Scotch College

Daniel sets sail on the Young Endeavour

Near the end of first term, Daniel Cato was fortunate enough to be granted a berth aboard the youth sail training ship Young Endeavour.

This involved a ten day course of sailing, leadership and teamwork, run by Navy personnel.

Daniel writes, 'I boarded the ship in Portland with nothing but a small kitbag and with much trepidation. Fortunately I saw that the other 23 youth crew felt exactly the same.

The voyage turned out to be more enjoyable than I could have hoped, it was by no means a walk in the park. We were required to do a four hour watch in the middle of each night, as well as completing watches and attending lectures covering such topics as navigation and meteorology during the day.

The training course was very well structured, the camaraderie that developed amongst the youth crew over a 10 day period was phenomenal. We travelled from Portland down to Stanley on the north coast of Tasmania, then back to Port Phillip Bay via King Island.

On the seventh day the command of the ship was totally handed over to the crew, which was commanded by a team with ranks of Captain, Executive Officer, Navigator etc., all elected by the crew.

I was fortunate enough to be elected Captain of the ship for twelve hours, in which time I was required to make sure that the ship travelled to a certain point in Port Phillip Bay, rounding specified markers.

This experience was an amazing one in which I learned a lot about myself, including endurance, friendship, teamwork, leadership and not forgetting sailing itself. This was such a great opportunity that I would strongly recommend it to any Scotch student who likes a challenge, wants to learn more about himself or just has an interest in sailing. No previous sailing experience is required, so give it a go!'

Daniel Cato, Year 11