Monday 16 May 2011

16th May 2011


Last night, we went to bed excited about today, ready for a good night’s sleep. Sadly only one word could be used to describe the night - noisy! The beds were nice and comfy, and deceptively spacious, but the howling of the wind was very distracting.


We woke up this morning at 8:00 and the prevailing wind continued to rock the boat. We ate our breakfast of scrambled egg and toast with gusto, and eagerly donned our sailing gear to brave the winds up on deck. Ian taught us about the different aspects of the boat, and we were challenged to find several different things on the boat, such as flares, life rafts and even a screwdriver!

It was too windy for us to sail today, with wind speeds reaching 32 mph, so then we learnt to tie some knots. Some of us were better at this than others, but we all got the hang of it eventually. After this we learnt how to accurately throw ropes and practiced diligently. However, bucket-loads of rain fell as the heavens opened and we were forced to retreat back into the relative warmth of the cabin. Daniel kindly offered to assist Colin with making sandwiches. Everybody enjoyed the soup and sandwiches when they were served.

After lunch, one group went out to the dock to try their hand at rope throwing, and the rest of us decided to make some tiffin. This was improvised slightly but still tasted delicious! Ian then took us on a tour of the dockyard, where we learnt about the features of different types of boat, and their uses. This was very interesting and we all learnt a lot. We also went to see an old RNLI lifeboat called Swn Y Mor, which was dedicated to Ieuan Edwards, a lifeboat man who sacrificed his life to save men who had been stranded in the ocean. The Swn Y Mor circumnavigated the world in 1986. It was a very interesting boat which Ian told us a lot about.

We then settled down to wait for Piers group to make dinner… the boat hasn’t caught fire yet! Tomorrow we hope to start sailing.

Sam and Daniel


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

1 comment:

  1. I watched 'Tenacity of Bolton' as it passed the Cockersands lighthouse your having just sailed out of Glasson Dock this morning around or just before mid-day. It was a horrible morning with constant drizzle and a stiff breeze. I was viewing you all - eight I think - as you headed for and eventually passed the light through a high powered telescope - I'm a passionate birder - but saw no birds of any particular note on or over the sea, but the sight of your ketch was a pleasant one as you headed out into the Irish Sea on a very unpleasant day weather-wise....hope you all enjoyed the trip.

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