Endeavour - Setting Sail

Finally on board!

I didn’t need to arrive at the Endeavour until 8-30am so the morning was spent relaxing, having a last long hot shower, breakfast and then a taxi ride to the ships that make up Tuia 250 celebrating the dual heritage of European and Polynesian ships who traveled over the oceans to New Zealand; 3 tall ships (Endevour, Spirt of NZ and the Tucker Thompon) and 3 waka including the Fa’afaite who navigated from Tahiti to New Zealand using only the stars.

Once at the wharf I dropped off my bags with around 45 other people for a morning of ‘hurry up and wait’.

The professional crew were still having their briefing so we took the chance to get to know each other. We were then sorted into 3 watches, one for each mast of the ship and I was in the Main Mast Watch, with 13 others. Our watch leader is Callum who looks just like an 18th century sailor with his long hair tied back in a pony tail and Warwick who is our 2IC. When we were finally allowed on board the first thing I did was to get my stuff stowed away below.

Main mast watch, with Callum on the left and Warwick hanging off the rigging.

A rare chance to be in the great cabin

The Endeavour has 3 levels, first up the outside deck with all its historic ropes and wood everywhere which just looks amazing. You then head downstairs to the 18th century deck which is again all historic and where not a lot happens except for sleeping in hammocks, then below to the 20th century deck with all the modern features such as a galley, lockers, showers and toilets.

First up was training and induction to the ship including my watches first climb into the rigging. Up one side of the foremast, across the fighting top and down the other side. To get onto the fighting top you have to climb upside down at one point and then clamber up onto the fighting top platform, I of course enjoyed this but as you can imagine this was quite a challenge for a lot of people, and being number 12 in the watch I was the second to last person to give it a go which was a tad frustrating as I was keen to get up into the rigging.

The Endeavour left under engine power around 12ish and headed out of Whangarei harbour. It was then time for a late and very yummy lunch, my favourite meal of all things- a hamburgers.

What a great way to start my time on the Endeavour.

We then finished our induction training and my first watch was not until midnight so I was just relaxing on the deck when suddenly all the fun really began as the call was made to set sail!

So all the watches had to head into the rigging to loosen the sails.

From my watch three of us slightly more younger and fitter members were sent up to release the topsail, which is actually the middle sail from the foremast, the mast at the front of the ship. So Warwick led us up the mast.

Me climbing over the fighting top on the way up the mast

I then climbed out onto the second horizontal yard arm which is where the sails hang from.

Me climbing onto the yard topsail - I’m in the green trousers stepping onto the yard arm.

So I stepped onto the single rope that lies below the yard arm which is all I had to stand on. Then I simply had to hug the yard arm with my elbows while leaning forward over the yard arm which is just below my hip height. We do have a harness on, but it can only be used once - so if there is any weight put on the harness it must go away to be served. So the harnesses are only there for an emergency and can’t be used while moving around the rigging of the ship.

So all I had holding me in place was a single rope that I was standing on, and the yard arm which I wrapped by lower body around.

After releasing the topsail (you can see it lose above), I’m out releasing the course sail (the large sail below)

So while I am balancing on a single rope while hugging the yard arm I then had to start working. This job was to untie the ropes holding the sail up called a gasket and then to lose the sail. As the ropes were untied the topsail dropped down away so the sail is left hanging loosely below. The sail was then tightened and put in place by the rest of the watch who were hauling ropes on the deck below.

We then headed down to the yard arm below to release the course sail (the large bottom sail)

I’m in the middle releasing the course sail.

Having fun!

Not a lot to hold onto up here.

Once I was back on the deck I found out that tightening of the topsail is not done by pulling the sail down, but by raising the yard arm up, which surprised me.

Under sail on the Endeavour tall ship

And now that we are out of the harbour and importantly the crew are now trained, we are under sail!

Putting the hammocks up for sleeping was an interesting challenge, they are all crammed in together spaced throughout the historic deck as they would have been 250 years ago. Getting up is the hard bit as the hammock is at my shoulder height and me along with a young Maori gentlemen who were the ‘youngest’ were given this hardest spot, right in the middle of the walkway with not a lot to stand on. I ended up using the railing of the stairs to the 20th century deck below and just launched myself into the hammock.

My hammock on the left, tied up so it does not get in the way during the day

But once I was in the hammock it was surprisingly comfortable and I slept easily enough