Forward Port – Last Watch 4am – 8am.
It has been a wonderful experience to be on a tall ship full of guirlguiding members. The other participants have been great the crew have been fantastic, food is amazing and the beds are comfy, would I do it again? Yes. To anyone who is thinking of joining the adventure goes for it you will not regret it.
Elayne
The whole trip has been really great; from doing happy hour to doing mess duty and watches, from doing stuff with sails to climbing up to the top of the main mast, everything has been an amazing and entirely new experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. I will also never forget the friends I made and hope to keep in touch with them long after the trip is over!!!
Lizzie (Forwrd Port, Honorary Forward Starboard)
This Tall Ship adventure has been a really amazing trip and has taught me so much more about how a ship works and all the team work involved. All the activities which I have taken part in are new experiences which I have thoroughly enjoyed. These are experiences like climbing the rigging to the yard, heaving on ropes to pull up the sails and all the different watches. Also on this voyage I have had the chance to make loads of new friends which I have had a brilliant time with and it has been great trying to help run a ship as a crew member with them. Lastly, all of the permanent crew members have been so kind and helpful and also a great laugh, which has made the trip, a trip of a life time.
Hannah Ducas
I’ve had a great time on the voyage and will never forget it. I’ve really enjoyed everything we have done from setting the sails, doing watches to cleaning at happy hour. The food has been great and we have been feed so much. The permanent crew are really helpful and kind, and have made the voyage so much fun. I’ve made loads of great friends, who I’ll keep in touch with for a long time. If given the chance I would definitely come again.
Katie Stewart
The last 10 days have been amazing!!We have had so many new experiences which I will never forget from going aloft to getting up at midnight to do a watch for 4 hours. The permanent crew have been so friendly, supportive and have somehow put up with our really bad singing! The other members of the voyage crew have been great and I have made so many new friends. The voyage has been amazing and I will never forget it.
Heather Lyall
What an amazing experience! I signed up to be a watch leader on a bit of a whim, choosing this option knowing I’d be a little older than most of the crew (though not by too much). On day one, I confess that had I known about the lifeboat from Fraserborough coming alongside, I would have demanded to be taken back to dry land, and I was really hoping that the seasickness wouldn’t last. It didn’t, and the last nine days have been amazing.
It’s been a really good opportunity to discover what I am capable of, and I have surprised myself on this. When we had chance to go aloft on when in harbour on the joining day, I was really scared about doing this, especially going over the overhang, and then out onto the yards where I found hanging on difficult and unnerving. By the end, I’d been up there in strong winds, helping to stow sails (with my own unique twist on a round turn and two half hitches – no matter what I did it came out wrong! I’ve never been taught to tie knots as high up before!!), and feeling pretty confident in working at that height.
At the beginning I thought I’d never get the hang of what everything is called, but I can now use the terms for the various ropes and sails confidently, only occasionally getting it wrong!
Getting to helm right from the start was brilliant, though getting hang of the fact that you can’t turn and it goes that way immediately like my car took a bit of getting used to. And also the lack of pedals – a brake pedal would have been handy when it decided to go in the wrong direction!
The permanent crew have all been really helpful, supportive and friendly and have really helped us to all achieve our potential during the ten days we have been on board. We have all been pushed to do the best we can do, and have been given the freedom to help run the ship, by being helped and supported but without being continually watched over – learning from mistakes!!
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on Nellie, and I really do want to do this again. The ten days have flown by way too fast. Somehow, I have a feeling that everyone I speak to in the next few weeks will be told all about the voyage!!
Jenn Hill, Watch leader Forward Port.
I caught a massive mackerel with my bare hands and then I gutted it!
*Bekky*
I have had an amazing time on this trip; every day has been filled with new experiences and adventures. I have enjoyed every minute on the ship and it has been a 10 days I will never forget. I have especially enjoyed night watches and midnight biscuits! I have also really enjoyed meeting all of the other crew members and hope to stay in touch with many of them for many years to come. I have also really enjoyed meeting all of the permanent crew and having some laughs with them. Overall, the trip has been extremely successful and I hope to be able to go again someday!
*Emily*