Please select your home edition
Edition
Stoneways Marine 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Teen swaps 420s for Brigantine

by Young Endeavour 30 Mar 2019 06:38 GMT
Crew member Henry Johnston prepares the main sail aboard the STS Young Endeavor as the ship sails on Sydney Harbour for Australia Day © ABIS Shane Cameron

Sailing on a 40 metre tall ship is a little different to sail an international 420, So when Sandringham Yacht Clun awarded Henry Johnstone a Young Endeavour Scholarship funded by the Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race, the 17 year old jumped at the chance.

Henry is in the Victorian 420 team joined the ship in Melbourne, and as part of a 27 strong youth crew, had to meet all the challenges of sailing a square rigged tall ship.

Over the 11-day voyage the youth crew learnt how to navigate, keep watch, cook in the galley, set and furl sails, climb the 30 metre mast and take the helm. For the final leg of the voyage, the youth crew elected a command team who had to sail the ship into her final destination, Sydney.

With over 10 years sailing experience, Henry was already up to speed with sail theory and helming, however he said there were some new skills to acquire.

"The biggest difference between the 420s and Young Endeavour are the square sails and the size. Young Endeavour is 40 metres long and has a steel hull, so it's obviously a lot heavier," Henry said.

The brigantine boasts a total sail span of 740 square metres, compared to the 420s downwind sail area of 19 square metres.

"On board Young Endeavour, you work in large teams and everything is done by hand. This develops your teamwork and leadership skills," Henry said.

"At Sandringham Yacht Club I instruct and coach, so I'll definitely take back some ideas about how to work cohesively in a large team.

Aside from picking up new skills, Young Endeavour is an adventure. Henry said he had a few highlights.

"I went into the voyage knowing it was different to what I was used to. I've been pretty consistent with my training for the 420s, so it's been really good to shake things up. I've found it really interesting."

"I loved climbing the mast. We did it the first night in Melbourne and I really enjoyed checking out the city skyline," Henry said.

"I also loved helming. We had a lightening storm that I helmed through which was pretty crazy."

So would Henry recommend a voyage on Young Endeavour to other young sailors?

"It's definitely something that other young people would benefit from. It's not just the sailing, the program is over 30 years old and they've got in nailed down to a precise art. Everyone on board really enjoyed it and got a lot out of the trip."

"Getting to know everyone on board and experiencing communal living was also heaps of fun," Henry said.

Related Articles

Funding the Future winners announced
Sunsail Funding the Future winners announced Sunsail has announced the winners of its Funding the Future initiative, which champions sailing across the UK by providing financial support to clubs. Posted today at 11:00 am
Meet Benoit Marie: 6-for-6 and Mini Transat Ready
Six races - six wins Benoit Marie isn't just having a good season — he's having a perfect one onboard his Classe Mini Nicomatic x Petit Bateau. Six races. Six wins. Posted today at 11:00 am
The latest in fleet monitoring and tracking
Join us on October 22nd for an in-depth exploration of the latest in tracking technology Fleet monitoring and tracking are essential for efficiency, safety, and compliance with real-time visibility into fleet movements critical. Posted today at 9:30 am
Enter now for the 2025 ILCA U21 Europeans
Last week to apply for the record-breaking event The 2025 ILCA Under 21 European Championships & Open European Trophy will be held in Split, Croatia, from 18-25 October 2025, and it's shaping up to be a record-breaking event, with 240 entries already received. Posted today at 9:23 am
2025 Dutch Water Week day 3
Britain's Micky Beckett continues to lead the ILCA 7 fleet Day Three of the Dutch Water Week, the last stop of the Sailing Grand Slam 2025, brought sunshine and light winds to Almere. Posted today at 8:53 am
Tornado Open, Mixed and Youth Europeans day 3
After a windless second day, racing finally resumed on Lake Attersee After a windless second day, racing finally resumed today on Lake Attersee. The first start, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., had to be postponed as the wind failed to appear in the morning. Posted today at 8:09 am
Hyde Sails One Design September Discount
Thinking of ordering new sails? Now is the time to do so at the best possible prices Thinking of ordering new sails for 2026? Now is the time to do so at the best possible prices with our maximum discount period running until the end of this month on select classes! Posted today at 8:00 am
Women's Match Racing Worlds in Chicago Day 3
Quarter-Finals set at Women's Match Racing Worlds After a third day of unseasonable light airs on Lake Michigan, the qualifying round-robin stage of the World Sailing Women's Match Racing World Championship concluded, advancing the top eight teams to the quarter-final stage. Posted today at 7:57 am
30% OFF Vaikobi Duffel & Dry Bags!
This deal ends this Sunday at midnight Whether you're packing for a weekend trip, hitting the water, or just need reliable storage, now's the time to upgrade your gear. Posted today at 1:00 am
OK Dinghy Worlds at Lake Garda overall
Andrew Mills wins after a epic week for the 212 helms Britain's Andrew Mills has won the 2025 OK Dinghy world championship after an epic week of racing on Lake Garda. With only one race possible on the final day, the result was academic to Mills, who was already discarding a second. Posted on 19 Sep