Today we all bordered the boat and introduced ourselves to one another. We come from all different parts of the country, but today we unite as one. We set sail for Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) and got to know each other a little better. Starboard Watch cooked dinner and although the sailing conditions were a little rough, we had good times and good food. We cannot wait for what tomorrow holds for us.

Yesterday we set off from Yarmouth at 09.00. We then motored out into the English Channel before hoisting the sails. We beat up wind on a course of 210 degrees as we were heading for Portland, we held our bearing before completing our first tack. The middle of the journey consisted of sea sickness, naps and food among a bit of sailing. We then entered Portland Bay where we saw cruise liners and freight ships anchored up due to very little demand. As well as this, we saw what I believe was the laser radial regional or national squad training. We’d discovered a filter blockage which caused the engine to overheat. Bushy (Skipper) and Luke soon had this sorted, and it was time to moor in Portland Marina where we prepared and ate dinner before packing away the deck. After dinner, we aided a kite surfer in trouble by calling it thorough to the RNLI. Finally, we finished up the long day by showering and heading to bed.

Yesterday we sailed out of Portland. The sun had poked its head out to see us away and the sea was a kind of turquoise-green that faded out to a rich blue on the horizon. Leaving the white tipped waves behind us, we began a slow waltz up the side of Portland, passing three massive cruise boats sitting at anchor in the middle of the channel. They were massive, rusty giants; probably waiting for their fuel tanks to fill (apparently it takes up to 6 hours for a ship of that size!). We sailed around on a beam reach for most of the day with the boat tipping to the side so much it was almost vertical at times!

The sparkling blue horizon faded into a deep green as we entered the Weymouth Marina. After coiling up the ropes and tidying up the boat, (which included Starboard watch washing up) we headed for the showers. After an amazing dinner of fish and chips on deck, we headed out for shore leave. Weymouth is mesmorising at night with its beautiful beach and wonderful promenade. The funfair continued on as the town was lit up by thousands of glittering lights. A crowd gathered near a café on the beach, where a band was playing and people were drawn in by the flashing lights of rides and arcades. Altogether, it was a fantastic day.