WARNING - AMAZING DEAL - SUMMER SAILING VOYAGE

Where: Oban to Largs 28th July to 2nd August 2013

Cost: Superb Special price of £399 per person

Summary:

We have the opportunity to provide a superb summer cruise around the Islands and Highlands of the West coast of Scotland to the general public. During your time on board the boat, with other guests you will learn all necessary sailing skills, to help handle this super sail training ketch.

The cost of the trip includes all your food (ingredients), your lodging and instruction. You will simply be required to get to Oban Marina (Train) and leave from Largs Marina (Train). Whilst on board the boat you will be expected to help out with all aspects of daily living (cooking, washing up, sailing).

The detail:

The trip is 5 nights 6 days, departing from Oban Marina at 6pm on the 28th July and arriving into Largs Marina by 2nds August. The sailing route will be dependent on the crew and the prevailing conditions, but could include stops at Mull, Colinasy Jura Islay and possibly Northern Ireland and the mighty Mull of Kintyre.

Opportunities will be available to leave the boat for short forays onto the shore, to visit marinas, villages and hostelries, any extra spends on these at your own expense.

This trip will sell out fast!

To reserve your place please email cwright@patterdalehall.org.uk you will then need to complete a booking form and return non refundable deposit. There are only 8 places available. Adults only (unless accompanied by a guardian).

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

The return voyage from Largs.

The delivery crew of Steve, Colin, Jessie, Chris and Jim were all keen to get going from Largs. With a forecast for the next 48 hours of E4/5 we were looking forward to some good sailing. We charged out of the marina, up went the sails, down went the wind, down came the sails and we were forced to motor to our first nights destination of Lamlash. We anchored just off the Buddhist retreat on Holy Island, a very picturesque setting.






Ailsa Craig slides by



Day 2 dawned and by 08.45 we were heading south towards Ailsa Craig, The Mull of Galloway and home. The forecast however had different ideas, predicting SE6/7, what happened to that pleasant E4/5? Down past Ailsa Craig and Loch Ryan we had a pleasant easterly but on rounding the headland at Loch Ryan the wind veered and increased to a SE 6/7 (as forecast) occasionally gusting to gale force winds. After some hours of tacking and getting nowhere against a foul tide the decision was made to go close inshore and motor. The coastline was interesting enough with Portpatrick looking like a very pleasant little harbour, but we pressed on. Finally having missed the tide at the Mull of Galloway we anchored very close inshore at Port Logan some 7 miles north of the Mull. It offered us just enough protection to get some hard earned kip.



Is it really that cold out there?



Up at 04.30 the next morning we weighed anchor and were on our way by just before 5am. The wind had diminished but what there was still from the wrong direction so we motored past the Mull and through the overfalls. With the favourable tide we raced around the Point of Ayre on the northern tip of the Isle of Man. At this point the wind died altogether and we motored through the poor visibility passed the wind farms and finally to anchor at the end of the river Lune to wait for the tide to take us to Glasson. Having had a very enjoyable Pasta Carbonara for supper we weighed anchor at 11.45 for the night time Pilotage up the river. The mist had gone and everyone enjoyed a settled trip, picking out the lights of the next buoy in turn. We entered the outer harbour at 01.10 and tied up to the harbour wall waiting to be locked in the next day.

Home safe and well we did a lot more motoring than we wanted but with SE 7/8 on the weekend forecast we were pleased to in a safe haven.





Largs to Glasson Delivery trip

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

Long hard last day.

Anchored back in the beautiful town of Millport, all crew members enjoy a well earned rest after our hardest day yet. Today has been eventful to say the least.

After a good kip moored in East Loch Tarbert, all hands were on deck by 9:00, moorings ready to be slipped. Skipper Ian skilfully helmed the boat through the narrow channel that lead us back into larger waters. Soon enough, the mizzen, main and headsail were hoisted fully and the boat made good way, everyone was huddled in the cockpit, sheltering well away from the high winds in which we found ourselves. Our rest was halted as there was a loud bang from the port beam and the headsail began to waver in a menacing manner. A pulley, integral to the workings of the headsail, had been bent and twisted until it could hold no more! The 15-20+ knot winds had proved very over powering to our humble vessel. A quick and well handled tack ensured that no more strain was put on our magnificent ship. Skipper Ian moved downstairs and left Tenacity in the hands of Peter Mackin. We made good progress upwind and, with around 5 knots of boatspeed twinned with some skilfull helming, managed to dodge the many treacherous and endangering lobsterpots, laid down by some sly fishermen. Hiren Patel was the first to fall victim to sea sickness, however, he kept it down like a man and fought with valiance.

After Peter had guided tenacity into some sheltered waters, the entrance to another loch, and the crew had rapidly (apart from Abhinav) devoured a sausage butty, Alex Johnson took the helm and steered our vessel downwind in the more benign but still gusty waters. Progress was smooth and with a short beat, including a seemingly endless stream of tacks, destroying the progress of the two Hestons downstairs (Sam and Will), we arrived at our beautiful and picturesque lunch spot. Both Hestons provided the crew with a well deserved hearty meal, despite once again disregarding a fellow crew member and leaving him to starve in the wilderness.

Next upon the helm was Abhinav, who motor-sailed Tenacity up the final lengths of the beautiful loch, surrounded by the all encompassing beauty of the Isle of Bute. Our passage was plagued with big changes in wind direction, causing the ship and crew to be shaken and stirred. That was not the end of our misfortune. The reefing system for the headsail had once again failed and immense strain was put upon the enduring crew in order to get the system to work. Abhinav stayed at the helm all the way to Millport and shortly before entering the harbour put the boat through even more tacks, pushing the crew to the brink. These tasks were made infinitely easier by the incredibly fast hands of Sam Cordingley and Peter Mackin, who completed their task with vigour and determination. However even Sam couldn’t keep up with the blurry hands of Mackin.

 

Millport has once again proved an invaluable place of calm and solitude, where the crew of such a demanding vessel can rest and recover from their hard and invigorating days work.

Dinner was prepared once again by Sam and Will, who made use of the various spices kept on board to flavour their concoctions with copious amounts of chilli flakes. However, their twist on fish and (chilli) chips went down a treat and all the crew felt satisfied, not only by the laughter after observing the pair’s alternative cooking methods, including wills exuberant and extremely effective methods of crushing garlic. Both the Ians and the rest of the crew are now resting and enjoying a good chocolate cookie.

Abhinav and Peter

Loch Fyne

After 8 hours of sailing, we find ourselves moored up at a marina at East Loch Tarbert. Yet again we’ve had a busy day after an early start of 7.30. It was all go right from the off as we had to slip the mooring buoy that we had tied ourselves to, to keep ourselves safe, during the night, which was particularly rocky. After we had skilfully slipped the buoy, we started heading north up Loch Fyne. But a surprise was on its way when Hiren took the helm and managed to take the vessel to a record speed of 8.6 knots, a new best by almost 2 knots. But the elation was short-lived as the computer only recorded a speed of 8.3 knots.


Around 1.10, the crew jumped to stations in order to lower the anchor for the lunch stop, which the skipper had selected to be, at the entrance to Loch Gair almost 18 nautical miles up Loch Fyne. Surrounded on either side by steep snow-topped mountains, we sailed at a fairly fast speed down Loch Fyne. The journey was relatively uneventful however, 30 minutes in, the wind picked up, forcing skilled helmsman, Peter Mackin, to get us through this tough patch of sea.

Fortunately, Peter managed to get through without a scratch. Downstairs, record-breaker Hiren Patel, and his partner, Alex Johnson began making a scrumptious scone platter, before coming back up to help moor the boat at East Loch Tarbert. After this incredible manoeuvre, done with expert skill and ease, easily showing off the boys quick learning skills, and quiet efficiency, Hiren and Alex made a luscious mix of chicken fillets, bell peppers and onion for the mouth-watering fajitas. Unfortunately, one member of the crew (Will), got a bit too greedy with his first fajita and at the end, Abhinav Kumar could not have a second. Fresh from his embarrassment of the previous nights beef rice fiasco, Will was very apologetic and Abhinav shrugged his hunger off like a man.

The highlight of the night was most definitely the chance for us all to get a good shower. As we washed the grime and dirt from between pores in our skin, we realised how long we had been at sea and how quick it had gone.

Now, we go to bed, looking forward to the final full day of this voyage of epic proportions.

Hiren Patel (Record-breaker) and Alex Johnson (previous record-breaker)

Sunday 7th April

After two days without us, Holt and Cordingley are back! At present, we sit moored in Loch Ranza, singing along to Katy Perry’s ‘Hot ‘n’ Cold’.


We had a shaky start to the day, discovering that there had been a theft overnight. Having purchased a reasonably priced pack of toilet rolls the night before in Campbeltown. Out of the goodness of our hearts, the rolls were left in the public toilets as we tried to give something back to the town which had welcomed us with open arms. However, upon visiting the toilets again in the early morning, we were horrified to discover that the rolls had been stolen by a new gang of local youths. As you can probably imagine this led to widespread panic among the group, as we hunted down a fresh roll. As things were becoming increasingly desperate, Cordingley ventured heroically into the unchartered territory of the lady’s toilets to recover a roll, as Holt looked on in pure disgust. Luckily, five to ten minutes later, the situation was relieved and we all returned to the boat in comfort.

We set sail from Campbeltown at around 9 o’clock this morning, and have sailed all day to Loch Ranza, without the aid of the engine. During the journey, we encountered a vessel of the naval variety, spotted by Cordingley on the approaching horizon, just off the port bow. As we drew closer, it became apparent that they were heading straight towards us, and showed no signs of backing down. As the severity of the situation increased, Mackin called for an ‘attack jibe’, much to the confusion of his comrades. After the ‘attack jibe’ was explained to us and executed, the naval vessel fled in terror, and we were free to continue on our original course.

Upon arrival at Loch Ranza, Holt and Cordingley once again began work in the kitchen to prepare tea. It could be said that the pair made the chilli dish look easy, but it was not without it’s dramas. The paramount of which was a slight cultural error on our part. As a result of Cordingley’s ingenuity in the kitchen, and a desire to add flavour and colour to boring rice, as witnessed on previous nights, the pair added a beef stock cube to the rice, which threw up some severe ramifications, namely that Hiren cannot eat beef. Luckily, the dynamic duo recognised the error of their ways before serving, and poor Hiren had to make do without rice, but selflessly settled for more Doritos with his ‘sensational’ chilli.

As expected, the banter is yet to cease, and the trip has so far turned out to be very enjoyable.

Written by Will Holt and Mr Sam Cordingley (the dynamic duo)

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

Saturday 6th April

We set of from Lamlash at the usual time of 9 o’clock in attempt to reach Campbelltown before tea. We had our usual breakfast of cereal and second breakfast of sausage butties made by Alex and Hiren. A short distance from Lamlash we began motoring with full canvas hoisted. After a number of dramatic wind shifts, the wind became more stable and we were able to switch the engine of and continue our voyage under sail. We made good progress which allowed everyone to have a go at the helm. The most notable improvement was Will, despite his erratic course yesterday his steering was pretty much straight. We once again had lunch on deck thanks to the pleasant weather. During our lunch break, we spotted a submarine motoring along the surface across our path to Campbletown. Everyone on board stared at it in wonder, enjoying the lunch prepared by Sam and Will. After lunch we completed the final few miles into Campbletown and, after a short lull, docked on the visitors pontoon, guided by Ian, our skipper.

The antics continued during free time, which included a trip into the town so the crew could make use of the facilities, despite Campbletowns lack of toilet paper, disaster was averted. Will and Sam decided a quick dip in the sea was the best way to wind down after a long, hard day on deck. The result, inevitably, was a soaked pair of joggers and trainers. Being on a yacht, the best course of action to take, in Peter and Alex’s eyes at least, was to hoist Wills wet clothes up to the spreaders and see how long it would take to notice...the answer, a stupidly long time, (well done Will). Dinner prepared by Peter and Abhinav, was plagued with issues, ranging from crew distractions, and problems with the hob having two less heat rings than was needed! Nonetheless dinner was on the table and consisted of a huge pan full of Bolognese and pasta. This went down well and to many crew members’ amazement, the table and all plates and pans, were left empty! Success!

Before our expedition tomorrow, a few supplies were needed, after a short while searching for the co-op, a essential for any real town, let’s be honest, the shopping was complete and all crew members are eager to begin our intrepid adventure into the ‘Wilderness’.

Peter and Abhinav.

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

First full day of sailing

As we got up, half of us cold, the other half of us freezing, we realized that the journey ahead was going to be a long and arduous one. As the two cooks (mentioned yesterday) made second breakfast, the others set up the sails to depart Millport. Originally planned over tea and biscuits the previous night, we hoped to reach Campbelltown by late afternoon with a short stop at Lamlash. Upon emerging into the more open channel, the lack of wind was noticeable. Despite the obvious setback, we pushed forward regardless under the power of the sails with no help from the engine. With a cloudless sky and grand views, we aimed our bow at the distant hills of Holy Island.

As was custom, every half-hour, the job of helmsman was swapped around. After elegant and skilful manoeuvring by Peter Mackin, Will Holt stepped up to the challenge. At first ,all was well, however after 15 minutes, Will’s concentration was well and truly spent and we began meandering across the Clyde. It quickly became erratic and all hope seemed lost until Sam Cordingly courageously stepped up the Helm and pointed us in the right direction once again. To be fair to Will, banging his head on every part of the boat did not help his focus to any taxing job.

Unfortunately, as we reached Lamlash, disaster struck as the winds died away to nothing while we were distracted by our delectable ham sandwiches and custard creams. After lunch, before embarking on our voyage once again, our team skills were put to the test when Ian scaled the main mast to fix a problem with the head sail. Although we tried gallantly to restore the head sail, our efforts were in vain and we were forced to motor our way to Lamlash harbour to anchor up for the night. As Hiren Patel smoothly guided the boat to rest, the crew took to stations to lower the anchor.

The aforementioned Hiren Patel and Alex Johnson then made a belly-filling meal of caramelised pork steak, stir-fried vegatables and steamed rice. Our crew mates, drawn by the enticing aroma of good food cooked excellently waited eagerly at the table for the palatable food set out in front of them. In true form, Abhinav Kumar managed to throw rice everywhere.

To round off the night, we are currently waiting for Morrison’s finest chocolate cake and rest after an enjoyable day of motor-sailing

Written by Hiren Patel and Alex Johnson

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

The Long Journey

As we sit beneath the starlit skies of Millport, it is hard not to be encapsulated by the dramatic scenery by which we are surrounded, a hard earned rest following the long 5 hour trip required to reach this glorious part of the World. We eagerly departed school at 8 am, filled with excitement of what was to come. Our excitement, however, was cruelly belated when we were informed that we would have to wait 5 HOURS until we reached our destination. Upon arrival, at roughly 1 pm, we laid eyes on the vessel which was to be our home for the next week...


Soon after arrival, a party of 4, made up of Sam Cordingley, Will Holt, Alex Johnson and Ian the Instructor, departed on our arduous journey to the local Morrisons where we would purchase our food for the expedition. With £120 in hand, we were set loose on Morrisons which turned out to be more fun than originally expected. On our journey, we spotted some local youths prowling the aisles, presumably searching for some cheap cider. During this step out into the unknown, we learnt many things as individuals. The most significant of which, was the learning that Will Holt can handle a shopping trolley with splendour and majesty.

After purchasing the food for our foreseeable meals, we were informed that tonight’s dinner was to be sausage, mash and gravy. Again, Cordingley and Holt set to work preparing the food, with a little help from Hiren (who was considered by the other two cooks to be an expendable member of the team). While Holt peeled the potatoes for the mash, Cordingley began slicing some onions, which when finished, were described by the crew as ‘Jamie Oliver-esque’ and ‘absolute perfection’. No mean feat for a pack of hungry adolescents.

We couldn’t have hoped for a better start to our expedition and hopefully the good weather and banter will continue for the rest of the week.

Written by Sam Cordingley and Will Holt (with no bias included whatsoever)

Boys Silver D of E 2013

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

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.

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

2nd April 2013


Today was the most ambitious part of our expedition; to sail from Machrie Bay around the bottom of Arran up to Dunagoil Bay on the isle of Bute. We woke up at 7, which was most unpleasant after a very rocky night but after cereal instead of porridge (which we decided took far too long) the anchor was up and we were ready to sail by 8-30AM, the best morning start of our expedition so far. Having such a good head start meant that the full day ahead of us didn’t look so overwhelming. Fortunately, we managed to sail around the bottom of Arran with ease, much to our surprise, as we predicted that this would be the hardest part of our journey due to the negative wind direction. However, throughout the day the parts we thought would be easiest were actually harder. At around 10 am, we learnt the skill of pinching. We weren’t able to head directly in the direction we wanted, due to wind direction but we were going fast, and our other option was to sail slower but head more towards where we were going. Pinching was to shift a few degrees at a time towards our location without dropping speed too much; a careful and difficult balance. We each took over the helm during the day, and all of us our now experts at winching in the sails having done them so regularly.

The problems occurred when we reached the bottom of the Holy Island, as the wind dropped dramatically. We had previously done three tacks on our own (one of which Steve videoed so hopefully you can all see us managing the ship independently) but now the wind wasn’t in our favour. Sarah and Taylor, the tackticians, had to decide when and where we would tack, our estimate time of arrival, think about sunset times and so on. Jess, Madi, Holly and Alliya managed the helm whilst Vicky and Emily organised lunch and dinner preparations.

At Holy Island, when the wind had changed, we had to make a decision whether to turn the engine on or do another tack to try to make the wind in our favour as it was currently below 2 knots. As we were making this decision, the wind picked up to 4 knots and we decided to keep going under sail and turn onto a different tack. This proved successful, and called for a celebration- cream and jam scones. On the original plan, we aimed for Dunagoil bay but after a tacktics talk with Max, Taylor and Sarah thought it better to push on and aim five miles further to St Ninnians Bay that we have previously anchored at. This means that tomorrow we can have more of a lie in by taking advantage of the 7 knots of wind we had at this point.

Vicky, Jess and Emily cooked dinner – chick pea couscous with a variety of vegetables, and made three desserts too, apple crumble, flapjacks and brownies. Madi, Sarah, Taylor, Alliya and Holly worked on steering the boat to the anchorage, lowering the anchor and putting down the sails. After this long hard day, we sat down to a well deserved dinner. This was followed by the plan for the day ahead tomorrow, what time we’ll wake up, where we plan to anchor etc. We sat up on deck for dessert watching the sunset, whilst Madi, Jess, Vicky and Taylor showed us their contemporary dance moves, which were creative to say the least. We had a very eventful day; Holly taught sarah that being stung by a jellyfish doesn’t make you immune the way chicken pox does, we watched Vicky cry with laughter, Madi ate a whole apple crumble, Emily and Taylor slept in about fifty different positions on the boat. Throughout the day we all had a lot of fun whilst working hard to make our destination before sunset, over all we sailed 50 miles in total.

Written by Sarah and Taylor



The team have truly excelled again. They should be proud of themselves. Even if they take the helm with some initial self doubt, they are currently able to manage all areas of boat management, skilfully. (They have all said they have realised how much work cooking & cleaning for children is, and cannot wait to repay parents for all their efforts over the years!)They understand the navigational and sail setting aspects of the trip, beyond the level of beginners.   We hope they are already planning their Gold DoE expedition! Thank you for another fantastic day, mainly due to their abilities, personalities and teamwork. Max, Steve & Val.

2nd April and still struggling with Scottish Internet access

Max the skipper and the team on board Tenacity have asked me to let you all know that they are all well after their anchorage in Machrie bay on the west coast of Arran.  Today they are heading for Dunagoil bay at the south west of the island of Bute.  When they get better internet reception they will catch up with their blog postings.

This blog was posted by the team at Patterdale Hall

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

April Fools day 2013!!

First day of our expedition, and what a better way than to start it off with a shower – eventually! Most of us were on the verge of break down with the state of our hair. We were all so eager to have a shower that we sacrificed time in bed to get up at 7am to go to the public showers on the pontoon. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we have never been so grateful for hot running water and shampoo! We returned to the boat, an extremely happy team of eight and started the day off smiling. Sarah and Vicky cooked porridge and made teas and coffees whilst the rest of the crew got up and dressed. After a quick hot breakfast, we planned out how we were going to leave Tarbert harbour by swapping the bow and stern mooring lines to let us “slip” the pontoon. We all got on deck, tied these new knots and adjusted the fenders despite the bitter morning wind. After an unsurprisingly slow start like the rest of the week, we were out of the pontoon by 10 and sailing south towards Arran.

We learned from the mistakes of the last few days that staying under deck was not an intelligent idea when experiencing rough seas, so we all made sure we stayed up on deck and thankfully we avoided sea sickness. We also decided not to put the anchor down for lunch as we learnt that it took an awfully long time, which would be better used for getting more distance covered. Being organised and conscientious, Emily and Jess had pre made bread and sausages for traditional second-breakfast and a variety of sandwiches for lunch, which we found to be a great help. After two large tacks towards Arran which caused us a slow start, we headed down past the island which allowed us to pick up the highest speed we’ve managed to reach of 8.1 knots, as the wind was fortunately in our favour. The rest of the journey was rather pleasant and relaxing, which resorted in us playing games that Steve taught to us. Some of us took longer to grasp these games than others, which was rather amusing. Madi and Sarah made up a song to cheer everyone up, Jess and Emily baked flapjacks, Vicky sang us some of her own composed songs (which were very in tune and had...imaginative words) and Taylor and Alliya took over the steering of the boat. During this fast journey, we shared stories, filled out the ships log book, had hot chocolate and cookies, and enjoyed the lovely snowy view of Arran or the Alps as Vicky likes to call them.

We tackticians (Sarah, Taylor, Jess and Madi) planned the journey ahead, by using the wind direction, true course, and our destination. We decided to change route, and instead of tacking towards the mainland away from Arran and going back up, we tacked towards Arran and followed the island round until we met Machrie Bay.

When we reached the bay at 6pm we dropped the anchor and put all the sails (the jenny, the main and the mizzen) up for the first time by ourselves. Feeling relieved that the full day of sailing was over, we cooked Taylors speciality, chicken chorizo and tomato pasta. This went down a treat and was even added to the tenacity book of meal suggestions. We’ve had a successful and quite hilarious first day sailing, in particular with a toilet incident involving Jess and Vicky and although we forgot about April fools, we think Steves’ constant sarcasm was enough to keep us supposedly amused for the day. Now we are currently making flapjacks and planning the route for tomorrow, a pleasant day!

Written by Sarah.

Note from the skipper:

The girls have been fantastic today in all areas, excelling in their understanding of sailing basics, and of more advanced principles and techniques.  They are handling all areas of boat management, from catering to pre sailing boat and engine checks, anchoring, passage planning and sailing. Well done, especially for day one! 

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