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Sailing Expedition

Sailing Expedition : Isle of Wight September 23-28 2019

Caleb Weir, Jack Fitzgerald,  Wesley Price, Tyler Price, Tyler Spiteri, Karim Hussain, Clayton Leonard, Ben Burdett, Jake Wilson and Ryan Murtagh, Ms. Robbins and Miss Beddall.

Our excursion on Challenger 2 began with a mammoth journey to Portsmouth. The boys were welcomed aboard by the Skipper, “Bushy”, Amelia, First Mate and Mark, a volunteer for Tall Ships at about 1pm and stowed their gear in their two (very small) cabins, each containing five bunks: Starboard and Portside. From then on, the voyage began, sailing to Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, an hour and a half away, for that evening and some relaxing shore-leave and a shower. The boys not only learned the rudiments of and preparation for a sail, but recognised how important it is to take instruction and remain safe, to assist each other, clean the boat- (including the “heads”… yuk) and,  at the end of a weary day, prepare a nutritious and filling meal for the fifteen of us.

The second leg of the voyage took us to Yarmouth (not Great Yarmouth) on the Isle of Wight, after a very sick-inducing rolling ride across the Solent, past “The Needles” rocky outcrops. Yarmouth is a sleepy little coastal town occupied seasonally by “yachties” in their very expensive-looking vessels in the marina. From there, a longer, calmer, voyage to the second largest natural harbour in the world (Sydney being the first), Poole in Dorset. And…back to base.

We worked a lot, we ate a lot, some of us were sick a lot, but we learned a lot too….but, boy, it’s a sharp learning curve. Home at teatime, Friday 28th.