Our adventure began at 13:00 as our crew boarded their home for the next few days – Challenger 4. After an introduction to our Skipper – Amy, First Mate – Giles and our sensational Watch Leader – Charlie, we were given a lovely tour around our beautiful boat where we learned everything from the intricacies of the layout below deck to where the ropes (or lines) are situated alongside the mast.

We headed to Cowes and docked up. We had fajitas for dinner, very fab.

After a melodic awakening from Charlie, a spoon and a metal bowl, we arose for a hearty breakfast of cereal. We set sail around 09:00 (the early bird gets the worm). We put up the main sail and the storm sail and set off towards Poole!

The crew’s moral was off the charts as Charlie equipped half our crew with buckets. Everything was perfect… until… a HUGE wave came out of NOWHERE, everyone on deck was sliding and everyone below deck even more so.

We came out of the vile, chunky wave with one minor injury. A super-cool, awesome lifeboat came to make sure our injured warrior was a-ok.

We docked up at Poole after a long, hard, tiresome day of sailing 30 miles. For lunch we had sausage rolls and pasties, after that we had some free time.

Dinner was fish and chips.

We all fell asleep soundly knowing that the crew of Challenger 4 lived to sail another day under the studious, trusted supervision of our inspiring, wonder-striking Watch Leader… Charlie.

After a Grasse matinee (we had enough worms left from yesterday), we stayed docked up at Poole for a fun-filled day of super sailing pursuits!

We scrubbed the deck and completed other boat-themed cleaning tasks to ensure Challenger 4 remains a beauty to behold and a blessing to wherever she docks.

After that we were let loose to hit the town, we trekked to the high-street, waved at trains, did our laundry, went to Taco Bell and enjoyed the experience that was the local way of Poole-people.

Later on we reunited on the boat and performed some man-overboard drills. We were equipped with harnesses, life jackets and helmets ready to be pulled up back onto the deck from the pontoon via a pulley system. Charlie pulled up the crew members (much to the amazement of the small family who were watching, awe-struck and beyond impressed from the dock).

For dinner we are making pizzas, Zoe is determined to perfect the tomato sauce, I have high hopes.

See you next year.

Happy New Year!

We begin today’s adventure at the soggy docks of a quaint little town adorning the south coast of England called Poole. The locals have an annual event of bathtub racing and this year the crew of challenger 4 were lucky enough to have the best seats in the house.

Once we had our share of entertainment, we confidently set sail at 11:00. Our intentions clear, to get our fab boat back safe at its home, Gunwharf.

Once we’d gained a hearty distance, we started our prep on some hearty dinner, you know the rules! 😉  We helmed, hoisted, shivered and ate. After that it was smooooth sailing!

That is until our engine failed and we had to call a lifeboat to take us back to Gunwharf. Our Watch leader, Charlie performed many, many, many impressive hoists, dance moves, and even made lunch to keep up the ship’s moral! What a guy!

We are now safely docked up at Gunwharf Quay, we’ve had our meatballs and they were proper fab. Tonight is our last night together; what a sad time.

See you next time!