We arrived at Portsmouth, got on our boats and met the lovely crew. We stepped outside and began   preparing our ship to set sail the following morning. Unfortunately, some people such as Georg had trouble adjusting to the rocking but those people upheld our school values and persevered, making the most of the afternoon/evening through the excitement of baking.

In true winter fashion, we had the excitement of a bake off. The starboard team seized the victory with their adaptation of gingerbread cookies. The scent in the air changed from cookies to fajitas, exactly what was served that night. The Port team cooked a delicious and delectable meal of juicy chicken fajitas which was amazing and satisfying for the crew.

We left Portsmouth for Yarmouth (a small, cute town) being a relief for many. We raised the sails and set off in the sun for a gruelling yet enticing adventure.  Despite a stormy night, today the wind died down and those who were sick started to feel more comfortable on board (everyone).

A challenging task was faced as while we were putting up the sails rather than only putting up only 3/4s or 2/4s of the sail, we put up all three sails to its fullest taking around half an hour but extremely rewarding. Following this, we had some delicious quesadillas made by Niko for lunch.

All of us onboard really enjoyed the food after a long day of strenuous and difficult obstacles.  The experience that we had today really improved our skills of sailing and teamwork, relying on each other to complete tasks but also with a little help from teachers. This included the M.O.B (man overboard) scenarios which started off stressful as we took this seriously knowing that this could happen at any moment. Afterwards we took off our cold, drenched clothes and went to cook, shower and unwind.

After a warm and relaxing shower, we snuggled into pyjamas and sat down to eat some mouth-watering bolognese. Dinner was filled with laughter and a warm atmosphere between everyone, creating a table radiating with warmth and kindness.

This morning, the Port team woke up at the crack of dawn to prepare a delicious and nutritious breakfast- scrambled eggs with bagels.

After an enjoyable meal, we immediately started to prepare the boat to leave Yarmouth; our sights set on beating Challenger 3 to Poole.  After previously learning the ropes and working together as a team, we managed to undock and put our sails up rapidly, already defeating Challenger 3 in the first part of our voyage. With the blue skies, fluffy clouds and the sun shining, there was a hint of excitement and a feeling that nothing could go wrong.

We continued our journey, successfully navigating through The Needles, finding some excellent examples of erosion and hydraulic action, such as Old Harry, allowing us to put our geographical knowledge to use. In addition, we had the opportunity to complete another M.O.B, led by Kitty, followed by some delicious baguettes, hot drinks and bucketfuls of laughter. With lifted spirits, we arrived at Poole, only to be showered with rain whilst we packed away the sails.

However, we persevered and managed to finish tiding up the boat with all of us relying on each other. Delighted to see a new yet familiar face, we met with Dr Nabarro, who took the place of Miss Middleton. With heavy hearts, we said farewell to Miss Middleton but acquainted ourselves with Mr Wood and Mrs Gaffney, who then took us for some delicious drinks at a local café, the hot chocolate being particularly delightful.

Following this, we were allowed to go to Tesco to buy some additional resources for our night at sea tomorrow. After some relaxing showers, we went to Challenger 3 for a wonderful and different dinner: domino’s pizza. We all indulged in some delicious pizza and drinks, filling our stomachs and providing us with lots of energy. Following Mrs Gaffney and Mr Wood’s departure, we went for a walk along the coast, to some grass, where many of us enjoyed playing Ultimate Tag.

Whilst returning to the boat, we spotted another rainbow/moonbeam on the way, we spent the rest of the evening playing Uno, bonding and unwinding.

With heavy hearts all woke to discover that the unfortunate final full day of sailing was upon us. Despite this the starboard watch made the delicious bacon rolls for breakfast for all to enjoy providing a perfect start to the day. Despite the solemn nature of the end being in sight the energetic, bubbly workflow co-existed and perhaps outshone the sadness we were due to experience in due time. The day passed by like the ones before it blending, cultivating with our memory yet with something unique. The day fled by like the graceful gulls gliding in the ocean wind beside our boat. With a certain grace we managed to put our sail up with the grace of a butterfly comedically proving to be the shape of the sails. It was a testament of our skill that has been gathered through the week with us taking on a challenge in true BCPK fashion which should have been achievement enough if we had failed yet that could not be further from the truth. We achieved a feat rarely achieved by other students our age obviously thrilling us. However, success was expected with the confidence lingering in the air due to the amazing guidance we were fortunate to receive on this amazing trip. We were also fortunate to receive amazing views either side. Instead of the ship staying at a port we anchored furthermore highlighting the unique nature of the day.  For dinner we cooked some chili reminiscing to the fajitas on the first day causing everyone to reflect on the week. Remembering everything that we learned and the connections forged on this magnificent trip.