By Bella and Anna

We arrived in Greenock on a calm Saturday, boarded Challenger 1 and became familiar with our bunks and our bunkmates. We soon set sail towards Holy Loch, having a spin around the Clyde as we put the sails up and down and practised tacking.

Anna saw a porpoise and we all gazed upon a seal. As we moored up, gannets dramatically splooshed.

We set sail in the morning, filled with crumpets and ready for the 175 nautical miles to Dublin.

With engine trouble below, we drifted while tying knots, and ducks overtook us. The occasional porpoise gently breached. Eventually, Martha and Mike emerged triumphant, and we began our watches.

We went to sleep as the other watch gazed upon the Isle of Arran, as the Hebrides began to disappear behind us. When we emerged, they had made us scrumptious tea, and once we were well fed, they disappeared to bed.

Early on in our watch, we saw the splashes of cetaceans (whales), and soon we found common dolphins bow-riding in the draining daylight. We were treated to a beautiful sunset over Ireland as we tried our hands at the helm.

The biscuits, especially the Custard Creams and Jaffa Cakes, vanished before our eyes, and the stars began to twinkle above us as we worked in the moonlight.

At 11pm, it was time for handover. Bella made tea for the weary sailors, and soon we hit the hammocks!

Starlink satellites and meteors were spotted in the midnight sky as they followed the coast of Galloway.

At 3am, we struggled out of bed. Dan made us tea to soften the blow, and we wrapped ourselves up warm and gazed upon the Milky Way.

We encountered a mysterious fishing boat not on AIS, and not soon after, a great big boat was heading straight towards us. But we kept our heads and kept our course as they sped up, and we avoided a collision.

A green glow began to come in from the east, which became a sunrise in a rainbow of colour. A razorbill noisily greeted the sun, and we lost sight of all but a thin slip of the Irish coast.

We cooked bacon, and Ed set the pan on fire, but it was all good. The leaders were surprised by how calm Anna was when she asked for help. Lizzie saved the day — no more burning boats.

Our final changeover meant a morning nap. Anna woke up early and Bella was conked out.

As we approached Dublin, there was a man-overboard Mayday from a cruise ship while we put down the staysails, and Bella was still asleep.

We started to get our mainsail down, excited that we could practically smell Dublin, but there was a kerfuffle and Martha got hoisted up to deal with it multiple times (4/5 times), with a mallet, screwdriver and Co-op bag for life, and a bit (a lot) of brute force and patience.

Eventually, it came free after a good hour or so, as we went round in circles avoiding weird cruise ship mini-boats, a reef and a marker buoy.

With haste, we finally got into Dublin and lunch (halloumi wraps — yummy!) was made.

The showers were our target, and the canal boat showers were interesting… the marina ones were much nicer.

The sails were fixed and we packed them away before an excursion into Dublin, where we enjoyed Irish-language signs, TRAIN!, Gay Spar, The Temple Bar and delicious ice cream and crepes, before going to Tesco and saying Slán to Dublin as we rode the train back to Dún Laoghaire, looking out at the glistening sea.

Martha had made us a lovely beef/tofu stew, and we relaxed after a long journey all the way to Dublin.

Tomorrow we wake up early and make for Falmouth, hopefully with views of Wales on the way, to finish the Celtic Quartet.

6 o’clock start with a delicious gruel of porridge made by A-Watch Watch Leader Andy.

We prepared to leave Dún Laoghaire for the sunny southern coast of England. We set sail at 7:30, with all hands on deck preparing to hoist the mainsail, with a team of sweaters ready at the mast.

Zulu Warriors Watch prepared to catch Zzzzzzzz’s, whilst the A Team dodged a minefield of lobster pots and got started on the biscuit box.

The A Team, on the dot at 11:00, opened up the Challenger sandwich bar. However, a couple of crew members had already fallen victim to seasickness.

Once lunch was done with, A Watch tried to stay in their bunks without falling out, and Z Watch very gracefully washed out the sick bucket. This was when we learnt to not trust the handle on the sick bucket, as it broke and we were one bucket down with none to spare.

Day merged into night, and before not too long, Z Watch were on deck between the hours of 19:00 and 23:00 in the pouring rain in the rough of the Celtic Sea. Biscuits burned heavily.

It felt eerily quiet as there were very few other vessels and land was nowhere to be seen, which reminded us of how small we all are in this world.

When helming, it was hard to know whether we were on course or not, as obviously there were very few landmarks.

Day rose to the smell and sound of eggs frying and the last night watch being relieved. The sick had found their sea legs again and were back on full form in Alpha Watch.

Whilst Zulu Watch was circled for a few minutes by a Navy helicopter, by now several vessels were in sight and on course to bear near, including one which we feared was a pirate ship. However, luckily, one crew member brought binoculars, which we used to repel the worry.

As we drew closer to Falmouth, boats were criss-crossing us from left, right and centre, which was no match for the team of Alpha lookouts and helmers on A Watch.

Everyone arose from below to help moor up, which was quite a challenge, with multiple sail training vessels already tied up in a tight marina.

Once all tied up and ashore, A Watch cooked up a storm in the form of a risotto, which was a sailing first for many and was mostly well received.

After dinner, we had the chance to go for a shower, and upon returning, we commenced writing this blog.

Tomorrow a new adventure awaits….

After waking up and eating some breakfast, we began a deep and thorough clean of the boat, alongside a much-needed tidy-up on deck.

After showering and getting ready for the day, we headed into town and began our exploration of Falmouth. Not only did we stock up on food, but we also ventured into bookshops and pasty shops galore.

After we returned from our jaunt around Falmouth, we gathered below deck for a team meeting to decide our next steps.

With Force 8 winds approaching, we had to make a decision: play it safe with the South Coast or reach out through the Channel to Guernsey.

We chose Guernsey.

After three cheers for TS Royalist, we departed for our trek through the Channel.

Along the journey, it became apparent we were experiencing the calm before the storm. Sun shining through the sea, dolphins were leaping beside us.

Between dodging lobster pots and ships, we had a later lunch that was followed by a much-needed gybing practice.

With good vibes and evening gybes, we began to tire. After the successful gybe training, half the team went to bed (but the work had only just begun for some).

A calm night full of hot drinks and biscuits under a sky illuminated by the moon. Uncertain of the exacts, we awaited a lunar eclipse.

After a slight timing misunderstanding and a very tired crew, the red moon was enjoyed by a lot of the team.

After the awe and excitement of the lunar eclipse, we could see a different form of light on the horizon.

Guernsey was in sight.

While half the crew were asleep, the others worked tirelessly to come alongside into the marina.

For everyone else, the prompt arrival into Guernsey was a pleasant shock!

We were rewarded with a much-needed morning nap.

After being met with a leisurely breakfast, we then cleaned and prepped the deck some more. It was all hands on.

This hour is what we colloquially name “Happy Hour”, which includes scrubbing the heads (toilets) from top to toe.

The litmus test for Happy Hour is: if you can eat your toast on it, then that means it’s a job well done.

Next on the agenda, we had a mission of the morning, with special orders to go into town and replenish vital food supplies.

Side quests consisted of sunglasses and swimsuit sourcing in preparation for our downtime in the tidal pool.

There was also a quick pit stop in a model shop, where we felt like ransacking the shelves of all their model kits.

We regrouped at 12:45 to finish off the mission we started, with everyone lending a hand to carry the provisions.

After we offloaded our goods into the belly of Challenger 1, we broke for lunch.

The afternoon was a chance for much-needed downtime in the tidal pool.

We had high hopes that the temperature of the water would be warm, which sadly it was not ☹.

However, that did not stop us from having a good time. Whilst some dove and others flopped, everybody had a good time.

Once we had vacated the pool, we started heading back, with half of the group parting into town and the other half going on a mysterious hike.

After souvenirs were bought, we found our way back via the ice cream van and reconvened back at base for showers and a chance to touch base with those at home.

In consistent keeping with the vibe of the day, we are now casually waiting for a leisurely evening meal of fajitas and fun.

Ruby & Dan (Tian too)