Today was an adventure. We started off on a two-hour bus ride, leading to our introduction of our crew; Mike, Paul, Sharon and Sarah.

They were all very welcoming and showed us around the boat, setting out the rules of the ship, and teaching us various skills such as tying knots and how to use a winch.

It was all very exciting, as we’re all looking forward for our trip tomorrow. More specifically, we learned the knot called a “clove hitch”, which was hard at first but we all got the hang of it after a while of practising it. The clove hitch is used to tie the fenders to the side of the ship, so it doesn’t rub against other ships.

We learnt this while we motored to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. While the boys finished up on the deck the girls took their shift making dinner, which was chicken fajitas and was extremely good. After that the boys did the washing up and prepared to shower and eagerly thought of the following day, despite the predicted rain and harsh winds.

The boys and girls of King Edward School. 😊

Today we travelled from Cowes to Yarmouth, where we encountered force 7 winds. The increasing speed and toppling boat made a few crew members not so ‘jolly’. While the rest of our adrenaline junkies found the risked-filled voyage exciting and probably “one of the best sailing experiences” they’ve had.

We woke up late, around 0800, not a great start (time wise). Although, once we got the boat running and equipped, we picked up great waves and used the sails to get from location A to B in quick time.

We learned how to tie knots and hoist sheets. Preparing lunch was a treat as team ‘Starboard’ made a delicious meal of pasta, as well as dinner, made by team ‘Port’, which included spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread (a great variety!).

We want to commend everyone on how amazing they’ve been, helping around the boat and volunteering to do jobs and tasks. Everyone has taken to the jobs they were given throughout the day, and have been mature and respectful of others. It really has created a positive environment for everyone to learn and have fun.

India & Luiza. 😊

We set off from Yarmouth, a small village in the south of the Isle of Wight. The wind speed was 20 knots and the waves were roughly 1-2 meters tall! 🌊

We sailed past the Needles as you exit the Solent, the view was amazing and the wave height increased significantly as we were more exposed.

From our view we could see the chalk cliffs and the spikey rocks, on the cliffs we saw a large red lighthouse. The weather turned against us and the everything turned grey.

The storm was harsh and many people had a turn at steering the boat, which helped with the sea-sickness 🤢. We had a cup of vegetable soup and bread for lunch, which tasted delightful. At around 1715 we arrived at Weymouth and had fish and chips for dinner later.

Toby and Frankie. 😊

Today was eventful, in the morning we got to climb up the mast, which was amazing. We then went to the beach and had a nice ice cream and swim.

At around two o’clock we left and the sea and weather were in good condition for sailing, the sea was flat and the wind was around 10 knots.

We sailed past Durdle Door, which was great but suddenly only a couple of hours into the trip we were informed that one of the volunteer staff members felt unwell and that a rescue helicopter would fly over.

Soon after the helicopter arrived and skilfully flew the helicopter within metres of the top of the mast to lower a paramedic down to lift the crew member up.* It was a mix of nerves and fear. We arrived in Poole at around 1930 and we were all very tired and looking forward to a good dinner of mashed potatoes and sausages with an onion gravy, which everyone loved.

Toby, Theo and Frankie.

*We’re pleased to report that after a precautionary check up at the hospital, our volunteer crew member is fine and well and has rejoined the voyage. 🥰