Christman voyage 2023

In the christman of 2023, just following the year 10 camp, my brother Ryan and I embarked as part of the YOUTH EXPLORER program, where we spent 7 days, aboard the ship. I was put in a group (not with my brother) and that group became my family for the duration of the voyage.

On the first day, we motored just out of Fremantle and learnt the ropes (so to speak). It was the second morning when we started our adventure, we killed the engines and started hauling, for the rest of the trip would be navigated by sail and wind power, the sails being changed by the wonderful deck hands (us) and led under the watchful eyes of our ‘watch leaders’. I was in Red Watch (the best one) and had two amazing watch leaders, Reagan and Tim. They helped us through the experience and were our motivators, keeping up the energy so that there wasn’t one glum moment, whether we were mustering for lunch, cleaning the bathrooms or getting up at 3 in the morning, with massive swell, ready to start your 3 hour night shift. During the voyage, I made friends I keep in touch with today, climbed a 33m mast, furled and unfurled sails, learnt how to coil, call, ease and hall the lines and even had a go leading my watch. I even had my first couple of driving lessons steering the boat (albeit in a slightly different environment to a traditional car. After an amazing trip of 10-meter swells, serving sea sickness (and not vomiting unlike my twin), a beach dar on Rotness and weirdly good food (including a Christmas dinner), the group was lucky enough to all be given a certificate of achievements, and I was given qualifications to come back (should I like to) as a Bosun’s mate (maintaining the ship’s health), a cooks mate (helping in the kitchen) or even as a trainee watch leader. All in all, it was a life-changing experience, that despite my initial apprehensions, I loved