We arrived at Portsmouth around midday and enthusiastically set off on our adventure shortly after introductions to the greatly welcoming crew. On our way to Cowes, Isle of Wight we were showed the fundamental needs of the boat and were introduced to the upper and lower decks: the different compartments of the boat, various commands and how to fulfil them.

Once we managed to dock in Cowes preparations for dinner were made whilst the rest of the students cleaned up the boat (put on covers, tied ropes etc.) and after this, we were able to go on shore into the town and have some free time. After this we returned to an eventful dinner- including a debate about garlic mayo and jerk sauce!

At the end of the day everyone had showered and we became settled in for the night, ready for another day of excitement.

-Isabel

During my time at talls ship, I have learned so many different skills such as how to tie different safety knots and how to steer the boat. We face a few bumpy waves which was causing people to feel sick. However to numb the pain we did a lot fun and useful activities such rope climbing which everyone except a few did this task. One really fun part of this activity was that the teachers participated and we decided to make it more interesting by spinning the boat in a 360 turn. Causing the teachers to panic lol.  Everyone who took part in this activity enjoyed it even though it caused lots of people to fear it at fist.

We decided to make Mia the sailor of the day as of her bravery even though she was terrified of the rope climbing activity. After the seven hour voyage. Everyone was keen to relax and however our last challenge was to pack away the boat. Later in the evening we had a really good meal of fish and chips. This time of the day is one of the best, as this is the time when we all bond and tell jokes and get to know each other a little bit more.  J

Amber, Alfie J

We set off bright and early at 9:00 AM with a few ‘crew members’ taking charge of raising the stay sail and, around midday, we all helped with raising the main sail. Since we were given more responsibility, we were made to run the ship and steer (some better than others!) Also today many of us became more comfortable with the various commands and parts of the boat which made things easier for both the crew and us.

Today was relatively eventful with both boats getting involved in a ‘dance off’, which Challenger 2 won by a mile of courseJ. Included in our winning performance was the conga, YMCA, Bust Down and a few random dance moves thrown in.

Once we docked at around 4:00PM we had a lot more free time to roam around than on other days, so we managed to get ice cream, go to the pier and chill out on the mini beach further down shore. Overall, today has been extremely enjoyable and we look forward to tomorrow.

Cleo, Isabel, Ashley

Today we had cereal for breakfast, we climbed a Mast mia had a go at climbing and on the second go she made it to the top of the mast and she managed to overcome her fear of heights with the help from the Tallships team. She is now very proud of herself. We also sailed the boat whilst it was tilted going side to side as we all had a go at gybing.We did that for a few hours whilst we sailed around in circles. Then everyone had a go at gybing whilst people also had a go at steering.

Tonight we had spag bowl for dinner with garlic bread luckily amber cooked it and it tasted Peng. Everyone enjoyed the dinner and helped the crew clean up.

Mia and Cleo