Firstly, on behalf of Gosport Sea Cadets, I would like to extend my thanks for the opportunity to attend this sailing weekend. It allowed 9 young people to bond and form friendships that probably would not have happened if this trip had not taken place. This trip also provided some of our cadets to have some respite due to personal and home life circumstances.
Friday 9th May: We joined the crew of Challenger One at 1800 at Gunwharf and had a tour of the boat and were shown the very important lesson of how to use the toilet. We were put into two watches, Port and Starboard. Port made dinner while Starboard put belongings away, then, after dinner, Starboard cleaned and tidied dinner away while Port put away their belongings. Dinner made by the cadets was Spaghetti Bolognese, which was beautifully done, everyone ate, and every bit was gone. After clearing everything away, a very competitive game of ‘UNO no mercy’ commenced. 2130 hours came around and it was time for us to use the marina facilities, get ready for bed and lights out at 2230. A very enjoyable first evening on board and talk of what’s to come tomorrow.
Saturday 10th May: Today we were up bright and early, ready to sail to Cowes, Isle of Wight. We got there in good time and were able to go ashore for some exploring and, most importantly, an ice cream trip. While on the way to the island, we listened to music, sang, danced, made lunch, learnt how to winch the sail up, and we also all got a chance to helm or ”drive” the boat. We also did a buoyage lesson, learning about the buoys around us, and as their confidence grew with their buoyage knowledge, we made it into a game; if they could correctly identify the buoy, they would get a prize, most commonly a Kit Kat.
These activities got our cadets working together and doing things out of their comfort zone and giving them all a job and a responsibility, allowing them to work individually and bond as part of the team. In the day, we also had the pleasure of being able to watch two Spitfires fly over and around us while coming into Cowes. In the evening, we did some dryland man-overboard drills, where we all learnt what to do if a man-overboard scenario were to happen in real life. This massively encouraged teamwork and trust between our cadets.
Sunday 11th May: The activities of this morning were the most challenging for our cadets. We agreed as a boat the plan for the day and unanimously voted for the chance to climb the main mast. This allowed the cadets to work wholeheartedly as a team, each individual having a role in either spotting, hoisting or encouraging. Some of our cadets were confident in getting up the mast, conquering it in under a minute while, in contrast, another cadet, who is usually front and centre, happy to take charge and use leadership skills where possible, was absolutely petrified of heights. Undertaking this task allowed our cadets to use different skills they wouldn’t usually use and put trust and faith in their peers.
After completing this activity, we sailed from Cowes back to Portsmouth, where we once again applied the buoyage knowledge we had learnt on our way to Cowes. Of course, we also made and ate lunch, sang and danced the whole way home.
When we returned to Gunwharf, we packed the boat away, including the sails, and cleaned the boat from head to toe, including the heads, more commonly known as the toilets, which the cadets were more than happy to do. We also had a debrief with the team, with them telling us what we did well, and we were even lucky to get a certificate and a t-shirt from the trip.
We were also lucky enough to realise on the Friday that we had four birthdays on board of both cadets and adults, which were happening in the next week, one being the milestone of 18, so of course we had to have a big birthday party with Sophie agreeing to purchase a cake for us to celebrate with. We even did a quick decoration of a birthday banner. This was a surprise for those whose birthday it was, so they were able to enjoy as if it were a proper big birthday party.
This trip allowed our cadets to do things way out of their comfort zone, such as preparing and cooking meals, sleeping on a boat, living in close quarters, and climbing at height. Within the unit, the friendships made on this trip are still blossoming and thriving. Furthermore, friendships among people who didn’t go on the trip have been impacted due to the fluidity among the cadets who did attend.
When asking the cadets about the trip, it was unanimously said that the best bits were climbing the mast, doing the quiz, and they also loved the showers in port, although many of them were anxious about using them at first. It was also noted that many of them had come out of their shell more, had noticeably grown in confidence, and now many of them have a love for sailing. Some, as soon as they got back, looked at our own fleet and plan to go offshore by themselves or with a friend.
We would also like to extend a massive thank you to the crew, Sophie, Georgie, Ben, and Reuben, for their hard work, skills, and hospitality, as well as for welcoming us aboard their boat.
Thank you again