conditioning.  At night we experience some night life on boundary street at the beach burrito.  Warm air and frozen margaritas, that's the life.

Thursday.

Busy streets, to a gigantum Moreton Bay, whipped green toilet water rising beach less towards us in the most disturbing fashion.  A cute water park; slides and mushrooms. 

Hell in circles past Roma Street and all I wanted to do was get out and take a picture of the spectacular blue storm clouds behind the sky scrapers and cathedrals.  Unnatural as though it was trying to pass for a cloudless sky to those city dwellers so focused on their work.  And still it was dark as though you could fall through it into some new dimension.  Stuck yet as the rain begins on the right side of the river traffic jams hard, all the cogs locked into stasis.  An object slams my window and turning I watch splinters of white dart away.  The size of my fist shattering a second time on the black road.  White ice.  A rageful motorist launching their fury off the bridge above at me.  Or not I find mere minutes later.

Smashing onto my side of the car is everything mother nature can throw.  Fist sized balls of ice sound like viking hammers.  Thrashing trees and twigs thwack the windscreen.  Rain sloshes and splashes on every side. Stuck still.  Red brake lights sneer at me through a wall of Grey and we might as well be stuck in a cyclone.  A tiny tin car, fragile glass windows just being hammered by divine fury.  Please don't break.  Please don't break.  Please.  Its not like I can hear anything over the storm.  Can't go forwards, can't go backwards, no way to go around.  My sister almost two in the backseat awoke in terror.  I masked my panic and helplessness with those reassuring adult smiles that lie and lie and lie.  There was nothing more to do.

Like countless others even as the storm eased we were blown off course, battered driftwood far from home.  You're always told: "Don't drive through floodwaters" but we had nowhere else to go.  In my mind I replayed images of dirty rvers in the road just like that one about those cars that rose u predictably.  A branch like that once carried on the flood or one larger, dangerous half a tree swept down to pummel the exhausted refugees.  Finally, tsunami, flood or cyclone I used to watch cars picked up like toy boats sickenly turning upon their side, or drowned under in waters to unknowable to fear.    The fuel light again shone.  My eyes were skewered when I glanced right, the shattered shards of the plastic window guard crushed beneath its onslaught.

Perhaps chaos could describe what we saw through the dropping rain.  The trees had to have been  savaged to provide such a litter along the streets.   A tin shed and a corrigated patio- one slumped exhausted on the path and the second a twisted traffic stop.  But over the panic that fluttered every heart - why what had occured- a steely layer of boredom grew at the unmoved tail lights before me.  Stuck somewhere new but stuck fast, not even the rain left to convince you that peak hour requires patience.

Is there anything that can make you feel better after such an experience?  Strangely the devastation around us.  We pass into a new street and there a typical two storey hotel faces mournfully south.  The top floor windows smashed right in.  One two three four five six.  Busted blank holes.  And its not the only one. We pick them here there and everywhere, glass joining the leaves upon the street.

To the north the clouds are angelic.  The fluff and catch the last of the sun, rimming a perfect blue.  A tease.  Then south that steel grey sheeted the sky still in warning.  Go home it screamed while you can.

Then.  Blackout across eighty two thousand homes.  The city still burns over the river, painting the night sky red.  Top side of the street well light, packed with hungry people with no way to cook for themselves. And then like a slammed door across the bustling footpath the lights stop.   Supreme darkness has taken the lower end.   There you just glimpse the writhing of bodies.  In the dark they move the same as us.  But it is inky there and so we turn back.  These traffic lights are on, shiny green.  Yah, go!

On the way to the Queen's Land

After feeling so sick the previous day I woke at 4am for some reason to travel to Queensland to wander aimlessly around Universities.  I still don't understand how I managed but at about 8am (NSW time) I wrote this:

To be honest I'm just glad to be travelling.  The bus is surprisingly quiet (mostly everyone's asleep) and it is sorta relaxing.  I have almost slept, that being I pretended to be asleep but couldn't be sure if it actually caught up with me, until Woodburn(two hours north). I'm awaiting the famed (well in my head it is) corner down to the Byron valley (so pretty!)

And this, wondering about the 1 hour time difference between the two states for 6 months of the year:

Who says we haven't invented time machines yet? They're all over the world and their called time zones.  It feels like there should be a shimmering barrier between New  South Wales and Queensland. Perhaps we'll see it when we reach Tweed Heads. 

Perhaps I only survived because of my favourite hill:

The Border Ranges, faint like they're painted upon the sky.  Mount Warning a crooked, watchful figure.  The hills below the darker green of a scrub far, far away .  Like some idyllic pastoral scene the hills roll in green to a single field that pools below the curving highway.  The polka dots upon the mountain's skirts reveal themselves as hamlets, trees and homesteads. 

The colour, the mist, the view!

The land is expansive and enormous and yet it clusters close in this glimpse. The hills gather in a feeling of rising; the meaning of contour is clear.  From the top of the hill, cut into pieces by tree trunks the valleys are sleeping, stretched out beneath you and then in the curve of a parabola the ground floats higher to the edge of the world. 

To the east the sea is a foam mat of blurry turquoise and as the bus glides around the corner the rolling hills reveal another perspective.  Like a carpet it rolls out in front of me, thickening as it draws away. 

It is that corner and the glimpse of field and valley, hill and spur, mountain and ocean that enchants each time I pass it.  Such a snapshot of beauty that every time a new aspect comes to light.  Is it the ancient growl of the mountains in their volcano crater, the sparkling of the bay sides or perhaps just the height and depth of the curve as it pulls you in?

A Jamboree Experience to Remember (2010)

Rambling On: Jamboree 2010:

"We  had 2 of our children go to AJ2010 , Sarah was 14 and Evan was 12.  Sarah was pretty laid back and confident about being away from home ..."

Once again it seems the mother, Emma Hazell, has posted some of my writings but I'll give her this one since I sent it to her in 2010.  A letter from the 2010 Jamboree (a.k.a AJ2010) that I wrote telling of all the wonderous things I got up to.  It was the trip of a liftetime.  I still have every single issue of the special Jamboree newspaper, and my passport, stamped for every activity I completed.

2/1/10

Dear Mum, Dad and Harry,

Its only the first day here and already we're exhausted and have had some minor adventures. We all have our bags and stretchers safely back in our tents now, off ground in case water leaks in. After hardly sleeping a wink on those rock-hard bus seats and almost dying from heat and hunger between breakfast and lunch as we slaved away at our tents, our stretchers are like heaven. Insects are definitely out in force, especially those tiny black ants whom we had to firmly relocate from our tents, patrol boxes and kitchen gear.

It was quite an itchy challenge taking everything out of the ant-hill/shipping container, which, I might add, needs a very good water proofing! The tents, too, are letting the edge of my stretcher become damp! And other troops, one not two sites away, have nylon dome tents! We have heavy leaky patrol tents that will easily let in another insect which is much more deadly than a black ant. I haven't seen one yet, but there are warning signs on the way into Cataract.

Oh and I haven't told about the gateway. You'd have to be blind to miss it, 4 identical, massive concrete arches. I have a badge showing it. The weather has been balmy with random showers, and, just five minutes ago a thunder storm. Not much different from Coffs Harbour.

6/1/10

Its our fourth day here at cataract and the 2nd day of the official Jamboree. When we got here 4 days ago our campsite looked like a paddock with NSW camps dotted around. The, the next day, the spare spaces started to fill up and now we have to walk around on the paths between camps. On the 2nd we were allowed to walk around and the badge trading began.

As you walk along the main road between sub-camps you are asked which state you're from by scouts wanting contingent badges. We've got our troop badge which is one of four from all the troops from North Coast NSW.

All four, plus a region badge, join together to make a set. I have all the badges in that set.  I also have all the sub-camp badges, which make an octagon when put together, with Aquarius in the middle.  All the sub-camps are named after constellations. There is Andromeda, Gemini, Orion, Taurus, Aries, Leo, Pegasus, Aquarius and Scorpius.

Its really fun putting our troop pegs on peoples clothing without them noticing.

We made these pegs yesterday and used them up yesterday. It says, "you have been bitten by the NC123 bat colony" and has a cute picture of a bat on the peg too. I am writing this on the bus to Jamberoo water park, where we will stay for the day. Last night was the opening ceremony. There was fireworks and a live band. Me and five friends from my troop got to a metre from the front row, where there was no room to move. Tonight's a rock night, though I don't think I'll have any voice left to scream with.

11/1/10

Jamberoo was great. The best ride was the Taipan. It was pitch black, in a raft, down 200m curving back and forth. Today is the 11th of January and more than halfway through Jamboree. I'm still tired and still having

Fun. I miss you all loads!

The day after we went to Jamberoo we did adventurous activities. Our package included BMX, Challenge Valley and Laser Skirmish. BMX- I only went round the track 3 times but stacked twice. It was hard. Challenge Valley was run by venturers and was like a big commando course with mud and water in more than half the activities. By Laser Skirmish we were so tired, but it was fun.The day after that we had Endurance 2010. It lasted all day with 17 bases. We only had to do ten, we did 11. We skipped both the skirmishes in which you got dyed red with water. One of my favourites was rock climbing. There was also abseiling, mega board games, a maze & first aid.

We almost missed the bus out.

The day after, we did Brownsea Island. It re-enacted some of the activities @ the first scout camp. We did animal tracking, knotting nets & Law & Promise, and Pioneering. That afternoon we went 2 Cirque du Scout. That was awesome. We painted each others faces, practised 4 types of juggling & did trampolining.

Two days ago was market Day (Visitor Day) we had the day off to try and raise lunas (Jamboree Market Day Money). Vicki came and visited our camp. We were duty patrol that day. Our troop made an Emoo Steak stand and raised over 200 lunas.

Yesterday we went to water activities in Chowder Bay. There was canoeing, kiaking, swimming, snorkelling, a ferry ride and a scenic walk. Candle was at the snorkelling base. The ferry ride was fun because we could go right on top and see all round Sydney Harbour.  Today we had another lot of adventurous activities. We had Waterslides, giant swing and high Ropes. The waterslide was just like the ones @ the Big Banana and the giant swing was awesome! I was pretty good @ high ropes though it was scary.

Hope u are all well

Lots of Love,

Sarah

all ready to set out for the Australian Jamboree: Evan, myself, Reagan and Eli

My only regret is that I only got to attend 1 Jamboree.  Ahh well Venturers get Dragonskin.  

Around Australia 2007: Days 4 & 5

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th March 24-25/3/07

BUNYA MT

This campsite in the Bunya Mountains is pretty good (except for the fact that there are no showers.)  We went on this really quite interesting walk.  It came out into a beautiful lookout.  We walked past plenty of grassland that quickly turned into a lush rainforest. 

Evan Harry + I rode our scooters down the slope over and over again.  It was fun.  We also caught up on some school work. 

On the next day we drove to Paradise Parking and walked all the way to Dandaba.  Evan, Mum + I were going to go to a lookout when we saw some feathers from a dead bird and two metres further along the track there was a bog fat snake, so we didn't go to the lookout.  At Dandabar we had lunch at a cafe and resturant and we also fed the King Parrots.  Then we walked back with bribes from Mum to get us there. 

An note at the bottom says:

We fed the King Parrots and they made claw marks where they had sat to eat the bird seed. 

To the side, Mum, who has her own version of events posted on her blog, has written a note aswell:

great diary writing, Sarah.  It is very descriptive and interesting to read.  Remember the fun you had riding your scooters at Bunya Mtn + the yummy Bunya nuts that we ate. 

Around Australia 2007: Day 3

Day 3 Friday 23rd March 23/3/07

Yesterday we just packed up, pretty much rode out scooters around the paved picnic area and left.  It was hot in the car.  Very Hot actually.

We passed so many fields of, well I'm not sure what, I think it was lavender anf stuff for smelly shampoos and all that.  I couldn't possibly tell you how many we passed.  After we had crossed the border- which was five minutes for where we stayed- it was very desolate.  We stopped at a small town called Aratula for a lunch of pies.  Then we moved on.  Going throug boring countryside. 

Luckily mum put on an interesting story called Toad Heaven. We stopped at Toowoomba and went to Coles to buy food and supplies.  Then we took off again.  When we were near the end on Toad Heaven, we stopped at a service station somewhere really north west of Toowoomba- i think.  I got out of the car to look for water and missed the best bit of Toad Heaven.  Then because the story had finished; mum put on another one called Toad Rage wich actually went before Toad Heaven!

The campsite was pretty normal and there is nothing to say except: NO SHOWERS!

Ford NP

*sigh* the trials and tribulation of an ten year old... You think I might have thought to mention something interesting and unique to our trip like... visiting the loop in the railway (it even had tourist information signs).  But at least the sympathetic stories towards Cane Toads softened me up for when we finally found them [my sympathy was non existent by Lawn Hill and Edith Falls where they were everywhere!]

Around Australia 2007: Day 2

Day 2 Thursday 22nd March 22/3/07

Dear Diary,
How peaceful it is here! It is lovely except for the fact that almost everything is now dirty.  After two days without washing I hope the next place we stop at has showers!  I am particularly worried about my feet. 

Today we went on a beautiful walk through an old cedar forest.  There was a big cedar with a diameter of 133cm and a height of 48m.  We also did a walk of 200m which came out to a lookout on pinnacle point.  From there I could see Mt Warning, the plug of what used to be a giant volcano.  There was a big bowl made by mountains and you culd really imagine the mountain range once being a volcano.

Later on when we were back at the campsite and had lunch Evan and dad went on another walk to a waterfall called Evan's Falls.  I stayed back and did schoolwork.  Before it got dark I read a little of the French book that mum showed me, deciphering it with the mini dictionary.  I have learnt quite a bit of French now!!

The Borders NP

Of course!  The ancient volcano crater that encircles Mount Warning is still etched in my mind.  Though I must say any French I'd learned must have been negated by my German lessons in year 8...  J'taime?

Around Australia 2007: Day 1

Rambling On: 2007 Travel diary: Day 1:  

"Pre-trip I have found some of our diary entries from our 2007 Australian trip.  I have already posted two letters here and here that ..."

The mother, Emma Hazell, decided she would blog some of my thoughts on our 2007 trip around Australia.  She got this first one out but I quickly snatched my travel diary back from her desk.  With her new found blogging phase I was a little suspicous that she was using MY writing and posting it on the internet.  So now its my job to post it. 

"Day 1 Wednesday 21st March 21/3/07

Dear Diary

Day 1 and we're off. FINALLY. It took us ages and ages to pack and get everything ready. Mum had to vacuum all the rooms then mop the hard floors as well.  It was 1:15 by the time we were on the road and then we went and got lunch at KFC. It was well into the afternoon before we got to Casino.

I finished 2 pages in my maths book on the way here and I watched most of EMMA on our portable DVD player.

I helped to put up the tent and set up camp.

Next to us is a couple from Texas. You can tell they are from America because of their accents. They are very nice and talk to us. They said goodbye when they left this morning.

Last night I had a good sleep except that I didn't get to read so it was hard to get to sleep. There was a dark stinky pit toilet.

We had bacon and eggs for breakfast, but I didn't eat much because I don't eat much at breakfast.

I hope this will be fun

The Borders N.P. NSW"

I laughed reading this, hopefully I've grown better at writing since 2007. :P