Wednesday 3 April 2013

The Final Day!

Read more about Sail Training on board Tenacity of Bolton at http://www.tenacityofbolton.org/

03 April 2013
Today was the final day of our expedition and our route was to sail up the Kyle around Bute Island. This was meant to be relief from the ambitious day yesterday, however it was much more strenuous than expected. In total we did 14 tacks, all of which took 110% from every member of the team. It took a couple of hours to cover a very short distance, which proved how much hard work we were doing. At the end of this we were proud that we powered on without the help of the engine, which would have been the easier option.
After this at about 12, we anchored at a small bay not far from Buttock Point, and indulged in a well earned lunch, followed by a surprise of Steve and Val’s pancakes as a reward for all our hard work. We did a quick turn-round and sailed down the East of the Kyle using the engine due to the poor wind direction in order to get to our destination at a reasonable time. We arrived at our destination, Millport, right on time, and headed to the shore in the dingy where we bought some necessities. We also treated ourselves to slush puppies and ice cream which we enjoyed on the beach. We received strange looks from passers-by due to our nautical attire – one man even suggested that we were members of a hen party - however we felt relieved to be on dry land and back in civilisation.
Once our trip to shore was over, Madi and Sarah cooked dinner which was a delicious concoction of all our left-over food including brown rice, tuna, vegetables, soy sauce and onions which resulted in them crying. Whilst they were cooking, Vicky, Jess, Alliya and Holly raised the dingy, and Taylor and Emily washed up. Tiffin, prepared by Vicky, Emily and Madi went down a treat, as did the flan, which everybody except Madi seemed rather reluctant about. After this we had a team talk up on deck whilst watching the sunset, and we presented Max, Steve and Val with chocolate and a card thanking them for how enjoyable the week has been. We then discussed the plan for tomorrow which involved a lot of washing up; our favourite job! Even though the expedition is over, we still have a lot to do to prepare the boat for its next passengers, which we are currently working on now.
This has been a thoroughly enjoyable trip, and a fantastic opportunity for which we are all very grateful for. We’ve become stronger friends and learnt a lot of new skills both regarding sailing, teamwork/organisation, and cooking. Despite this, we are all looking forward to being back home and in our warm beds again! See you tomorrow!
Written by Madi and Sarah
There are lots of excellent photos and some videos which unfortunately will not load with the poor reception here.  As we have come to expect, outstanding efforts from all members of the team, who completely deserve their Duke of Edinburgh Silver award.  Well done to all, last night anchored at Milport before an early start tomorrow, and a final clean, followed by an overdue shower before returning home. Thanks again to all the team, parents should be proud!  Steve, Max & Val.

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