We all boarded the ship at one o’clock and started getting everyone ready for our journey ahead before we left around half past four. We raised the mainsail not long after leaving port, and we motor-sailed the whole day, with the first watch starting at 5, but it wasn’t a full watch.

We had delicious fajitas at 7, courtesy of Port Watch. After dinner, we had downtime to chill, sleep, read or socialise. The last watch of the day started at ten and ran until one the next morning, and anyone who didn’t sleep earlier definitely made sure to get some shut-eye before the next long-haul watch.

Port Watch woke up to the sun already risen at 0630 and the smell of eggs and bacon for breakfast, all thanks to Starboard Watch. Once we switched watch, we then had an amazing visit from a pod of dolphins swimming at our bow and sides. Wales was in the distance, and we were heading for the Llŷn Peninsula.

Once we arrived, we set anchor at Porth Dinllaen around 0920 and did some basic tasks until 1230, when we started to lay out lunch for the crew. Following lunch, the watch switched, and members of Port Watch chose to either sleep, lie on the deck, talk or play cards.

We were all advised at around 1500 to go and get a touch of sleep if we hadn’t already. We are due to rig the mainsail and cast off for 2300 and sail further south.

We were already up at the very first hour of the day, long before the sun had dared get a grip on the horizon with even the thinnest of his fingers. We had just sailed from the little bay in the middle of Wales, where stood broken mountains and low hills, home to a few wholesome houses built in some old style.

We had bid farewell to the little anchorage point and looked at the distance to the unclear islands and bits of mainland, and the country of hills, small and grassy or huge and covered in rocks, that stood to our port and slowly evolved as the hours passed slowly in the bone-freezing cold under the starry skies; said sky, which stayed unmoving and unchanged, except for the shooting stars that would dart across every few minutes.

We kept on our way and even raised the Yankee and staysail, the additional push allowing us to proceed in almost complete silence, since the motor was no longer needed. We passed a few bays and hills crowned by circles of black stones as the sun rose blinding, making the water seem as if beaten copper under a lighthouse’s light.

We even got to see a small island, standing surrounded by steep cliffs some thirty metres up from the water. Flat and covered in grass it was, with a few lonely homes in this same dated style the country around seems to keep.

Finally, around ten o’clock, we completed some operations that I could not truly describe for their complexity, dropped the front sails, and set anchor in another bay much like the first one, but home to a little beach of fine sand that one could have access to when the tide was low.

This was called Musselwick in Pembrokeshire. There we spent the rest of the day swimming in the frigid water or resting under the sun, and as I write, we have just eaten a good plate of pasta bolognese and are getting ready for sleep – or, for some, ready to be woken up in the middle of the night to stand watch.

Got up at 4am to do our 4-hour shift – as Sam (skipper) put it, a tougher watch, but a better sleep – which I had benefited from beforehand and was energised and able to continue watch.

The sun rose as we sailed, and aside from a lot of cockpit sitting, we also worked with the sails according to conditions, like taking down the Yankee. After that, we went down to make breakfast. I was able to keep focused during the commotion, which could become overwhelming, and we had a delicious breakfast.

Our watch then could rest while the others worked, but I decided to stay up as I was full of energy, and enjoyed being above deck and helped the other watch with their duties. I am fortunate that I did not feel tired later on.

In the spirit of challenging myself, I offered to make drinks for everyone, and after a bit of a longer than usual time spent making the drinks on my own, and trying to organise myself and remember how things were used, I managed to make 5 drinks, including one for myself, which I reckoned would improve my skills in the galley for making meals, too.

After that, we went on deck and did some tacking through a narrow tidal race called Ramsey Sound. We did it maybe 4 or so times, and with us all crammed between the cockpit entrance and the stern, the boat sailing quickly and tipping over at a good 45-degree angle, and pulling on rope and winch for ages at a time, being left into great exhaustion, we were really tested in keeping our heads cool, listening, making sure we knew what to do, following instructions and keeping up our strength at the same time.

We then sailed to a bay, during which I learned about sailing in the right direction in relation to the wind and surroundings. I volunteered to go and help with putting things away at the mast, and then we had the most spectacular lunch.

We went out to swim, and enjoyed some good craic and fought our fears to jump into the cold water. After some chilling on deck, we made dinner. I myself felt fried in the heat at this point but carried on with the help of our watch and managed to put together the dinner just fine.

On Day 5, we set sail at 10 o’clock, sailing until 8 o’clock the next day, when we stopped temporarily an hour away from Falmouth due to complications with the anchor. During the journey, we appropriately swapped watches every six hours during the day and every four hours during the night, allowing all our crew members (except Sam, unfortunately) to get an adequate amount of sleep each.

During the night, the waves were especially large, and the ship even tilted at close to 60 degrees, which led to a few incidents of sea spray hitting some people. However, despite the added difficulty, it was, in turn, very much fun.

At 8am, upon arrival at our temporary stop, Starboard Watch served a delicious breakfast of sausages and cheese muffins, which were keenly enjoyed by the crew. Two hours later, after confirming that the anchor issue had been fixed, we again set sail towards Falmouth, while continuing our prior tidying up of the boat that we had started after breakfast.

Upon arrival and successfully mooring, Port Watch soon started preparing lunch of potatoes, cheese and beans. However, the main attraction only started afterwards, as the crew was given the option to get off the boat and explore Falmouth and its views. Many even got the opportunity to buy some extra food for themselves, ranging from fish and chips to pizza.

All in all, it was a successful day, with the sun coming out ideally for our visit.

Today we woke at 7am, had breakfast, and sailed for four hours to Fowey. We hoisted all three sails and practised different sailing tasks.

I struggled with the sweating technique and keeping in time with my partner, but found I was much better working in the snake pit. I also practised adjusting the mainsail using my knowledge of wind direction and would like to improve my sweating technique.

We learned about flares and how to safely deal with fires on board. During the man-overboard drill, we successfully rescued the dummy, but communication was unclear and people were often given the same instructions. I think assigning specific roles would make the drill more effective.

When tidying the boat before going ashore, I worked hard, stayed focused, and completed tasks without going on autopilot. Later, while cooking dinner, I found chopping onions slow and realised that effort alone is not enough — I need to work smarter as well as harder.

Despite the heat and pressure, I really enjoyed cooking and stayed motivated throughout.

Our last day aboard Challenger began with a 6am wake-up and a slick, well-organised preparation before slipping lines at 6:30am.

During the passage to Plymouth, we completed the final elements of our Competent Crew training and were rigorously tested on our knot-tying skills, sailing knowledge and everything we had learned throughout the week.

After a few hours underway, we arrived alongside at Mayflower Marina, where we carried out a thorough deep clean of the boat.

With the practical work complete, we gathered for a final debrief and certificate presentation, marking the end of an incredibly rewarding experience.

We then said our goodbyes and began our journeys home, hopefully leaving the boat not only with a new qualification, but as more fulfilled, confident and empowered people.