From the minute we stepped onto the yacht (which frightened most of us because we had to travel cross-ship) we were welcomed by the Skipper, Jim, our team leaders (Brendan and Georgie) and the mate, Martin. After descending the cockpit we were in the galley, and then we got shown how to use the heads (restrooms) and our sleeping arrangements for the night, we also spoke about the bow, mast and all the safety exits from below deck. We learnt how to use the winches which challenged some of us at first but with the consideration from our team leaders, we had the resilience to do it. Some of us passed a sail through one of the emergency exits to move onto our next activity, putting the sail on the pole. This led into us doing the sweating and hailing, which was scary. After that, we did a man overboard drill, leading to one of us climbing down the side of the boat and another being rescued. That was terrifying, because you could feel yourself being hoisted up, and then we did our life jacket adjustments. Then we made our bunks, and unpacked, making this yacht home, then we went to use the showers, not all of us though as the other group was preparing bangers and mash (with an abundance of onion) lovingly for us to come back to. Washing up was the most irritating part about the day as the water got dirty really quickly and the washing-up liquid was not the best.

Today we practiced how to put the main, stay, and yankee sail. We had to take action quickly and make sure the role we were assigned was done to the best of our ability. At points of the day there was some people who suffered sea sickness. However pushed through and still had fun. At one point in the day we did a man over- bored drill and everyone had to take action immediately so we could save the “man over bored”. I had the role of sitting on the sail with another person, this caused me to see the experience from a different perspective. I found it really interesting to learn about the importance of being alert when sailing because throughout the day we experienced tough winds and large waves however were able to overcome them safely and professionally.

Today we learnt how to “tac”, which was a key aspect in controlling the boat and making sure it remained stable and on track. We noticed how often we had to persistently change the rotation when we were taccing due to the wind direction diverting as we changed where we were headed. It was challenging at times as it required a lot of physical aspects such as; strength, stamina, and balance. (COMBINDED AT TIMES). It was an amazing experience being on sea, we had travelled for the first time on the ‘Challenger’ from Portsmouth to Cowes, and I thought it was a successful first sail!

Ameilia​

Today we sailed from Cowes to Poole. It was a long 5 hour journey but we travelled safely. In the morning we climbed the mast all the way to the top (most of us) and it was an amazing experience. Everyone was involved in the mast climbing activity, contributing by sweating and hoisting the person up. After that we prepared the boat to set sail for Poole. We removed the fenders, removed the mooring lines, tightened the jammers and put on our gear. As we were sailing we were on the lookout for dolphins, however we weren’t able to spot any. After we passed the Isle of Wight we did a “man over-board” drill which was thoroughly exhilarating. After our long journey we finally reached Poole and, once we had put the boat to rest, we went ashore to have free time.