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Challenger 1 ⎻ Army Cadets

By Tall Ships - August 16th, 2022 | Posted in Voyager blogs No comments

Onboard Challengers 1 and 2 this week, we have two groups from the Army Cadets joining us for an adventure voyage!

Read the blog below to find out what the young people onboard Challenger 1 have been getting up to so far!

Day 1

Monday 15

Even though it’s only the first day on the sailing expedition, I’ve already learnt a lot, such as setting up sails and how to use the winch. I’ve also learnt how to tie some knots, like a clove hitch.

On my first evening, me and my friends cooked dinner for the whole crew and we learnt lots about cooking.

I am excited to learn more about sailing during this expedition. Although the laborious work above deck is yet to come, I’m excited for the long voyage ahead.

The demanding nature of the tasks on the yacht act as a catalyst for my rapid rate of learning.

By Finn.​

Day 2

Tuesday 16

Today is the second day of our trip and the first full day onboard the yacht. It was also our first time sleeping out on the ocean, with just the anchor to keep us from moving.

Me and my crew have experienced lots of new things, like how to put up the Mainsail, which took a lot of concentration, muscles and teamwork.

Half of the crew learnt how to clean the heads (toilets) and how to maintain tidiness throughout the yacht, while the other half, including myself, helped out with changing the sails, steering the ship and making sure all the ropes were secure and tucked away properly, so none of the crew got hurt.

Me and my team were also involved in making tea, which was bangers and mash. This included peeling potatoes and carrots, cooking the sausages and the other ingredients, and finally serving the food, which everyone loved.

Once we had dropped the anchor, everyone helped with lowering the sails, ready for the night ahead. Our ship has a perfect view of Old Harry’s Rocks, which look amazing.

One of our crew mates, Danny, tried sour patch kids sweets for the first time. His review: “It’s a revelation for an old man. Anyway, that’s enough from me. Bye.

By Katie.

Day 3

Wednesday 17

Dennis and Cassie: Today is our third day onboard and we started off by doing some mad sailing and some well quick tacking in a race against Challenger 2.

When we were sailing, the wind in the sails made the boat go sideways, so below deck it was like Michael Jackson’s Thriller while we were learning how to fill out our RYA logbooks.

We all grew as a team and our communication skills improved too. We’re now moored up in Lymington and we were set free for an explore on land.

Some of us ended up in Pennington, having a little wander, since it was nice weather. Now, we’re excited for a chippy for tea!

Maddie: I was at the helm while we were racing with the other Challenger. We performed a few tacks, which was extremely exhilarating and a great catalyst for my skillset.

After the hard work with high winds, it was great to relax with a nice walk around Lymington town.

After only a few days we’ve all become so close, like one big (happy) family. #goals

Day 4

Thursday 18

On the morning of Day 4 we all went swimming in a bay after we anchored up.

After swimming, we all dried off and got changed. We then climbed the mast and took photographs at the top.

After climbing the mast, everyone sat round the table in the saloon and we all started planning our route for later that evening.

After planning our route and sketching up a pilot plan, we revised what all the buoys are and what they are warning you about.

We learnt that the north cardinal has two triangles pointing upwards that flash continuously and that the south cardinals have two triangles pointing down that flash six times, plus one long flash.

We witnessed an amazing firework display as we were sailing back into Gunwharf Quays.

By Hayden and Cassie.​

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