Yonder! A plethora of porpoises!

After yesterday when everyone had been feeling a bit rough, we were worried that today would be as rough. However it was thankfully much calmer! We awoke in Lamlash Harbour to delicious grilled crumpets, cooked by Nadia and Maddie. After going to bed late last night we had to do our planning this morning. We decided on a much more manageable route than on the previous days of aiming for Millport.


We soon began sailing, and found the sea fairly calm! After being put entirely in control of the boat, we decided there was only one thing to do: eat. So with brownies in the oven ready for elevenses, we started with a round of tuna sandwiches, as well as wotsits and quavers. Elisha and Lizzy then made nachos with grilled cheese which were very well received! Then we began feasting on the plethora of chocolates, crisps and biscuits that had been purchased on our expedition shop.

However after such a promising start with some great steering from Hannah and Nadia, the sea became so calm that our speed dropped to below 2 knots. We spent what seemed like forever wondering what we could do to get going again, while making a few mistaken 3600 turns. After Matt gave us some guidance on how to adjust the curvature of the sails with the outhaul we finally caught some wind and made a bit of progress. We also had to spend a lot of the time looking for out for commercial and other traffic being in a relatively busy shipping are, ensuring to prevent any possible chance of collision.

By now we could see our destination for the night, Millport, but we were practically becalmed. At this point Colin made a deal with us- if we could put all 4 sails away properly in under 5 minutes we could use some of the engine time, which we need to charge the boat’s battery, to power us into Millport. We tried our best to win this challenge, under clear instruction from Nadia, and we almost managed, getting all the sails away except the staysail which got a bit stuck and untidy. Thankfully Colin said this was good enough and we were able to drive into the harbour, with Abbie steering! On our way in we sighted a plethora of porpoises which was extremely exciting as they swam past so close to us.

We anchored up in Millport, and were by then very ready for the fish and chips that had been cooked by Lucy and Millie, which did not disappoint. The speakers had been fixed by Colin, so we plugged in our iPods and had a good sing-a-long (while of course eating more sweets...)! Now we’re all about to have some flapjack and play ‘Articulate’ after another fun but exhausting day, which was the last one of our assessed expedition. Goodnight!

By Lizzy and Elisha

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

On the ball, Lizzy!

Apologies for the lateness of the blog - we had weak internet signal in Lamlash Harbour last night.  More news this evening from Millport.

Today, the second day of our expedition was similar to yesterday as it was another rough day with a plethora of meals being thrown up by Maddie and Nadia. Our day began with a lovely breakfast of hash-browns and beans made by Abbie and Hannah, and then it was up on deck to start untying ourselves from the jetty at Campbeltown.


Our journey started optimistically with four hours of great helming from Millie at the wheel, but after a while many of us started to feel slightly rough, with Maddie starting to do the first vomiting of the day, shortly followed by Nadia. The winds weren’t necessarily stronger than yesterday, but a more open crossing meant some rougher seas as the waves had had chance to build up.

The journey was silent as Hannah- our lead singer- wasn’t feeling too good. Nadia took the helm over from Millie, but only managed 20 minutes before feeling too ill and Matt had to take control. Cath then came up and gave us all a hot bread roll at about 2pm- saving a few of us from starvation (Millie ate Lucy’s and Nadia’s too.)

Lucy intended to steer us to Plada Island for a late lunch stop, but on discussion with Colin, it was decided this would delay us far too heavily, so we stopped the boat in the middle of the sea; but only Lizzy, Lucy, Millie, Abbie managed it downstairs as the others were either throwing up in Bertie the Bucket or on the verge of doing so. Lunch was great though - leak and potato soup or chunky beef, but all this came to an end very quickly and we had to get back sailing.

We were all freezing, hungry and noses running in the afternoon; but we kept on fighting and took control of the boat well, Abbie took the helm and we continued our journey to Lamlash. Lucy had to go downstairs every 30 mins to put in a log entry and position fix on the chart - which she secretly enjoyed as she got about 45 mins warmth (even though it should only take about 10 mins!)

Abbie and Lizzy went downstairs to start on our delicious chicken pie tea at 4.30pm while the others were up on deck still sailing. A plethora of songs were sung and Hannah took over with the steering.

Millie, Lucy, Nadia and Hannah were the last on deck, sailing until 9.00pm before anchoring up off Holy Island in Lamlash Harbour, and were really scared when we saw ‘the woman in black’ on the island in front. We were exhausted and glad to come down into the warmth. We sat down to eat chicken pie (Lizzy made some lovely shapes out of the pastry) and Chocolate brownies with Nadia and Lucy’s chocolate on top. We learned over our chat at tea, how Lizzy had melted the plastic spatula in preparing the chicken, ‘On the Ball Lizzy!!!!’

We are all really tired and apologise if the blog is slightly drifty and boring, but were really weary and can’t wait for bed after a very long, hard day.

See you soon, can’t wait to step on dry land again....

Millie and Lucy

x


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

Time flies when you're singing and being sick!

We all got up bright, early and hyperly and were treated to a very prompt breakfast in Tarbert. There was great excitement for porridge made by Lizzy and Elisha, which did not disappoint, although Millie found it very difficult to clean. After listening to the scary weather forecast about the terrible weather that lay ahead, we all got ready to get moving for the day. Whilst waiting to set off we were all very amused by the crazy accents that people can do, and were most impressed by Hannah’s Borat impression.


We got going on the route planned last night, aiming to get to Lamlash on the Isle of Arran, 45 nautical miles away. We soon realized the seas were a lot stormier than yesterday, and so only sailed on a reefed mizzen and genoa – yet still achieved speeds of nearly 8 knots. Maddie and Nadia soon started to feel queasy and Bertie the Bucket was quickly employed into action. To pass the time (and to stop the sickness) we all enjoyed singing a wide variety of songs including: 1996 by the Wombats (a team favourite), ABBA, Queen and Avril Lavigne hits. Another sure fav ewas ‘Oh no he’s turned emo’ by the Lancashire Hotpots, and a variety of made up songs including ‘Mr Salmon’ and ‘Jacinta, Jacinta’.

Today was extremely cold in the northerly winds, and many of us were feeling the cold significantly. Even though we all had many layers on (Nadia had 5 layers on the bottom and 7 on the top) we all were very shivery and chilly and also enjoyed the addition of some wintry showers (so basically snow). Well Done and thanks to Elisha who dared to stick her head out the cockpit and endure the winds and rain in order to expertly steer us in the right directions.

We decided to slightly change our course to anchor up in Carradale Bay for a late lunch at 1430. This was a welcome break where everyone got the opportunity to warm up, relax and eat brill jacket potatoes with cheesy beans/tuna. This was followed by some fab hot drinks and chocolate. No one wanted to return back on deck, but with a new destination planned of Campbeltown, (closer and more easily achievable than Lamlash) we all headed back up for another stint.

When it was time to pull up the anchor after lunch, Lizzy was given the extremely important and responsible job of ‘shaking the trunk’ which is essential in taking up the anchor and enabling us to sail again. Lizzy started off with good intentions, but soon got waylaid as she ‘thought it was time to stop’ so sat back on deck, unaware of the trouble she was causing below. The anchor chain clogged up and blew a fuse, leaving us with some problems and Millie and Elisha a lot of manual work to pull up the anchor on deck (as well as back ache).

The afternoon was similar to the morning – sailing downwind and gybing south, with more queasiness and stormy seas, and winds touching to gale force 8 at times. We finally arrived at Campbeltown Jetty and were happy to moor up for the night. After a wild and windy day, everyone is now feeling happy, well, healthy and warm, looking forward to Chicken Korma and Apple Crumble.

Lots of love to all parents and avid readers of the blog! XXX

Written by Nadia and Maddie

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

Sorry, what was that?

We woke to Cath’s voice, as we had all overslept! We all had 5 minutes to get ourselves up and ready for breakfast, although this was rather tricky for 8 girls. We all enjoyed cereal, toast and juice that was prepared by Millie and Lucy; before leaving Caladh harbour and heading south down the West Kyle of Bute. Soon after we were treated to a second breakfast of sausage sandwiches (Quorn for Hannah), which boosted our mood.


Getting the sails out was slicker today, but the wind was very light and variable in direction, which made Lizzy’s job as helms woman very difficult, also meaning we had to tack every minute or so to try and get the boat going. Colin spent a lot of time going “Lizzy” as we drifted in the wrong direction to which Lizzy replied “Sorry, what was that?” (hence the title) as she had started to think about anything but steering the boat. Although after having about 7 hours sleep, constant focusing on the direction we were drifting was always going to be a tricky job, especially at 10 o’clock in the morning considering it’s our Easter holidays! This said though, steering the boat and trimming the sails effectively in light winds is a very difficult skill – and all the crew, especially Lizzy, handled this well all-in-all.

After an hour of sailing down the West Kyle, we managed to pick up speed as the wind increased and was finally on our side, blowing behind us for the first time on the trip. At the bottom of the West Kyle, we were all then treated to a tuna and mayo or a cheese sandwich, fruit, biscuits and crisps made by Abbie and Hannah. Although making the sandwiches was difficult as we had frozen bread and a rocking boat. After a delicious lunch the sun finally started to peak its way through. Matt then introduced us to some navigation theory of plotting a position fix on a chart in latitude and longitude; as well as doing the important task of filling in the ships log.

After some good tacking north up Lower Loch Fyne with Lucy on the helm, we then decided to bring the sails in and use the motor. Abbie, Hannah, Nadia, Millie and Maddie got timed to bring in the sails as fast as possible- we managed 7 minutes which isn’t bad for us newbees!

After this Abbie, Hannah, Maddie and Nadia decided to clean the boat while we motored up into East Loch Tarbert . Maddie and Nadia cleaned the kitchen while Abbie and Hannah went head to head with the toilet brushes. Abbie and Hannah decided the toilet wasn’t too bad, until we saw the shower that was filled with dead spiders, leaves, mud and heaven knows what else, we didn’t want to know! After half an hour in though, the bathroom was spotless.

After some hearty sailing, finally we arrived at Tarbert Harbour. We all got ready to go to the co op, for our expedition food shop. As we left we got a clear warning we were only allowed to spend £90 on food. We all walked up the pier and nearly got knocked over by a 5 year old ginger boy on his bike. Aw bless him! At the co-op we bought all the sensible foods and (of course!) bought lots of sweets, crisps and chocolate to last for the rest of the voyage – managing to keep within our budget!

As we finished shopping we were all treated to a well deserved warm shower at the harbour before we ate pasta bolognaise (quorn for our own vegetarian). After scraping our plates clean, it was time to plan our route for the following expedition day, with Colin helping us with all the necessary aspects – such as obtaining weather forecasts, destinations, distances, pilotage and contingency plans. Full of chocolate fondoo and with some stronger winds ahead tomorrow, it’s time for an early night!


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

A-hoy-hoy!

A-hoy-hoy!


We sunk today… LOL just kidding, April fools! We all woke up very tired as the sun rose this morning, after a chilly night. Breakfast was scrambled eggs on toast, made by Nadia and Maddie- delicious. After getting kitted out with the full waterproofs, wellies and lots of warm clothing, we immediately set off sailing, leaving the bay where we had anchored overnight. We set sail once again for Largs Marina to pick up our newest crew member and instructor, Cath.

Setting sail once again from Largs we were taught how to turn or “tack” in order to travel against the wind. After a lot of practice we became very efficient (50 tacks in all over the whole day), and we all worked really well as a team. We picked up a mooring at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and lunch was served right on time. All the crew commented on the high quality of the sandwiches, particularly the plethora of fillings available, lovingly crafted by Elisha and Lizzy. There was a special pudding served after lunch, as a farewell to Flo from Patterdale Hall and a welcome to Cath (any excuse for a cake!). Flo will be greatly missed and we all wanted her to stay longer, but we wish her the best of luck on the rest of her travels round Europe.

We resumed sailing from Rothesay northwards up the East Kyle and all tried out a variety of jobs around the boat, until we were comfortable with putting up and taking down the different sails. There was lots of wind so we moved very quickly and tilted lots at times. We also practiced what to do in the event of a ‘man overboard’, using a buoy as our dummy (named Bob by Hannah), however Lizzy kept on losing sight of Bob, due to her ‘short attention span’, which also proved her downfall in Uno the night before. Work has already begun on the second ever Tenacity musical, lead by Nadia, and all the crew have been singing enthusiastically.

Some superb tacking and pilotage later by the crew up the East Kyle, we anchored up at the picturesque Caladh Harbour. Dinner was delicious: caramelized pork stir fry, followed by pancakes (made by Lucy and Millie), sweets and chocolate. Some were a little more adventurous with the fillings, and Hannah opted for choc chip, golden syrup, galaxy and sugar…

Currently we are sat around eating yet more sweets, about to partake in yet another game of Uno, and everyone is excited for another day of sailing tomorrow!

By Lizzy Moore and Elisha Bell

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

First Silver DofE girls set sail.

31.03.12

The journey from school this morning went really fast thanks to many packets of Pringles, sweets and ipods, but Nadia felt slightly travel sick although she’s now ABSOLOUTELY fine! After a quick toilet stop at Patterdale – where we also picked up our ‘daddy’ Tim -who drove us for the following 3 hours we were on way to Largs Marina. We had to carry our bags ALL the way down to Tenacity (which was conveniently moored at the END of the jetty) where we were greeted by Colin.

We got on board and settled in our rooms BOW-Millie, Lucy, Nadia and Maddie

                                                                     STERN-Hannah, Abbie, Elisha and Lizzie

We then sorted the rota and were kitted out with oil skins and life jackets, ready for the afternoon’s sail. But firstly we had to unpack the shopping bags – which was a pretty big job- because there was chocolate fudge cake, lots of tinned beans , but we had a problem when Lucy got the fridge and freezer mixed up…. Whoops!  

We set off sailing and learnt the ropes (pardon the pun) and we either had to pull the rope ‘hard and fast’ or ‘slow and easy’ with Lucy at the helm we set off to Millport on Great Cumbrae Island - which is where we are currently moored for the night. It was really fun to have our first taste of sailing, all in the lovely hot sun wearing our shades- including Nadia’s which she’s had since 1996 and so her eyes look rather small and no one could take her seriously.

A few hours in, Maddie and Nadia were slaving away in the kitchen making bangers and mash which was excellently whipped up!!! Whilst Elisha, Lizzie, Abbie and Hannah were having Millie read them a story out of a magazine and Lucy was still stood at the helm- Loner!!!!

We squeezed round the tiny table and for  once in the busy day  there was silence (as we were enjoying our yummy tea), apart from the occasional snort from Hannah. We ate a hot chocolate fudge cake cold, left all the washing up to Hannah and Abbie then ventured out onto the deck to do a spot of stargazing.

Currently while we are writing the blog there is a game of UNO going on. We all look forward to tomorrow – especially as it’s Aprils Fools Day.

See you tomorrow, love you mums and dads….

Love Millie and Lucy

J xxx

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

Map of first 2012 Silver D of E in the Clyde

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