Martha and Liam – The Tails of the Challenger.

Once upon a time, 10 young inexperienced sailors arrived at Cardiff Marina. When the clock struck 4:20, they harnessed the wind in their sails and ventured out into the Welsh ocean. The waves shook the vessel; the walls tightened in on us as they passed through the narrow lock. As they entered the Bristol Channel, they felt the ocean wind on their faces, feeling the true purpose of their lives for the first time.

Eight unforgettable hours later, they saw Lundy Island. They sat at the front of the boat watching the sunset with their newfound friendships. The crew were getting hungry, so the best cooks in the group went to make dinner in the galley. Tears fell from the cook’s face as he slaved over the stove, preparing the stir-fry for the crew. They gathered in the galley for a hearty meal before heading to their beds.

After a wonderful night’s sleep, they woke up ready for the next day to the smell of warm, toasty bagels. These fuelled them for the day ahead of exploring Lundy Island. They got on a dinghy and paddled into the cove. They ventured into a cave, where they were met by a gargantuan seal staring back at them. They scrambled up the cliff edge to the lighthouse, where they sat to eat lunch before walking back down.

They sat on the pier with their newfound friendships. The water looked so inviting they decided to go for a swim. They jumped and jumped and jumped until they couldn’t jump no more. The dinghy came back to collect them, but there was no rest yet. They had to raise the anchor and prepare to set sail around the island.

We gathered on the deck to learn the art of the rope. Then we ate another lovely dinner before settling into our beds for a good night’s sleep.

Today we woke up off the coast of Lundy Island with the sun shining down on our boat. After a lovely breakfast of tea and crumpets with our fellow crewmates, we headed out onto deck. As a fully fledged team, we hoisted the sails ready for our very rocky day of sailing ahead.

With the sail preparations we completed the night prior, we hoisted the sails with speed and headed out onto the rough and rocky seven seas. With the ship now tilted on its port side, we clambered around the high side of the ship. Unfortunately, some of our fellow sailors had sea sickness but prevailed through the odd vomiting and still contributed valuable help when called upon, showcasing their engagement and selfless teamwork skills.

When sailing, we made countless beverages, mainly consisting of cups of tea that eventually ended up strewn across the cabin walls. Many of our fellow crewmates got rocked to sleep by the lull of the waves, although the odd salty shower woke them from time to time.

After a long day of sailing, the beautiful Swansea came into view on the horizon. We promptly worked as a team to disengage the sails and hoist them down. We then utilised the motor on our sailing ship and motored into Swansea Marina. After a tight squeeze through the locks, we then parked up on the visitor’s pontoon; unfortunately, we couldn’t stay.

We had crewmates positioned up and down the deck of the Challenger 1, each tasked with a different duty that they had to complete in order for us to safely dock. Thankfully, our team of sailors combined our learnt skills and pulled off the best docking that Swansea Marina has ever seen!

We began by being rudely awakened by the sound of the generator blasting our little dreams away. We then began our day by waking up to the beautiful sight of Swansea Marina (oh how beautiful she was).

Then starboard watch made a divine brekkie, made up from leftover crumpets and burnt bagels. But no rest for the weary… straight to work! Mate (Mark) had us laying on the ground reorganising the sails (twice).

Then our little excursion to Swansea began. As a collective, we all saw the ins and outs of Swansea, led by the locals (Liam and James). We paid a visit to the King of Burgers for second breakfast, then skipped to Wine Street, popped into Tesco, and picked up essentials… V-Bucks.

As we were held up by our special adventure to Jo’s Ice Cream, which had the most succulent creams of all time, time may have slipped away from us, but it was worth it for the booty.

Once back on board, we were given the gracious opportunity to climb the mast for a better view of our new home… Swansea. We were then left to melt under the sweltering heat, whilst grazing on nachos made by port watch.

Our difficult journey began, starting by attempting to leave Swansea Marina, led by our wonderful skipper. It felt hard to leave behind such an elegant city, which almost felt like our new home.

We sailed until we had a MAN OVERBOARD!! But not to be scared, as it was a training exercise, which we carried out to perfection of course. After, we were then led to drop the sails in order to slow down and park the boat in Oxwich Bay.

Now we are beginning to mentally prepare ourselves for the long and cold night we have ahead of us. Hopefully you will hear from us again…

James and Will R