Its the fourth day and we are still in high spirits, despite sailing through fog and under clouds for the past three days. So much has happened really, no-one ever gets bored on these trips; there's no time to! It was nice on the the first day in Torquay, finally meeting up with Claire and Rhiannon for the first time in over a year!!!! And, as usual i managed to be the last one to arrive. The second day we went to living coast, a sanctuary for penguins, puffins, seals and that sorta thing. Rhi was obssesed with the poo there... Rhi, they ARE birds, they to have business to do! Got sailing later that day, Tracy looking out for dolphins and managed to see about five imaginary dolphins! We went night sailing!!! It was quite scary actually, we couldnt see anything along with the fog! We moored in this really snazzy marina in Portland, heated floors, heated mirrors, flash showers. It was absolute luxury! We sailed past the World windsurfing championships.... c'mon Great Britain! Erm, then we had more fog and had to use the fog horn, it was soooo loud! Last night we stayed in poole, near famous people! Bradley walsh off Corrie and Rosemary Schreiger or something, with a really flash boat, we wanted to go on it. Passed the needles and now in Yarmouth. Not long to go now!!! The peeps are great :) I knew Claire, Rhi, Tom and Tracy from previous trips and it was so nice to see them again! Especially when Emily visited with the cakes, they were so yummy after a whole day of non-stop cake talk! Ocean Village tomorrow! Abi [09/09/09 20:00]
This trip is AWESOME!! We have had sooooo much fun it is unbelievable. It is the fourth day and I don't remember not talking except when sleeping and being sick, but I am okay now. On the first day we were just chillaxing and getting to know each other, but I already knew Claire, Abi and Rhi so that was good. The next day we went to see the penguins, puffins, seals and Rhi managed to discover that they poo a lot and was disgusted. She also taught us a few words and we pwned her!! That was really fun. We decided to make a rap as well it is amazing, especially with mine and Claire's singing, it is gangster brapp!! I am MC Tombaaaaa and Claire is MC Octopuuss. Then sailing that day was long and hard and I was sick, but we made it to Portland eventually. Kerry was sick as well and has a bad eye, but she is still laughing and giggling. The Showers were amazing!! On the third day Claire showed me her amazing sock puppet show. It blew my mind!! Our sailing was really good that day and Rhi had a nice sleep and woke up a bit mardy so she kicked Claire's bed it was funny!! At Poole Emily came down with her parents and they brought two homemade cakes down for us, they were amazing. This was while Barnaby was putting his studying to practice by fixing the switch under the sink. Then we sailed to Yarmouth on the next day with a great days sail and did a lot more rapping. Then we went for a walk and had some delicious ice cream, whilst I danced to some wicked tunes. I can't wait untill the homecoming and the party, it will be Phat!!!!!!!!! Tom
What can I say, I have had the most amazing time, I have met some wonderful young people, Abi, Barnaby, Claire, Rhi and Tom, who have all made me very welcome - it's been such fun, although the first day, didn't spend too much time on deck as very poorly but since then, managed to stay up on deck all the time - sailing has been brilliant, never done anything like this before, even managed to help put the sail up today, rather scary. Weather not been too great but didn't expect too much in Britain!!!!! Can't wait to see the video and the rap - cooked curry the first night with Claire, a success!!! I've even been renamed - Jerry John Kerry Gold!!!! Can't wait to see the boat sail into Cowes and see everyone again - well done everyone - an amazing experience and thank you for inviting me to join leg 16!!!! Kerry
I've been looking forward to Round Britain for the entire year and it has certainly delivered! From the moment I boarded Scarlett Oyster I instantly felt a million miles away from everything else that was going on at home, at school and in my head. I couldn't wait to get out on the water, it was going to be a good week. It was great to be reunited with Abi, Rhiannon and Tom and to meet Barnaby, Kath, Karen and Kerry. The weather hasn't been great but we've definitely made the best of it. Sailing at night was an incredible experience especially through thick fog, a night I will never forget... It's been pretty much non-stop laughter from the word go. You'll hear more from me soon but I must attend to the sausage casserole on the hob as Tracy and I are chefs tonight and we wouldn't want anything sticking to the bottom of the pan! Claire
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Sunday, 30 August 2009
Poem Rendition 1: cue D
Poem Rendition 1: cue D
At the start of the week we were set a target,
To sail south around Wales in the beautiful Scarlet.
We departed from Holyhead just after midnight,
The waves so big, they gave us a fright!
It was a starry starry night that night we set sail,
With Simon relaying the peanut shark tale!
Abersoch was our next port of call,
Fun, games and laughter was had by all.
We went to the beach, to play in the sun,
We were happy, but exhausted, when the day was done.
There was an auction, raffle and dancing galore,
Money raised for the Trust grew more and more.
It was on the boat that we tried to behave,
But "While Paul was up", he became Vicky's slave!
We ate granola bars 'til they came out of our ears,
Paul [I] was so funny that he [I] had us in tears!
From Pwllheli we set sail at 10 o'clock,
Excited about our journey to Cardiff lock.
Somehow, Ben managed to sleep the whole way through,
And the boys forgot potatoes in the Irish stew!
After 'hurricane Scarlet', the sun finally came out,
A 'rather tidy' trip without a doubt!
Thirty-three hours down the line,
We arrived in Cardiff, just in time!
We were so lucky to have such a great crew,
Cath, Karen and Jo were the best... it's true!
Skipper Cath led the voyage al the way 'round,
She always had a smile, never a frown.
Karen had a giggle during our sing-a-long,
And showed great patience as we ruined each song!
Jo was a scouser, which meant there was two,
A lot to put up with, for the rest of the crew!
So a great big thank you to our wonderful crew,
It wouldn't've been half as fun, if we didn't have you! [24/08/09 13:00]
by the crew of leg 14- Paul, Vicky, Rob, Ben & Ross
At the start of the week we were set a target,
To sail south around Wales in the beautiful Scarlet.
We departed from Holyhead just after midnight,
The waves so big, they gave us a fright!
It was a starry starry night that night we set sail,
With Simon relaying the peanut shark tale!
Abersoch was our next port of call,
Fun, games and laughter was had by all.
We went to the beach, to play in the sun,
We were happy, but exhausted, when the day was done.
There was an auction, raffle and dancing galore,
Money raised for the Trust grew more and more.
It was on the boat that we tried to behave,
But "While Paul was up", he became Vicky's slave!
We ate granola bars 'til they came out of our ears,
Paul [I] was so funny that he [I] had us in tears!
From Pwllheli we set sail at 10 o'clock,
Excited about our journey to Cardiff lock.
Somehow, Ben managed to sleep the whole way through,
And the boys forgot potatoes in the Irish stew!
After 'hurricane Scarlet', the sun finally came out,
A 'rather tidy' trip without a doubt!
Thirty-three hours down the line,
We arrived in Cardiff, just in time!
We were so lucky to have such a great crew,
Cath, Karen and Jo were the best... it's true!
Skipper Cath led the voyage al the way 'round,
She always had a smile, never a frown.
Karen had a giggle during our sing-a-long,
And showed great patience as we ruined each song!
Jo was a scouser, which meant there was two,
A lot to put up with, for the rest of the crew!
So a great big thank you to our wonderful crew,
It wouldn't've been half as fun, if we didn't have you! [24/08/09 13:00]
by the crew of leg 14- Paul, Vicky, Rob, Ben & Ross
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Wind, waves andlots of laughter (and hopsitality)
LEG 14 has got to be the best one i have done on this voyage, the crew Im with are fantastic, but most of all the activities are immense riding on the Dart 16 around Abersoch was great fun with dear old vicky lol.
the the party cannot forget that one, the meal was just out of this world, salmon and prawn cocktail was not my cup of tea but the main meal was braised beef in red wine sauce with gravy baby potatoes and vegetables, how lush was that, shame we could not have seconds, the the best bit the apple and treacle tart yum yum.
the games we played was funny heads and tails.
the auction was great made loads of money.
then we had to sail from phwelli to cardiff and wow what a journey was asleep all the way mostly 33hrs which was suprising.
now were in sunny cardiff, cardiff yeah but wouldn't say sunny lol.
cya lata .benjamin james murphy
leg 14 this is my one and only leg on this once in a lifetime trip round britain leg 14 is the Holyhead to Cardiff leg it has been fantastic me and another lad from torquay called ben were the last to arrive on the boat after a long days travel and had to set sail literally straight away we sailed through the night from holyhead to Pwllheli were we spent the next two days there having a absolute blast kayaking and messing around in the darts as well as attending a SCYC party as the guests of honour which was a great night before we had to go get some sleep ready for the next part of the trip where we sailed a agonising but amazing 32 hour straight sail through to cardiff and thats where we are now getting ready for the remaining time on scarlet oyster getting her ready to go again for leg 15 where some more amazingly lucky people will get the chance to take part in the round britain trip
speak to you soon ross mcguinness
Hello everyone, Paul here. I'm just sitting here after cooking breakfast thinking about what an amazing trip I have had! Leg 14 from Holyhead to Cardiff has been unbelievable. The sailing, the crew, the people we've met along the way and the sights we have saw are truly unforgettable. It's just been magnificent. It all started brilliantly in Holyhead where we left a very generous Marina Club to set sail at midnight. As it was the first time I have ever sailed I was a little bit nervous to say the least, but this just turned into pure excitement as we were bouncing out of the marina sailing over huge waves, and all having a great time. I didn't this could be topped but everything just seems to get better and better, we've had another great sail from Pwlleli to our finish point, and the hospitality we were shown at Abersoch was amazing, so thank you guys! A big THANK YOU of course to EMT as without the trust, none of us would have had this magnificent experience. We now have to crack on with the making of our movie which will document the leg, but for now....over and out! Much love
j
Hey Robert here me and paul have just made breakfast and we have had an amazing trip with all the new people we have meet on the way from Holyhead 2 cardiff we arrived in Holyhead on friday and we meet the crew and the others people and we all got 2 know each other and that night we set sail for Abersoch about 12:30 am and we got in about 7:00 am and we had about 2 hours sleep and the we sailed 2 Pwllheli and we spent 2 days there and on that day we had fun on the beach and that night we had a three course meal for starter we had seafood on a clam shell and then we had beef in a red wine sauce and for afters we had apple and treacle tart and and all the people we meet were really nice and on sunday we had a day 2 relax and in the evening we went bowling and on monday we set sail for cardiff we left Pwllheli about 10:30 am and we got in 2 cardiff about 19:00 pm and we had a good sleep and now we r making a movie about our trip and then we r having a party and bbq and on the last day we r going 2 have a talk at the hospital about the trust and that will be the end of our trip
sining off Robert Sharland.
Jo from EMT Here, just had a great few days sailing with the crew on Scarlet - it has been fantastic to take part in a leg of Round Britain and to get to see first hand the fruits of everyones hard work over the last 12 months. The crew have been fantastic - lots of laughter despite the rain and waves (mostly during my watch!) there have been many funny moments and memories which are all currently being re-enacted and recorded for the leg 14 video - we get to throw buckets of water over the whole crew!!! so watch this space for the link to you tube! The reception we had in Holyhead and Abersoch was amazing to know that the Trust has supporters all around the country is fantastic and the amount of time and effort everyone has put in to make us feel welcome and special has really added to everyones experience. Everyones Welsh has been coming along in leaps and bounds ready for our Skandia reception at 1600 today. Looking forward to the welcome home party on the 12th in Cowes hopefully see you all there xx
A rather wet day here in Cardiff after a lovely sunny day for our arrival into Cardiff Bay. It's been an excellent week with a lot of sailing for the crew - albeit in 2 hops but a lot of miles covered in those 2 hops. There has been great laughter along with a lot of rain and waves, and sitting off lighthouses for hours on end trying to beat into tide - which isn't a great idea around headlands but I guess that is one of those things when you are sailing along the coast for over 24 hours. Jo and I took great delight in helping the crew out with their video this afternoon - in the rain they wanted us to throw buckets of water at them along with dousing them with water from the hose - this was something we couldn't refuse - it's all in the video. We've had such wonderful hospitality along this Welsh coastline - the welcome, dinner and auction in Holyhead, the amazing day we spent in Abersoch with the SCYC at their annual keelboat dinner and out welcome into Cardiff today at the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club - thank you to everyone who has helped along the way. It's been an excellent leg, can't believe there are only two more to come - sad and excited that the welcome home party is so close - it will be an emotional time me think!! Look forward to seeing many of you there Karen out x [26/08/09 17:00]
the the party cannot forget that one, the meal was just out of this world, salmon and prawn cocktail was not my cup of tea but the main meal was braised beef in red wine sauce with gravy baby potatoes and vegetables, how lush was that, shame we could not have seconds, the the best bit the apple and treacle tart yum yum.
the games we played was funny heads and tails.
the auction was great made loads of money.
then we had to sail from phwelli to cardiff and wow what a journey was asleep all the way mostly 33hrs which was suprising.
now were in sunny cardiff, cardiff yeah but wouldn't say sunny lol.
cya lata .benjamin james murphy
leg 14 this is my one and only leg on this once in a lifetime trip round britain leg 14 is the Holyhead to Cardiff leg it has been fantastic me and another lad from torquay called ben were the last to arrive on the boat after a long days travel and had to set sail literally straight away we sailed through the night from holyhead to Pwllheli were we spent the next two days there having a absolute blast kayaking and messing around in the darts as well as attending a SCYC party as the guests of honour which was a great night before we had to go get some sleep ready for the next part of the trip where we sailed a agonising but amazing 32 hour straight sail through to cardiff and thats where we are now getting ready for the remaining time on scarlet oyster getting her ready to go again for leg 15 where some more amazingly lucky people will get the chance to take part in the round britain trip
speak to you soon ross mcguinness
Hello everyone, Paul here. I'm just sitting here after cooking breakfast thinking about what an amazing trip I have had! Leg 14 from Holyhead to Cardiff has been unbelievable. The sailing, the crew, the people we've met along the way and the sights we have saw are truly unforgettable. It's just been magnificent. It all started brilliantly in Holyhead where we left a very generous Marina Club to set sail at midnight. As it was the first time I have ever sailed I was a little bit nervous to say the least, but this just turned into pure excitement as we were bouncing out of the marina sailing over huge waves, and all having a great time. I didn't this could be topped but everything just seems to get better and better, we've had another great sail from Pwlleli to our finish point, and the hospitality we were shown at Abersoch was amazing, so thank you guys! A big THANK YOU of course to EMT as without the trust, none of us would have had this magnificent experience. We now have to crack on with the making of our movie which will document the leg, but for now....over and out! Much love
j
Hey Robert here me and paul have just made breakfast and we have had an amazing trip with all the new people we have meet on the way from Holyhead 2 cardiff we arrived in Holyhead on friday and we meet the crew and the others people and we all got 2 know each other and that night we set sail for Abersoch about 12:30 am and we got in about 7:00 am and we had about 2 hours sleep and the we sailed 2 Pwllheli and we spent 2 days there and on that day we had fun on the beach and that night we had a three course meal for starter we had seafood on a clam shell and then we had beef in a red wine sauce and for afters we had apple and treacle tart and and all the people we meet were really nice and on sunday we had a day 2 relax and in the evening we went bowling and on monday we set sail for cardiff we left Pwllheli about 10:30 am and we got in 2 cardiff about 19:00 pm and we had a good sleep and now we r making a movie about our trip and then we r having a party and bbq and on the last day we r going 2 have a talk at the hospital about the trust and that will be the end of our trip
sining off Robert Sharland.
Jo from EMT Here, just had a great few days sailing with the crew on Scarlet - it has been fantastic to take part in a leg of Round Britain and to get to see first hand the fruits of everyones hard work over the last 12 months. The crew have been fantastic - lots of laughter despite the rain and waves (mostly during my watch!) there have been many funny moments and memories which are all currently being re-enacted and recorded for the leg 14 video - we get to throw buckets of water over the whole crew!!! so watch this space for the link to you tube! The reception we had in Holyhead and Abersoch was amazing to know that the Trust has supporters all around the country is fantastic and the amount of time and effort everyone has put in to make us feel welcome and special has really added to everyones experience. Everyones Welsh has been coming along in leaps and bounds ready for our Skandia reception at 1600 today. Looking forward to the welcome home party on the 12th in Cowes hopefully see you all there xx
A rather wet day here in Cardiff after a lovely sunny day for our arrival into Cardiff Bay. It's been an excellent week with a lot of sailing for the crew - albeit in 2 hops but a lot of miles covered in those 2 hops. There has been great laughter along with a lot of rain and waves, and sitting off lighthouses for hours on end trying to beat into tide - which isn't a great idea around headlands but I guess that is one of those things when you are sailing along the coast for over 24 hours. Jo and I took great delight in helping the crew out with their video this afternoon - in the rain they wanted us to throw buckets of water at them along with dousing them with water from the hose - this was something we couldn't refuse - it's all in the video. We've had such wonderful hospitality along this Welsh coastline - the welcome, dinner and auction in Holyhead, the amazing day we spent in Abersoch with the SCYC at their annual keelboat dinner and out welcome into Cardiff today at the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club - thank you to everyone who has helped along the way. It's been an excellent leg, can't believe there are only two more to come - sad and excited that the welcome home party is so close - it will be an emotional time me think!! Look forward to seeing many of you there Karen out x [26/08/09 17:00]
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Baptism of fire (really water) for crew of Leg 13
Well it's a wet dreich day here in Holyhead. After a tops time in Liverpool visiting my sister and surviving my horse riding it was back on the boat to meet our new crew for our trip to Holyhead. Yesterday we headed out of the Mersey all hopeful of an excellent sail to Holyhead to arrive at a civilised hour of late afternoon!! How wrong did we get it!! Once out of the Mersey the wind shifted from left to right and back again by over 40 degrees - not the best when you're trying to sail in one direction. It also decided that instead of delivering the expected Force 4/5, it would deliver any wind strength from Force 3 up to Force 6 (soon to be followed by a quick dip into the Force 7 bracket as we approached Holyhead Bay). It was at this time that we had the delights of seeing the Skerries for a tad too long this evening as well, due to the unexpected winds during the day we missed the tide off this corner of Anglesey so we sat looking at the Skerries for rather longer than hoped. So our late afternoon arrival soon became a late evening arrival in some delightful torrential rain with wind blowing a hooley! Im not sure how much our new crew enjoyed their baptism of fire (more likely water). Initially the waves crashing over the boat were great fun but this amusement soon dwindled and our crew slowly disappeared below to warm up - although they did take some convincing to go down to their bunks. Woke to the wind blowing the doors off this morning and the rain coming down in torrents - how happy was I to be tucked up in my bed safely arrived in Holyhead. We've had a tops day doing what you do on days like this - drinking copious quantities of tea, playing boardgames, pool and eating too much!! Dinner still to come too. Must venture out into the mist now to dry off. Until later Karen out x [19/08/09 21:00]
This is James Victoria, Beth, Tyler and Will. we are all aboard the Scarlet Oyster. we are currently at Hollyhead docks after a very busy (and sleep for some) day yesterday. Everyone is in high spirits after playing our own version of Articulate! The first day was quite quiet as we were all eating to know each other. We arrived in the afternoon and had all of the tour and instructions before Will and Vic cooked dinner an then everyone played a late night game of Balderdash!!! Next morning was an early awakening after a late night but everyone was excited about the sailing to come. We prepared the boat and left Liverpool with Holyhead as our aim. Everyone was having fun however the wind wasn't being kind and kept on changing so the boat was very rocky and spirits drop as they saw there lunch again in a bowl... no more need be said. Lots of us went below to warm up or sleep to stop feeling ill. We had a great day and it was exciting and after we arrived at Hollyhead and everyone felt better. After a long day we were all soooooo excited about having a warm shower ! And then we were even more excited about pizzas being delivered! We all ran back to the boat and got wet but sat down for a good few pieces of pizza. The boat had never been so quite and full of people making yum noises. Everyone swiftly went to sleep soon after that. Next morning we all had a lovely lie in appreciated by all. Soon after we had all woke up we were treated to eggy bread and bacon for a late breakfast. It then started to rain so we had a relaxing morning playing Articulate, boys vs girls, guess who won.... the girls! Later on we went and played pool and investigated the marina shop. After a competitive morning we came back and cleaned the boat and watched the lifeboat leave for practice. Everyone is getting on really well and we are all having such fun. It is an amazing experience and we still have two days left. So we all want to say thanks for the experience and don't try and cook soup while the boat is tipping on one side! x
James, Victoria, Beth, Tyler and Will
This is James Victoria, Beth, Tyler and Will. we are all aboard the Scarlet Oyster. we are currently at Hollyhead docks after a very busy (and sleep for some) day yesterday. Everyone is in high spirits after playing our own version of Articulate! The first day was quite quiet as we were all eating to know each other. We arrived in the afternoon and had all of the tour and instructions before Will and Vic cooked dinner an then everyone played a late night game of Balderdash!!! Next morning was an early awakening after a late night but everyone was excited about the sailing to come. We prepared the boat and left Liverpool with Holyhead as our aim. Everyone was having fun however the wind wasn't being kind and kept on changing so the boat was very rocky and spirits drop as they saw there lunch again in a bowl... no more need be said. Lots of us went below to warm up or sleep to stop feeling ill. We had a great day and it was exciting and after we arrived at Hollyhead and everyone felt better. After a long day we were all soooooo excited about having a warm shower ! And then we were even more excited about pizzas being delivered! We all ran back to the boat and got wet but sat down for a good few pieces of pizza. The boat had never been so quite and full of people making yum noises. Everyone swiftly went to sleep soon after that. Next morning we all had a lovely lie in appreciated by all. Soon after we had all woke up we were treated to eggy bread and bacon for a late breakfast. It then started to rain so we had a relaxing morning playing Articulate, boys vs girls, guess who won.... the girls! Later on we went and played pool and investigated the marina shop. After a competitive morning we came back and cleaned the boat and watched the lifeboat leave for practice. Everyone is getting on really well and we are all having such fun. It is an amazing experience and we still have two days left. So we all want to say thanks for the experience and don't try and cook soup while the boat is tipping on one side! x
James, Victoria, Beth, Tyler and Will
Monday, 10 August 2009
Isle of (wo)Man
Can’t believe we’re already in the Isle of Man more than half way through Leg 12!! Had an excellent stopover in Belfast, arrival up to the Odyssey last Sunday was amazing with the tug boat spraying water behind us and all family, friends and the Lady Mayor waiting to greet us at the pontoon - was quite an emotional arrival - given that it is my home port and mum and dad were there to wave us in. Managed to catch up with good friends too while at home and of course home cooking - stuffed pork fillet on Sunday, my first night at home - excellent!! Sadly the stopover wet all too quickly but we were soon off again with our new crew to Ardglass, mum and dad came out again in their boat to wave us off - or maybe it was to make sure we left as they then drove down to Donaghadee to check up on us!! Lovely harbour in anchorage - never having sailed down that part of the coastline it was excellent to see from the sea - with the Mourne mountains standing there as a back drop. It was soon across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man - first stop Port St Mary, then as we have some time here we have decided to do a circumnavigation of the Island. Very pleased with this idea, as we have had time to explore Douglas by electric railway and have continued on round to Peel this morning. AT one point we did look as if we were heading back to Northern Ireland due to wind direction and a rather adverse tide which either had us heading back home or taking us a tad too swiftly sideways!! This was just a minor inconvenience as round the west side of the Island we were treated to a broaching minke whale and at least 6 basking sharks doing what basking sharks do - basking in the summer sun! It was amazing sight, one even came along behind the boat and with the water so clear you could clearly make out it’s huge open mouth. Definitely a sight that will remain a highlight of the whole voyage. So we’re here in Peel and can’t get out until after 1 o’clock tomorrow - sometimes the tide is in our favour - so we get a good relaxing evening and morning to explore - excellent!! Until later Karen out. [10/08/09 19:00]
Hey people, its gerard from belfast, just on the leg 12 Bangor to the Isle of man, rite round the isle, then on to Liverpool and i would just like to say ”O my god!” , its the 5th day in and we're flying threw, just like the time. We were told that the Isle of man is a great spot to find basking sharks? Third day in and i was like, “yeah rite loads”! then all of a sudden SIX at the same time, how cool was that! I was so thrilled i screamed. One of them was so close that i could clearly see in its extra large mouth, definitely one of the best experiences in my life as a animal lover.
I am having so much fun, sleeping out at sea, missing my wee kids Jake and Ava, the better half (Trish) and dog Casey(love yas), but the crew are too cool for school so we're well entertained. We are currently docked at Peel (a lovely wee marina) and a cracking view of there castle, looking forward too tonites antics, whatever they may be?????
Hi, Marie-Clare here from Slaughtneil. currently on leg 12 with scarlet oyster. Its monday already... been a very busy week of seeing sharks, whales and of course sailing too. lol. we in peel today and we set sail for liverpool on early wednesday morning were our trip will end. Wish the girls the best of luck for the rest of there trip and thanks to them, ellen macarther trust and the northern ireland cancer fund for children for this great opportunity.
Hey all, Niall from Belfast here! Left Douglas yesterday and left Ramsey today, arrived in Peel this afternoon have had a great time so far and expect plenty more good times before the end of the trip! Having good fun with everybody on board the Scarlet Oyster, a BIG thank you to The Ellen MacArther Trust for this great opportunity they have given me!
Hi, Barbara here from Killyman! Been onboard the Scarlet Oyster for 5 days its been absolutely amazing, the crew have been great craic and have got us safely to each of our ports and am sure they get us to our end destination in Liverpool! (Hope I dont jinx us now lol) We have seen some beautiful scenes and have captured some great photos of wildlife, from birds to whales and sharks! We’ve had some great winds for sailing and the sun even managed to come out which was brilliant! I’ve learnt some more sailing techniques and gained new skills! I want to take a sentence or two to say, Thank you to both the Ellen MacArther Trust and the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children for yet another brilliant trip and another phenomenally fantastic experience!
Hey people, its gerard from belfast, just on the leg 12 Bangor to the Isle of man, rite round the isle, then on to Liverpool and i would just like to say ”O my god!” , its the 5th day in and we're flying threw, just like the time. We were told that the Isle of man is a great spot to find basking sharks? Third day in and i was like, “yeah rite loads”! then all of a sudden SIX at the same time, how cool was that! I was so thrilled i screamed. One of them was so close that i could clearly see in its extra large mouth, definitely one of the best experiences in my life as a animal lover.
I am having so much fun, sleeping out at sea, missing my wee kids Jake and Ava, the better half (Trish) and dog Casey(love yas), but the crew are too cool for school so we're well entertained. We are currently docked at Peel (a lovely wee marina) and a cracking view of there castle, looking forward too tonites antics, whatever they may be?????
Hi, Marie-Clare here from Slaughtneil. currently on leg 12 with scarlet oyster. Its monday already... been a very busy week of seeing sharks, whales and of course sailing too. lol. we in peel today and we set sail for liverpool on early wednesday morning were our trip will end. Wish the girls the best of luck for the rest of there trip and thanks to them, ellen macarther trust and the northern ireland cancer fund for children for this great opportunity.
Hey all, Niall from Belfast here! Left Douglas yesterday and left Ramsey today, arrived in Peel this afternoon have had a great time so far and expect plenty more good times before the end of the trip! Having good fun with everybody on board the Scarlet Oyster, a BIG thank you to The Ellen MacArther Trust for this great opportunity they have given me!
Hi, Barbara here from Killyman! Been onboard the Scarlet Oyster for 5 days its been absolutely amazing, the crew have been great craic and have got us safely to each of our ports and am sure they get us to our end destination in Liverpool! (Hope I dont jinx us now lol) We have seen some beautiful scenes and have captured some great photos of wildlife, from birds to whales and sharks! We’ve had some great winds for sailing and the sun even managed to come out which was brilliant! I’ve learnt some more sailing techniques and gained new skills! I want to take a sentence or two to say, Thank you to both the Ellen MacArther Trust and the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children for yet another brilliant trip and another phenomenally fantastic experience!
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Goodbye Scotland, Hello Northern Ireland
It was sad to be leaving Scotland yesterday but next stop was the homeland so wasn’t too bad! If the weather had been kind to us Largs would not have been our last stop, and we could have continued cruising in the Clyde for another couple of days before making the hop across the Northern Ireland. However, the weather was not going to make our lives easy so it was a hop across to Belfast Lough in one fell swoop. With the front having gone through in the morning, we waved goodbye to Largs and Scotland and sailed down the Clyde. The wind did not play too nicely to begin with as our making tack had us heading to Ayr, which for those of you not familiar with the layout of the North Channel is on the opposite side to Belfast! However, after the odd wind dance the wind started to come round from the west and we were able to start actually heading where we wanted to go - sadly on starboard tack again!! It was an awesome sail from this point on, the odd boat, lighthouse, stars, setting moon over Blackhead and plenty of sea birds to keep us entertained. It was a bit of a late arrival into Carrick but we had the promise of a long lie and then next day I was coming home to Bangor. So here we are now sitting in Bangor marina, mum and dad came to catch our lines - thank you and brought us some extra supplies - they’ve not all been finished yet!! Weather due to blow in again tomorrow so I think it will be a day of shoreside activities, which may or may not involve swimming!! Until then Karen out x
John, 28.7.09
Largs was my first encounter with the Scarlet Oyster and under a certain amount of trepidation. I have nothing to be concerned about. Welcomed aboard by Kathy who is the skipper and introduced to first mate Karen, along with Angela from NI Cancer Trust and her charge of five young people who have faced adversity from cancer. It was fantastic to see how upbeat and positive they all were, and sad to hear them talk of tumours and treatment in between discussing “normal” everyday things. Heroes.
John 29.7.09
No sleep. Yawn. Unfamiliar sounds and teenagers talking until silly O’clock not conducive to sleep. This was unfortunate as Kathy tells us we are going to exploit a gap in the weather and cross Irish sea to Carrickfergus which will take until approximately 2pm. First proper sailing and at night time too. Had good weather to start with but quickly got cold. Kathy keeps us well looked after with special hot chocolate and soup. Have a go at the wheel, bags of fun but cold and tiredness gets better of me and I crash for half an hour. Wake up shivering as we are getting closer to the harbour but wind dies on us and we switch to engine. Loads of stars in the sky, recognise the plough. We finally arrive and moor up at night, make good the boat and everyone crashes.
John 30.7.09
Some sleep. Yawn. Seem to be awake before everyone else so I decide to wander round Carrickfergus marina. The sun is shining warmly and all is good. Have a quick saunter round Black head (lighthouse) after having passed it last night before we exploit another break in the weather to skip across to Bangor. A very pleasant jaunt in fab weather and we chat as we cross. If I couldn’t see the attraction yesterday I definitely do now. Sailing is ace. Back to boat for ace lasagne and garlic bread, yum. Later, John. [30/07/09 22:00]
John, 28.7.09
Largs was my first encounter with the Scarlet Oyster and under a certain amount of trepidation. I have nothing to be concerned about. Welcomed aboard by Kathy who is the skipper and introduced to first mate Karen, along with Angela from NI Cancer Trust and her charge of five young people who have faced adversity from cancer. It was fantastic to see how upbeat and positive they all were, and sad to hear them talk of tumours and treatment in between discussing “normal” everyday things. Heroes.
John 29.7.09
No sleep. Yawn. Unfamiliar sounds and teenagers talking until silly O’clock not conducive to sleep. This was unfortunate as Kathy tells us we are going to exploit a gap in the weather and cross Irish sea to Carrickfergus which will take until approximately 2pm. First proper sailing and at night time too. Had good weather to start with but quickly got cold. Kathy keeps us well looked after with special hot chocolate and soup. Have a go at the wheel, bags of fun but cold and tiredness gets better of me and I crash for half an hour. Wake up shivering as we are getting closer to the harbour but wind dies on us and we switch to engine. Loads of stars in the sky, recognise the plough. We finally arrive and moor up at night, make good the boat and everyone crashes.
John 30.7.09
Some sleep. Yawn. Seem to be awake before everyone else so I decide to wander round Carrickfergus marina. The sun is shining warmly and all is good. Have a quick saunter round Black head (lighthouse) after having passed it last night before we exploit another break in the weather to skip across to Bangor. A very pleasant jaunt in fab weather and we chat as we cross. If I couldn’t see the attraction yesterday I definitely do now. Sailing is ace. Back to boat for ace lasagne and garlic bread, yum. Later, John. [30/07/09 22:00]
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
More swimming - this time the Atlantic!
Can’t believe we’re already on Leg 10 and we’ve left the Caledonian Canal! Had an awesome trip down the canal with two great crews from around Scotland. We also had an expected day with Wendy and Iain Hope and their family on Sunday - it was great thank you all. Our new crew arrived on Monday after some very helpful Skandia volunteers cleaned and polished Scarlet - it was great to meet you guys and thanks. Monday night was cricket night - well with England winning a test match in the Ashes and us having our Austalian trustee on the boat - it would have been rude not too. I think it ended up being a draw - siting bad light! Departing Caledonian Canal on Tuesday morning was superb, Wendy and Iain came down to wave us off, cloud was off Ben Nevis and the sun was shining. Unfortunately no wind so it was a motor out of Corpach down Loch Linnhe and through Corran Narrows. I’d forgotten how nice it was sailing aorund this area - it’s amazing somewhere I need to spend much more time in our cruise round next year :-) Evening was spent in Dunstaffnage wandering around the castle - by the time we got to cricket it was bad light!! Tuesday morning was very wet, had a lazy morning and left not long after 11 - lo and behold not long after leaving the sun came out and we were treated to some of most amazing scenery of the voyage so far. We had a great little anchor at Puilladobhrain - fond memories from my Day Skipper and charters with John. We stopped here for lunch - like quite a few others but unlike others we had a swim!! So that’ll be North Sea, Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Atlantic Ocean ticked for swimming now - not doing badly! So now we’re moored up in the basin at Crinan all set for a second canal tomorrow - can’t wait :-) Karen out.
Last night after a gorgeous dinner of pasta, we went to find the pitch for the second test match in our EMT Ashes Series. We walked along the beach, into the forest, into a dead end, back out again, along the shore, to the castle, and then a left turn down onto the beach. It was so beautiful,... Fran was taught by Gareth, champion skimmer, how to skim stones. It was magic, with the sunset and islands over the water. Unfortunately, we had postpone the second test, due to the the girls enjoying the simply breathtaking view and the boys’ stone throwing competition.
So today started drizzly and with very dreigh Scottich weather. But by noon, the sun had come out, and we saw dolphins! We also swam the Atlantic! - a whole 2 boat lenghts,... It was cold... actually freezing, actually beyond freezing.
We played a great game of Animal ABC as we motor sailed past the islands and lighthouses. We had a water fight,... instigated by the Aussie on board,...however, Gareth and Cath, our skipper, saught revenge.
We had the bagpipes welcome us into Crinan and are now in the most idealic harbour, with classic yachts and the forest around us. It’s been a great day. We’re looking forward to more to come. Fran, Gareth and the Aussie out.
RAWWWR! how exciting has this trip been so far :O??? also How cool was that swim??? i’ll answer that for you..... breathtaking...... quite physicly, ABSOLUTELY BELOW FREEZING! after two laps of the beautiful scarlet oyster fran and i freaked out at the mention of jelly fish and clambered back on deck. I am quite astonished at the reception into crinan lock! as we were about to enter, we were all seronaded with the sound of bagpipes, formed by a lovely little chap in the full traditional scottish kit. we are bein cooked dinner by the shepard pie master’s Luke and Gareth, but its very debatable weather they will actually top the masterfull grade A pasta dish, cooked by Joe and Timmy boy. (that comment Not at all written by joe :P) DOLPHINS, we saw a few poppin there beaks out the atlantic in an orderly fashion to greet us XD, Not to mention the seal, which at one point we thought was man over board!!! :O, we are now writting this blog awaiting dinner after a beautiful cruise, a breath taking dip in the atlantic, with fabulous scenery, lavly weather, WICKED COMPANY!!!, accompanied by the funky sound of bob marley, IT DOESNT GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT!!!!
(*_*)PEACE OUT(*_*)
JOEY JOE JOE.*.*.*.*.*.*. And Rach....x
Last night after a gorgeous dinner of pasta, we went to find the pitch for the second test match in our EMT Ashes Series. We walked along the beach, into the forest, into a dead end, back out again, along the shore, to the castle, and then a left turn down onto the beach. It was so beautiful,... Fran was taught by Gareth, champion skimmer, how to skim stones. It was magic, with the sunset and islands over the water. Unfortunately, we had postpone the second test, due to the the girls enjoying the simply breathtaking view and the boys’ stone throwing competition.
So today started drizzly and with very dreigh Scottich weather. But by noon, the sun had come out, and we saw dolphins! We also swam the Atlantic! - a whole 2 boat lenghts,... It was cold... actually freezing, actually beyond freezing.
We played a great game of Animal ABC as we motor sailed past the islands and lighthouses. We had a water fight,... instigated by the Aussie on board,...however, Gareth and Cath, our skipper, saught revenge.
We had the bagpipes welcome us into Crinan and are now in the most idealic harbour, with classic yachts and the forest around us. It’s been a great day. We’re looking forward to more to come. Fran, Gareth and the Aussie out.
RAWWWR! how exciting has this trip been so far :O??? also How cool was that swim??? i’ll answer that for you..... breathtaking...... quite physicly, ABSOLUTELY BELOW FREEZING! after two laps of the beautiful scarlet oyster fran and i freaked out at the mention of jelly fish and clambered back on deck. I am quite astonished at the reception into crinan lock! as we were about to enter, we were all seronaded with the sound of bagpipes, formed by a lovely little chap in the full traditional scottish kit. we are bein cooked dinner by the shepard pie master’s Luke and Gareth, but its very debatable weather they will actually top the masterfull grade A pasta dish, cooked by Joe and Timmy boy. (that comment Not at all written by joe :P) DOLPHINS, we saw a few poppin there beaks out the atlantic in an orderly fashion to greet us XD, Not to mention the seal, which at one point we thought was man over board!!! :O, we are now writting this blog awaiting dinner after a beautiful cruise, a breath taking dip in the atlantic, with fabulous scenery, lavly weather, WICKED COMPANY!!!, accompanied by the funky sound of bob marley, IT DOESNT GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT!!!!
(*_*)PEACE OUT(*_*)
JOEY JOE JOE.*.*.*.*.*.*. And Rach....x
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