22 September 2022

This month we took our young people on a trip from Brixton Harbour to Portsmouth, on board a Tall Ship, also known as ‘The Challenger 3’.

The group began their trip in Bristol, where they were introduced to the team and got to grips with what they had to expect on the trip. After some basic naval training, a run through of the onboard rules and a lovely meal prepared by our young people, the group got up early the next morning and set sail to Weymouth!

After battling their way through seven hours of bumpy sea, the group were pleased to reach the shore. Our young people were exhausted, but it was all worth it once they had tucked into some well-deserved local fish and chips. Once again it was heads down and an early night, as they prepared to sail again the next day.

Day three began, and the group headed to Poole. Our young people worked as a team, putting up sails, completing tasks and managed to conquer another active day at sea. During sailing, the skipper trusted our young people to have a go at driving the boat. Not surprisingly, they all were keen to have a go and stepped up to the challenge! The group finally reached Poole Harbour, where they had down time on shore and finished the evening playing cards and eating dinner.

Day four and it was time to complete the last leg of the trip to Portsmouth, where much to the group’s surprise, the sea was much calmer. The group reached Portsmouth where they got an insight into how a boat was then packed down. They enjoyed a final dinner and some down time and finished the trip by cleaning and preparing the boat for future trips. The group said their final goodbyes, where they all received certificates, t-shirts and feedback.

Riley, one member of the group shared their experience and said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time on Tall Ships and would definitely come back again. I would absolutely participate once more and many times over that. Thank you to Tall Ships to for helping me to feel genuinely happy during the sail!”

Overall, it was a fantastic week and the entire team pulled together amazingly to learn new skills on their adventure.

Thank you to Tall Ships for hosting us on this outing!