FORMER Horsham resident Jess Hill, who now lives in Bendigo, is certainly not used to the open ocean.
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Ms Hill is also not used to sailing, let alone on a rigged ship.
However, she is now crewing a traditional tall ship as part of the Young Endeavor Youth Scheme, which gives young people a taste of life aboard an old fashioned vessel.
The ship has set sail from Melbourne to Sydney, with a crew of about 20 young people, supported by a naval team.
A love of travel, adventure and pushing herself drove Ms Hill to take up the challenge.
In her day job Ms Hill works as a marketing and event coordinator, so this will be completely different. In fact, it’s different from anything she’s done before.
She likes adventures and events, but has never sailed. An initial nervousness has left her though.
Ms Hill said she was feeling excited, as she prepared to depart last Thursday.
“I’ve heard a lot of testimonies from people who’ve gone previously on the trip, and they say it’s the best thing they’ve ever done,” she said.
“We’re constantly helping to run the ship the whole time, it’s not just a holiday.”
The journey won’t be without its challenges.
Ms Hill will be thrown in the deep end, learning new tasks and working with people she has never met previously.
With the other crew she will be swapped through the ship’s tasks, including night watch, early morning rises and climbing the riggings. She’ll also have to learn to work with a team of people she’s never met before, who might be very different to her.
It’s these challenges that Ms Hill is expecting to lead to the most personal growth.
“I’m expecting it to be challenging and demanding,” Ms Hill said.
“Building confidence is one of the main things that I’ll take away from it, learning how to interact with a whole heap of people.
“By meeting a ton of new people and working with new people that will really help me build my skills up for the future in everyday life and in work situations.”
But, it’ll be an adventure. With the rest of the crew Ms Hill will have the chance to explore the coastline of Victoria and NSW, from the unique perspective of a sailing ship.
Conditions will determine where and when they stop, but Ms Hill will see some of the coastline. And, she’s been told the open sea is “addictive”.
“I have seen videos of people with dolphins going alongside the boat, and there’s a few spots where you can watch for animals,” Ms Hill said.
“Hopefully we see some whales and dolphins as well.”