During the first week of half term, students set sail on a Tall Ships voyage for five nights.
The Tall Ships Youth Trust posted a blog about the journey on their website. Read all about it below.
Day 1: Sunday, 20 October
Due to high winds, our boat wasn’t able to sail today so instead we started off with learning about the boat. The group of ten that we started with was separated into two groups of five and the groups split off to learn about above-deck and below-deck things. They showed us how the toilets work (the toilets are really weird, they are really loud and need to be pumped to flush them), and then they showed us the kitchen with a wobbly stove! They taught us how to make tea (very important information) then we went above deck. There we were shown the sails and all the things we could trip over, and we got lifejackets which were incredibly awkward to tighten and taught how to use a winch.
For dinner, we made pasta bolognese. We were on the cooking team and had to chop a lot of onions. It made us all cry, but the pasta was worth the suffering. It came with garlic bread. We then planned the route for the next day. Hoping for dolphin sightings.
Day 2: Monday, 21 October
Despite waking up at 7 am, we enjoyed the process of rigging the sails and learning new skills on the boat, using winches and cleats, and reading compasses. Many also got opportunities to helm the boat, expertly done in harsh conditions. We sailed on a very close haul for much of the day, making good speed despite the conditions. To everyone’s disappointment, there were no dolphins sighted. Lunch was cooked on board, and everyone enjoyed pasties and beans. We arrived in Poole later in the evening, dropped the sails, and moored the boat, followed by a dinner of sausage, mash and vegetables.
Day 3: Tuesday, 22 October
We started the day with croissants and assorted cereals, then rigging the boat ready to sail downwind to Yarmouth, very different to yesterday’s journey up to Poole. After a few hours of making good distance and rocking quite a lot, we stopped for lunch which was greatly appreciated warm baguettes, meats, and vegetables. Further along the journey we learned and practised gybing and tacking, using both Stay and Yankee sails alongside the main, where everybody improved their technical skills and timings on the boat. Entering the Solent, we were briefed on a man overboard ready to carry out the drill. Using a faced fender rather than one of our own crew as the victim, Riley the inflatable was thrown from the boat for us to pick up. It was successfully retrieved by one of our crew who was lowered on the spinnaker halliard. Following the drill, the sails were dropped again ready to enter Yarmouth marina where we moored next to another challenger ship. Preparing for cottage pie and games after dinner. Still no dolphins though ☹
Day 4: Wednesday, 23 October
Started the day with some lovely bacon sandwiches. With a delayed departure due to the tidal gate. We enjoyed climbing the mast and appreciated the view of Yarmouth. After some free time exploring the town, we set off and got ready to race Challenger 2. A closely fought competition, which we of course won, despite the little wind. With a tremendous team effort and keeping the sails well-trimmed: ‘A flappy sail is an unhappy sail’. After a second man overboard exercise, we anchored just north of Osborne Bay and enjoyed supper before returning to Cowes under motor, learning how to identify coastal buoys using their light configurations. No dolphins today again. ☹
Day 5: Thursday, 24 October
As we passed toast and cereal around the table, only just revving up to begin our final day of sailing, we received news of a race with Challenger 2: the boat that passes the most cardinals and buoys (thus receiving points), while trying to get to the finishing mark, wins. On day 1 this would have been unthinkable, as we struggled to remember which way the winches turned, but through trials (most of which ended with errors) we emerged victorious.
Well, after a fashion.
Despite losing not making it to the finish by the deadline and being docked 15 points, we sailed with minimal help, using our own recently acquired knowledge to navigate our own path. Trimming the sails to maximise efficiency, tacking and jibing in a (relatively) synchronised fashion, we could add an extra tear to a well-known cliché, and say with confidence that we rose to the occasion.
We also learned that communication is vital, especially when someone’s making soup downstairs. As it turns out, food doesn’t really care whether the boat’s tilt can’t be helped, it just… splurges. But let’s return to the subject. After a quick lunch, working in shifts so nothing was left unattended, we continued our race, altering our course to suit the water depth which we hadn’t considered earlier. With someone constantly working on our route, taking bearings and jotting down where we’d go next, there was always somewhere to go next.
Even after the excitement earlier on, the afternoon’s routine could never be considered dull, as we learn a more efficient way of tossing the mooring lines; always learning to be more efficient, always moving on. Another high note was definitely the arrival of fish and chips, accompanied by the surprisingly fast demolition of a plate piled high with peas.
Just at the opposite end of the table, we had someone else chugging down a cup of curry sauce.
Maybe we could have been a little bit more mature… But we did enjoy ourselves, and that’s supposed to be the most important thing, so does it matter how we achieve it? We might not find out, but it’s alright for now.
On day 1, some of us might have felt a longing for the comforts and stability of our own homes, but tomorrow morning, we’ll definitely feel a faint pang of sorrow as we leave. Our evolution was unthinkable, and it would never have been achieved without the help we had along the way. A joking “welcome home” began our journey here; it’s safe to say that we have come close to knowing the yacht like our own home.
We still haven’t seen any dolphins though…
