Challenger 1 – CHILTERN HILLS ACADEMY

We arrived at Poole in the late in afternoon after an excellent sail. The weather was really good, there was a gentle breeze and the temperature reached about 26 degrees later in the day. The sea was reasonably calm to begin with. Leaving the harbour at Cowes was not a new experience, we did the same the day before, we are slowly learning to work and cooperate in a team. The journey to Poole would be long, but once we continued we soon realised that as more activities became available to do on the ship that the time would soon be quickly passing by. During the day we visited the beech and we anchored down the ship at sea and we then got into a dingy and we went towards the shore. The waves were mainly calm on the way over there and there was also very little wind in the air. When we arrived at the beach it was still very humid as we got there late in the afternoon. We stayed there for around 2 hours, during this time we swam in the sea and enjoyed playing numerous games. Naturally we were then enjoying sun bathing in the highs of 28 degrees. It soon became apparent that we would soon have to return to the boat, which from the shore seemed very far.

We arrived at Gunwharf Quays we had just had our lunch and began learning about the boat and the people we would be sharing the journey with. This part was quite easy, we gathered all the necessary information, with acquired skills such as terminology, knowledge of ropes and holds such as the Oxo knot, elephant ears, clove hitch, bow line and many more, however when we actually  got round to doing what was required we seemed to forget everything. Setting off of the harbour was a new experience for everyone. At first the boat was unsettling, we became a little disorientated, but soon adjusted to the movement of the boat. The wind although quite low, didn’t stop the atmosphere from being great and we were able to unpack the sail bags ‘successfully’. The trip got off to a great start!

After gently cruising away from Gun Warf Quays and the Spinnaker Tower we were no longer ‘land dwellers’ but a crew. We began to familiarise ourselves with the boat, learning key aspects, features and how to maintain the boat. We learnt how to attach the sails, how to raise the sails and hoist them upwards. This was naturally a challenging task as it required a lot of endurance, strength and the will not to let go. We came across a technique called sweating which is quite fitting as a name for pulling on the ropes. This technique (not exuding) was exhausting as we all experienced it for ourselves. The ropes needed to be winched, which again took some hard work (a recurring theme that is going to repeat itself). The ropes had to be pulled to ensure they were tight, our hands have taken a beating as well.

After our training we proceeded through towards the Isle of white where we would enter port at Cowes. Upon arrival we helped alter the boat to enter the harbour on our starboard side (some terminology being put into use) we were able to adjust to a seafarer’s life quite well. We are all exhausted and have earned a rest and a long sleep. We will be rising up nice and early to start the day. We are all happy and ready for tomorrows challenging events.

Signed by Matt, Adam, Rishi,Marcus,Toby, Gemma,Kitty,Nimra,Olivia