KIAMA will be represented as Australians flock to the Centenary of Anzac celebrations in Turkey.
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Crew members aboard the sail training ship STS Young Endeavour have sailed to Gallipoli to participate in the Centenary of Anzac commemorations.
A crew of 24 young Australians and New Zealanders, including Kiama engineer and student Andrew McCullough, recently flew to Spain to join the Young Endeavour for the 21-day passage to Turkey.
Mr McCullough, a member of the Kiama SES Unit is being sponsored by the NSW SES to participate.
The 26-year-old said he wanted to challenge himself and learn to sail.
Mr McCullough was in Canakkale, just off the coast of Gallipoli when the Kiama Independent spoke to him on Friday afternoon.
He said they were located next to about ten warships, including those from Britain and New Zealand.
Mr McCullough said he had enjoyed the experience since leaving Spain on April 4.
He said they had encountered some ‘‘pretty rough weather’’ in the Strait of Gibraltar as they sailed past Morocco.
‘‘Everyone was sea-sick,’’ he said.
‘‘The waves were huge; 40-50 knot winds, it was crazy.
‘‘Apart from the bad weather, it’s been awesome.’’
Mr McCullough said learning to sail had also been challenging, but enjoyable.
‘‘Learning to sail and climb the mast... I’ve never stepped on a sailboat before.
‘‘We’ve learned the basics, through to sailing ourselves.
‘‘It’s a 35-metre high mast, and we’ve been learning all the names of the sails, the ropes, knots, cleaning the ship every day, and helping to prepare the meals in the galley.
‘‘It’s run like a Navy ship, you do overnight watches.
‘‘I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in three weeks, (but) the exhaustion and sleep deprivation adds to the challenge.’’
Their voyage included Command Day, whereby the young participants essentially ran the ship without staff assistance for a 24-hour period.
However, Mr McCullough believed his SES experiences had been beneficial.
‘‘Some of the skills I’ve learnt have really helped - things like teamwork and leadership,’’ he said.
Mr McCullough said there was a ‘‘real vibe in the town’’, with plenty of Australians present, and didn’t expect he would get any rest on Friday night.
‘‘Just being here around this time for the 100th anniversary is the best part,’’ he said.
‘‘Seeing the warships is spectacular.’’
The Young Endeavour, which is run by the Navy, will sail along Anzac Cove on Saturday with the warships, and will be present for the dawn service.