We boarded Challenger 5 at 1:00pm. On arrival, we chose our bunks, and the adult crew showed us the ins and outs of the boat, both above and below deck. This included the sail locker, the cockpit, the helm and the operation of the heads.

After getting familiar with the layout of the boat, we split into our watches and decided what meals we would like to eat for the voyage, eventually landing on a mix of sandwiches and pastas that could be easily cooked in bulk for all of us.

Then, we began to prep the sails for tomorrow’s sail. We took the Yankee and the staysail out of their respective sail bags and then attached their sheets and ran the lines into the cockpit, securing them with a newly learnt Admiralty knot to stop the line going through the cleats.

To prepare us for the following day, we all learnt the proper way to use winches that let you control the sails. For example, it is very important that your pinky finger faces the winch to avoid losing your index finger, along with preventing another multitude of “missing a finger”-related problems.

Then, we returned below deck to unpack our bags and place our items in plastic tubs, which were placed into small cubby holes and secured with clips to prevent a spill of items on the floor when we do set sail tomorrow.

At 6pm, we, the “Jazzy Jellyfish” watch, began to prepare our first meal on the boat: chicken fajitas. After long debates about whether one of the crew was allergic to all colours of pepper or just the red ones specifically, food prep and cooking was well underway.

Then, at 7pm on the dot, dinner was served, and all 10 kids and 3 adults were crammed around the small saloon table to eat dinner. Finally, birthday cake was served.

Then, we went to the marina showers and began to wind down for the day and get ready for bed.

END

We all woke up at 8am for the “Witty Whales” watch to prepare the day’s breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast, which was served at 8:30am.

After eating and cleaning all the eggs off every pot, pan and plate, we began to change the mooring lines to slips and make various preparations to set sail to Lymington, albeit made easier by the previous day’s preparation.

Leaving the marina for the first time was exciting for all of us, but was quickly soured by the lack of wind and the realisation, which was informed by the skipper, that the Challengers need at least 10 knots of wind to not get dragged back into Portsmouth by the tide. So, the morning was spent motoring, with the mainsail up.

Lunch was sandwiches, which were quickly served after midday following the arduous task of buttering 24 slices of bread. We enjoyed them alongside crisps and fruit.

After lunch, at 3pm, we hoisted the Yankee and tootled into Lymington. At 5pm, we were alongside in Lymington, just in time to catch the ice cream shop before closing.

Once we had enjoyed our ice cream and finished wrestling three sails into their bags and stowing a lot of sheets and lines away, dinner preparations for bolognese were well underway. After many tears shed over cutting onions, dinner was served.

The Lymington showers were more than disappointing, but all the crew were in bed by 10pm for the return to Portsmouth tomorrow.

END

Waking up at 8am, we had a more rushed start than yesterday because of the threat of the tides withdrawing and trapping Challenger 5 in Lymington, so breakfast would have to wait until we were underway.

However, the said breakfast preparations would not prove difficult because there were not more than 2 knots of wind for the whole morning. At this point, we were more experienced with moving around the small galley, so that was no issue, but frying up 40 pieces of bacon in two small pans was.

Nevertheless, a breakfast of bacon baps with a variety of sauces was served above deck to the view of glass-like seas.

We hoisted the mainsail and motor-sailed along the Solent at a snail’s pace. We decided to raise the spinnaker pole for climbing.

Lunch was pizza pockets and was served around 1pm, after which a game of who could hoist the staysail the fastest was held. The winner was Tor in the children’s category and Luiz in the adult category.

The wind picked up after lunch and, for the first time on this trip, we turned the motor off and were properly sailing with the mainsail and the Yankee.

We were alongside back in Portsmouth by 5pm, and the long process of tidying up the boat, along with stowing three sails and a multitude of lines, was completed with 5 minutes to spare before our last dinner of chicken curry.

We got ready for bed and went to sleep.

END