Tall Ship Adventures - 5. TSA Chapter 5

Just two days before the start of the third term spring holidays, I received an unexpected email from Jordan. “Hey ship mate, just wanted to know what your plans are for the first week of the Spring School holidays, as we are short-handed with volunteers for the coming voyage starting from Dampier in just three days.

When the skipper asked me if I had anyone in mind from past voyages, who would be ideal to be a volunteer crew member, I thought of you, and the skipper remembers you from the voyage in Exmouth and agrees that you would be good. What do you think matey? Will you be prepared to give it a go? We need to know as soon as possible. I hope to see you soon. Regards your friend, Jordan.”

I sat there staring at the email for some time, before shaking myself out of a daze and heading into the lounge room to seek out my parents. I have just received an email from my friend Jordan, who is a volunteer crew on the STS Leeuwin they are short of volunteer crew, and they are looking for anyone free for a week of sailing.

There will be no cost for the week that I am up there, but I am not sure about the costs of getting to and from Dampier, where the ship is located for this trip,” I announced to my folks. “I don’t see why you can’t go, but you will need to let your boss know that you are not available for work this coming week, and we will cover the travel costs,” Dad responded, “Yeah, I know. I want to give this a go, as it will give me more sailing experience before we do the trip to New Zealand at the end of the year,” I replied.

I contacted the main office of the STS Leeuwin, which is located in Fremantle, and I was informed that they were expecting a call from me, I was told that I would be flown up to Dampier on the Friday late afternoon, to join the ship, one a afternoon ahead of the attendees, and I would be sharing a cabin with Jordan and one volunteer crew member.

Because I had sailed onboard the STS Leeuwin before, they didn’t need any additional information, so I was informed that an email would be sent to me shortly, with all the information that I needed for this one-week-long trip. When I received the email a few hours later, I saw that the flight from Perth to Karratha leaves at 10.45 am, an hour after I arrive in Perth, from my flight down to the Capital, so I would be missing the whole day at school.

I also learnt, that on the return journey home, I would have a 6.5-hour layover in Perth, before getting the flight to Geraldton, arriving back at 5.30 pm, which I guess wasn’t too bad, as Dad would be able to pick me up at the airport after he finishes work, to take me home.

Mum quickly washed and dried any additional clothes that I needed for the week, and the following morning, I travelled up to Geraldton with Dad, where I had to wait around for about two hours, before catching my flight south to Perth. When I finally arrived at Karratha airport, there was a minibus there and the driver was Jordan, and as he loaded my luggage into the bus, he informed me that it was just a ten-kilometre trip to get to the main Dampier Town jetty, where the STS Leeuwin is moored.

Three other people, who had been on the same flight boarded the minibus, and I was introduced to two of them, while the third person I already knew as she was one of the Permanent Crew members, who had made a quick trip down to Perth to deal with family business.

It was great to step onboard the tall ship again, and I was looking forward to this new adventure, not as a participant, but as a crew member, which made me a little nervous, since I was still only 16 years old, and I had only had seven days of tall ship experience before. I discovered that I was in one of the midship cabins, which has three bunks in it, and Jordan had already claimed the mid-level bunk, so I chose the lower bunk.

I was told that the remaining volunteer crew would be arriving via road coach, later in the day at 8 pm, as it is a 26-hour journey from Perth via road coach. All of the participants for this voyage would be arriving the following morning on the next flight up from Perth.

Once I had settled into the cabin, we found the skipper in the chart room, where Jordan reintroduced me to him, and I spent the next twenty minutes being briefed by the skipper on what to expect for the next seven days. Once that was over, the first officer and Jordan spent the next three hours teaching me everything I needed to learn as a volunteer crew member, and there was a hell of a lot of information to digest.

After dinner, we relaxed for a short while, until it was time to go and collect the other volunteer crew members from the bus station in Karratha, and Jordan asked me to come with him so that I could meet all of them. As soon as they approached the minibus, Lance, who was a volunteer crew member when I was a participant earlier in the year, was amongst the group of new arrivals.

“Hey Jordan, and Zac, this is a great surprise to see you with us, have you come back as a volunteer crew member?” Lance said to me as we shook hands in greeting. “Hey Lance, yeah I was asked to fill in the void as the skipper was short of crew, and Jordan here, recommended me as a possible option to join the ship,” I replied.

“That is wonderful news, I remember, you were a fast learner, and never shy to try anything new and didn’t mind getting wet or dirty,” Lance said to me, and Jordan chuckled at this comment. “You are bunking with Zack and me in one of the smaller cabins, and since you’re the last to arrive you have the top bunk,” Jordan announced to Lance, who groaned, and I just laughed.

“Thanks to my Dad paying for my travels, I flew up earlier in the day, which is way better than a full day on a cramped road coach, but I have been going through some fast-track training since I arrived,” I said to Lance, “Yeah that can give you a real headache trying to learn so much so fast, but I am sure you will do great,” Lance responded.

After the new arrivals had settled in, we had a full crew meeting, which lasted for about an hour, as we prepared for the voyage, before we had some supper, and headed to our bunks for a good night’s sleep, before we got into full swing with the arrival of the participants tomorrow around mid-morning.

I was deputy watch leader and teamed up with Lance, who is a few years older than me, at just twenty years old, and this was now his fourth trip as a volunteer crew member. After breakfast the next morning, we had another meeting, before we set sail from the Dampier Town Jetty, and while remaining in the fairly protected area of the Dampier Archipelago, we did an overboard training exercise, as well as an abandon ship training exercise, which I found an interesting experience.

Once we had completed a debrief on what we had done during the morning, we raised the sails once more and headed back towards Dampier, but this time we anchored approximately six hundred metres offshore, just southwest of Channel Island, and once the anchor was set, they boat was lowered into the water, and Jordan, Lance and I set off to shore to collect the first of the trainees, which would be done in two trips.

The local bus service had been contracted to collect them from the Airport and transport the forty trainees to the main town jetty, where we would transport them to the ship. When all of the trainees were on board, the skipper began the introduction to the week-long adventure for the young men and women, while we lifted the boat out of the water and back into its place on the main deck.

The first few days were a little crazy for me, having to learn as much as possible about being a new crew member on board the tall ship, as well as carrying out all of my responsibilities, and with a rotating watch, this made it extra difficult, as I had to get the required sleep no matter what time of the day or night it was.

At the times that I had a few hour's break, when it was late at night, I would head up top and sit in the crow’s nest, and with my little tin whistle which I had brought with me, I started to play some shanty tunes, which I had made an effort to learn. On my second session in the nest on the fourth night of the seven-day trip, I was having a breather from playing, when a shout came from below. “Who goes there up in the nest? Reveal yourself at once,” the commanding voice of the skipper shouted from the main deck.

“Crewman Zackery sir,” I called back, as I tucked the whistle deep into my jacket, and began the long climb back down again, arriving on the main deck a few minutes later. “Was that sea shanties that I heard coming from the nest, Crewman?” the skipper asked me. “Yes skipper, I have a tin whistle, and I play those tunes just to help me to relax a bit, sir,” I responded. “I see, well I suggest that we put your musical talent to good use.

When the trainees are doing rope work on the main deck, I would like you to be playing the whistle, this will get them to work a little harder, and hopefully boost morale a bit more in the process,” the skipper said to me. “Yes skipper, I am happy to oblige, but I do not want anyone to record me playing the whistle please,” I asked the skipper. “Understood, I will make an effort to make sure that no one is carrying their phones or cameras while on the main deck working,” the Skipper replied.

For the last four days of the voyage, I was kept busy, but I found it a little easier, now that I had a better idea of what I was doing, and with the support of Lance and Jordan, I was able to get through the whole seven days of the voyage, but I was also very glad when the final day finally arrived.