Staring into the distance, awaiting our maritime adventure, the Tenacity of Bolton. Crew members of all cultures as far as Geneva and Italy; introducing ourselves with post it notes about our lifestyles with our Watch Leader having done loop di loops in a stunt plane and our Skipper Adam, having sailed for India despite being a British national. After this we were given a grand tour of our home sweet home for the next week, feeling like we were in the white house. Then, we embarked on our exhilarating trip in search of adventure. Finding some poor tourists on a raft with a prop wrap with a Jet Ski. Like the humongous-hearted people we are, we went over to them to make sure that they were alright, which thank the lord, they were not in peril. Soon after this, we dropped our anchor and agreed on a dinner plan like the democrats we are on a delicious dinner plan for the coming week, which would be lovingly prepared by our fantastic made in Italy private chef. Enjoying a scrumptious Spag Bol made by yours truly and had an intense discussion about leadership qualities and now we do longingly await our day of sailing tomorrow.

Darsh, Dom and George

For breakfast this morning we had cereal. For lunch we had ham and cheese sandwiches and the ham was very delicious.

After breakfast we were assigned the task of plotting the days route. One watch planned our circuit around the solent, while the other plotted the passage into Cowes. Both tasks were completed successfully. After a lovely trip across the solent dodging oil tankers and ferries, we made our way towards cowes, where we then proceeded up the river medina to refuel and find our berth for the night.

We refuelled at Cowes and it was very interesting to watch the numbers go up for our boat.“It wasn’t cheap”, George remarked.

The dog at the diesel station was very cute though, and it took a well deserve rest after sniffing everyone on the land. I think it really liked me.

After an arduous trek through Cowes’ high street, we acquired a very stylish and fashionable captain hat from a sailing shop. “Its wizard!!” one said.

For the sanity of our crew, we restocked the food for the week at Sainsbury with our budget of £205 before spending conservatively on 6 bags worth of food. It was a very hard decision to not buy better teabags (English breakfast tea) because we already have loads on board (Tetley teabags).

We await with great anticipation the coming of tomorrow, that we may continue our adventure.

Dom, Nelly and George

This day started off with a scrumptious breakfast served by the crew. Realising we hadn’t acquired the necessary supplies for our journey, Adam and Darsh embarked on a nail-biting journey to Sainsbury’s. To further better ourselves on this tall ships expedition, we listed down and shared our personal development goals for the rest of the week. We then completed our regulatory engine check in the form of an educational lesson. Letting our lines to slip and letting our hearts slip away from the splendiferous Cowes Yacht Haven, we set sail for Studland Bay. Once we were underway, we began to make lunch, and this is where things started to get wild. The waves crashed over the bow offf the ship like in an action film. Foolishly choosing to eat, most of the people on the boat began to feel seasick until we battled our way through to the other side of the squall. After this, we saw the stunning Studland Bay. We then continued on our passage to Studland Bay where we chose our area to anchor and had the most delicious dinner, served by the crew. We then washed up and planned our passage for the day after, before going to bed, feeling that we had achieved the impossible.

Alex, Anna and Darsh​

Today, we started off the day by having a wonderful breakfast consisting of some heartful croissants prepared by our crew before embarking on our wild journey towards Weymouth. This started with man over board drills and picking up buoys using mooring lines. We then exited Studland Bay and battled our way through a force six wind and high waves which was a very enjoyable experience, however our very beloved Captain’s hat became broken in the chaotic weather and fell overboard, unfortunately, we hadn’t noticed until much later on and we will continue to mourn this dreadful loss across the rest of this expedition. We then continued sailing with no end in sight going through the overfalls just outside of Weymouth, having fun bouncing up, down, left and right like we were in a blender being turned into a mouth-watering milkshake and a few of our crew sunbathing on the Maldives like beach of our stern deck. Then out of nowhere, the stunning seaside town of Weymouth slithered into our view and we frantically took down the sails, motored towards the anchorage and anchored up close to shore knowing there were going to be some glamourous washing facilities wanting to be used up. Using the tender to help us cross the serene waters of the harbour and unite with our Challenger brethren before pillaging the showers. Feeling relieved yet ten feet taller as we knew we had heavenly Michelin-Star dinner awaiting us on the boat made by Alex and Adam. Now we await an impending storm due to arrive tomorrow morning and continue to pray to the Gods for our dearest Captain’s hat to be returned

Alex, Anna and Darsh

Well, that was eventful.

Our day started out rather earlier than usual when the weather decided that 3 in the morning was really quite a good time to take a turn for the worst. The anchor was hastily raised and we made for a more sheltered anchorage inside Portland harbour. Having arrived and anchored safely we all returned below decks and collapsed back into our bunks to resume our now well-deserved rest.

We awoke slightly later than usual that morning, and after kitting ourselves out with every waterproof item of clothing on board, we prepared to raise the anchor again and make the short trip across the harbour into the marina where we would wait out the foul weather. Raising the anchor proved to be slightly challenging, but, inspired by Darsh’s boundless enthusiasm following having found out he had achieved some truly amazing GCSE results, we managed to haul the stubborn chain in and begin making our way towards the awaiting marina.

After finding our berth we again withdrew below deck to dry off and have some extremely welcome warm food and drinks.

In the afternoon we took a small time out from the ship and caught a bus up to visit Portland Bill lighthouse, where we beheld the magnificent and somewhat hypnotic sight of the waves breaking on the coast below. Awed by the spectacle we returned to the bus stop and caught the bus back to the marina, enjoying the sights of Portland as we did.

Upon our return, we finalized the meal plans for the next few days, including preparing a shopping list which was very quickly put to use. After a quick break to take advantage of the marina facilities, all efforts were concentrated on the preparation of dinner, a Thai green curry which was exceptionally well received by everyone.

George

This morning we woke up in Portland marina after a rocky sleep alongside. We all had a lie in as preparation for the night sail later on. We all took the opportunity to use the shore facilities after many nights at anchor.

Thought the day we experienced lessons from the crew and from each other across many topics such as meteorology, colregs, day shapes, night navigation as well as transits. It was nice to learn from each other and observe different leadership styles. We have organised the preparation of the watch system tonight and are all very excited for a night navigation exercise.

Dom

A glamorous ratatouille was freshly and adoringly prepared by the crew and devoured within moments with great relish. 1830 loomed over us all like the storm clouds of the previous day. We saluted respectfully as we buried this precious moment deep in our hearts, departing Portland Harbour. Briefly comparing weapon drill (with a broomstick) from different cadets just in case we wanted to petrify any impending adversaries. Starboard watch tried to tuck themselves into bed and failed with a miserable 66.7% not passing into slumber. The other watch enjoyed a picturesque sunset worthy of a Bob Ross painting (there was no sun at all). Lobster pots being spotted as commonly as Mayday calls in the Solent (Thank you Solent coast guard). The below-deck was as chaotic as a game of spoons, anything and everything being catapulted from one end of the Tenacity of Bolton to the other. Marshmallows one second, bricks the next. Reminded of the time where we witnessed a sailor take flight for the first time; with Martha being hurtled ferociously across the saloon. Port watch swiftly handed over the helm after having made substantial ground, looking forward to the warm, comforting bed that awaited them. Throughout the night, we overdosed on copious amounts of caffeine and hot chocolate, stared profoundly into the dark night skies, enjoying some biscuits and hot soup, almost being assassinated by a semi airborne fishing vessel, with zero navigation lights and zooming along at what felt like Mach 2; before being joined by an uninvited guest which was an unrelenting downpour, soaking our ship but not dampening our morale as we powered through the night towards our final destination. Portsmouth. Arriving in the shadow of the spinnaker tower, our journey having come full circle, the seven days we spent together barely having felt like 2. So much that we had achieved, but nothing that could’ve achieved without the endearing crew being led by Adam, Martha and Raj. Reminiscing the type 2 fun that we experienced and the bonds that we made along the way. (I was forced to write this). Ultimately, this momentous voyage was summarised best by our companion Dom…

“Wicked.”

Alex, Anna, Darsh, Dominic, George, Nelly​