Hello from Lymington Port! We started off the day at 6:30 am sharp after a long night of Mike’s snoring and soon prepared for a nice warm shower…or so we thought … they were freezing like the iced winds we sail with. After much complaining we settled for a range of breakfast cereals such as: cornflakes, Weetabix, oats and gluten free cornflakes. After we ate breakfast we got sized up for our waterproofs and life jackets.

Eventually, we left Portsmouth port at around 10:30 am where we motored to Cowes to refuel, once we were ready to sail we were shown how to rig the sails and work the winches like true sailors!  When we cast the main sails it felt like the boat was being lifted out of the water – so exciting!

Ellie, Leah and Hannah have all had a go at the helm, with the rest of us really looking forward to that adventure. We did A LOT of tacks as the wind was racing straight towards us. Eventually we arrived in Lymington; exhausted, excited and ready for tomorrow (bring it on!).

After a good night’s sleep, we got ready to set sail to Poole. We started the day with Skipper’s pancakes with: lemon juice and sugar, maple syrup and chocolate spread. After breakfast we prepared the deck ready to leave. Before we could go, however, we had to help the other boat leave as they were attached to our boat.

When we left Lymington the winds started to pick up (which we weren’t expecting) so we put up the sails ready to go. When the sails were up Macy took over on the helm while the rest of us helped with other jobs around the ship. After all the jobs were done we sat

In the cockpit while we went sightseeing to see the Needles and other exiting things. Louise, Tamsin and Bobbie also had a go at the helm later in the day.

We also did a man over board drill, just in case something went wrong, and Louise was the volunteer (don’t worry we didn’t throw her in). Everyone learned what to do and how to keep everyone safe on board.

Later, after arriving in Poole harbour we had a nice hot shower and ended the day with some fish and chips. We were all ready for the exiting adventures that the next few days would bring.

We woke up in Poole Harbour and had bacon rolls for breakfast. Starboard prepared the deck and Portside did the clean through of the boat, ready to set sail. Then we had a few spare hours to look around Poole Harbour and we spent some money. After we sailed away from the harbour, with Ellen at the helm, we put the sails up and enjoyed the view – we even saw Harry Redknapp’s house!

After some pasties for lunch – made by Starboard team, we climbed the spinnaker pole, which might not have been the best idea since we’d just had lunch – when Stacey and Mai took the helm. Then we relaxed with tea and cakes while enjoying some music.

We then learned how to flake the sail to put it away neatly and prepared to dock at Cowes. Originally, we docked at the pontoon, however, we had to change places meaning we had to dock attached to Challenger 2.To end the day of fun we cleared away the deck ready for the next day of sailing. After, we made vegetarian spaghetti bolognaise, had hot showers and got into bed in preparation for the night sail tomorrow.