We left school on a minibus to come to Portsmouth where we began the trip. We learnt safety procedures and how to raise and lower the sails. We had lunch and then left to go to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. On the way, we took it in turns to steer the boat.

Later, we cooked dinner and learnt more about how the boat works. There’s lots of ropes and they all have different roles.

The boat is smaller than I thought it would be, but I think it’s cozy!

By Lottie.

Chantelle: We started the day with the adventure of mast climbing, seeing the wonderful views of Yarmouth and other towns on the island from above.

Our wonderful Mate instructed us on how to climb. There was a little bit of sweating, like actual sweating, and from what I learnt today sweating, is also what it’s called when we pull the rope or ropes to hoist either a person or a sail.

We then put up the Mainsail, which was the hardest task of the day and the wind was pushing us. It was interesting to learn how the wind and Mainsail operate.

We also had some time to relax and chill, before getting back to work again of course.

I learnt that I am in Starboard watch, and our Watch Leader Mark is the very nice man in charge of our group.

While we were near Poole, I took over the wheel and lead us closer to the marina. The Skipper eventually took over the helm once again, but it was fun to do some driving.

SUCCESS IS NOT ALL ABOUT THE STRENGTH BUT YOUR ATTITUDE.

Freya: We woke up and started the day by having some pancakes, made by Matt and Mark. We woke up 10 to 15 minutes earlier than the other watch to lay the table, and sit on the comfy seats before they had the chance!

After breakfast, we got to climb the mast and I got to go first. I climbed all the way to the top and there was an amazing view. You could even see over to Lymington, and all the boats tethered onto the buoys. We were next to a ferry as well, so you could see everyone who walked on and off, people waving, smiling and taking videos. Everyone was so friendly.

Then we got ice-cream from a nearby shop. I personally went for a mint choc chip, we got to eat them on the pier. An amazing view and definitely somewhere I want to visit again.

We then set sail, after a trip to the washing block. The engine was on to start off with, then when we got going we put the sail up.

It was a great day, steering, getting to hang out at the front of the boat, and learning new skills.

After a few hours, we got to Poole where there was an amazing view. We had to take the sail down and I got to stand on the mast to guide the sails either side.

Later, we played a game of football then ate fish and chips for dinner.

Overall, so far it has been an amazing time and I have loved every minute of this trip.

We set off from Poole at 10:30 and the wind was quite light. We put all three sails up and it was very hot. We practiced our man overboard drill and Martin saved Terry from drowning.

We dropped Freya off in Lymington and then we packed up all the sails and set off for Cowes. Paul’s watch was cooking and we made spaghetti bolognese.

After we moored, we went for a walk and played football, the teams were in watches for the grand finale! Mark’s watch got battered 8-5 and eventually gave up. Paul’s watch (the better watch) got off to a rough start but ended up winning.

By Lotti and Daisy.