We set off from Bryanston School in the minibus at 11am and arrived in Portsmouth Harbour around 1:30pm where we were welcomed and shown around the boat. We were taught the names of some of the exterior parts of the boat and how to use them.

After familiarising ourselves with the boat we set sail to Cowes, we were split into two groups – Starboard and Port. Our group was on cooking duty and we made sausages, mash potato and vegetables for dinner.

We were successful in coming into Cowes and tied up to the dock safely. We then sat down and had a delicious dinner at 7:15pm. After dinner was finished, we had showers and played cards until it was time for bed.

Molly & Ella

Today is the second day of our expedition and it was really exciting. We woke up and had a lovely breakfast which consisted of croissants and jam and Nutella. We then had some lectures about tides, weather conditions, how to use the chart and maps to navigate and decide our next destination. After that, we started to prepare the boat and pulled up the fenders and untied the ropes. After that, we decided to head towards Southampton, but high winds were coming from the west which added difficulty to our journey.

Despite the wind, for the first time, we used our sails and tacked. It was really fun to do it ourselves. It was even more entertaining to watch all the staff in the kitchen fall over as the boat was inclining side to side. We now have to think about our meals for the next week as we are going to be in charge of them. As well as the project which we think will be about how weather conditions correlate with the sea. When we got back we went on a walk around Cowes. For dinner, Portwatch cooked fajitas and we finished the day by playing cards.

Anastasia & Gabriel​

Today we woke up at 7:30 and got breakfast ready for 8:00 for the rest of the crew. After breakfast we had some theory to do as we had a load of time because of the tides, we learnt about the tidal stream, points of sail and collision regulations. Then we had a chat from Paul about which ports we could potentially stay in the coming days depending on the weather and where we decide to go. Then we split the crew into below and above, above was to prep the boat for departure and the below was to do the engine checks, we then got going on our journey today from Cowes to Lymington. Our journey entailed going into a headwind so we got to practise our tacking skills. When we went to furl away our mainsail it got jammed so it took several attempts to get it back in. Then we motored into port, our docking process was great today so we are seeing improvement! We are cooking Spag Bol at the moment and then after supper, we will be using the posh bathrooms/showers which we are all looking forward to. The evening will be finished with playing cards (Cheat), more theory lessons and planning our passage for tomorrow.

Jasper and Alex​

Today, we woke up and had toast and cereal along with hot drinks for breakfast. Around 9am, once everyone had finished getting ready for the day we began planning our courses for today’s journey and for getting out of Poole Harbour tomorrow. We then sent 3 people to the shops with the meal plan for today and tomorrow’s breakfast, whilst the other 5 crew members began prepping the boat for a departure time of around 11am. We actually departed around midday. Whilst on our passage, we made sausage rolls and vegetables for lunch and we had this on the go to avoid wasting time. The journey was a bit rocky today and 3 members of our crew began to feel a bit sick. Once we arrived at the entrance to Poole Harbour, we all cheered up as there was not long to go! We put the sails away and went into Poole. Once we arrived at our final spot, we finished putting the boat to bed and then went off into Poole for an hour of free time. When we returned the port crew began the meal prep for a pasta bake, it turned out to be a great success and we may repeat it later in the journey! We are now finishing up for the day and plotting our route for tomorrow, I will keep you updated!

Archie & Gabriel​

Today we woke up at 6.30am so we could get ready to leave Poole Marina by 7am. On our way out, the Starboard Watch made pancakes for breakfast, we then cruised on from Poole to East Cowes on the motor as there was not enough wind to sail.

On our journey, we discussed some competent crew content and also went over our knots. We looked out for lobster pots and took pictures of the clouds and sea state for our group project.

We came into East Cowes and docked up independently led by Ella. Once the boat was secured we got ready to go out and do a food shop at the Co-op. Dinner was fish and chips with peas. We finished going over the competent crew content and made a plan for leaving for Portsmouth tomorrow.

Ella and Molly

Today was the fifth day of our expedition including training. It started pretty grim and gloomy as it was heavily raining and cold. Hence the start was a bit rough and we were a bit disorganised but we got better at the end of the day.

We went from East Cowes to Portsmouth. We left the port at 10:30 and arrived at Portsmouth at 14:17 so the journey was not that long. To be honest, it was a bit miserable in the morning because of the rain and hail, but at ten, as the sun came out, the mood elevated quickly. Some snacks (jelly babies) also helped to keep the team’s spirit. However, one thing that I understood is that sharing experience makes you understand people better and I found out about it through talking to everyone while we were sailing. In general, it was a fun last day of sailing and it made everyone work better as we knew it was the last opportunity.

During the day cooking was a bit difficult as the water was choppy. For lunch the other watch cooked posh rigatoni with spinach and pesto, and at dinner my watch was making two types of chilli. With none of us having any experience making it, it was a tad difficult and descended into chaos. Otherwise, the day was trying but with it being the final day of sailing we were determined to make the most of it, and therefore we put in the effort and ended up having a great time. :]

Anastasia and Helena​

We woke up at 7.30am got ready and tidied the boat for the arrival of Mike, our D of E Assessor. Starboard watch made bacon rolls which we all had when Mike arrived. Today we were being assessed for our Gold D of E Expedition so we were asked to complete various tasks.

First, we had to give Mike briefs about the different safety things we had learnt about the boat. We then had to tell him how we would get the boat ready for departure, even though we were not going anywhere due to the weather conditions. We have had gale force winds all day and they are still blowing as we write this. Then we did a passage plan from Portsmouth to Bucklers Hard. After, we had lunch and then were asked to show our knots using strawberry laces. Once we had shown Mike that we had tied them correctly, we got to eat them. Port watch then presented our project to Mike and then Starboard presented the meal plan. Mike told us we all successfully passed our D of E.

We were shown around the Challenger boat by Ian before going to Café Nero with Sarah for hot chocolates and cake. Once we got back we started prepping dinner whilst Starboard watch went to Tesco to buy more food for the meal. We made BBQ chicken, mash potato and veg which turned out very good. We then tidied up, had showers, played some cards and went to bed for the final time on board the Good Ship Tenacity of Bolton.

It will be the end of our adventure/expedition tomorrow and we will conclude by having breakfast, packing, tiding the boat and getting our certificates (hopefully).

Bryanston School signing out.

Molly, Ella and Alex​