Ciaran is sat on the train on his way to Liverpool very excited to climb aboard the Spirit of Fairbridge again after, he completed the first part to his sailing qualification at sixteen though the first three days of that course, he spent throwing up and he knew he would because he did every time he travelled back and forth from Ireland and England as a child.
There she is a beautiful ninety-two-foot schooner, the energy Ciaran felt as he boarded was amazing, he knew the cold weather will be a small problem for him, he is still recovering from the hyperthermia he was suffering from less the two weeks ago and nearly drowning in the process, but he will not let that get in the way of his fun.
Ciaran and the other course attendees sit through an induction and introductions before setting of. As you can imagine, a sailing vessel continues its journey until it reaches its destination, to manage this the team is split into two and the work on a three-hour shift rotation, Ciaran was on the second shift and he also know how valuable those three hours are so he heads to his bunk to lay down.
Waking up for his shift the feeling of small waves crashing on the side of the boat, the smell of sea air all around and Ciaran loved the feeling, he jumps out of bed to find what station he has been assigned and with luck its the helm and after eating his breakfast he has good as runs to take control of the boat. A smile on his face with beautiful clear skies but that wasn't too last long.
A little over an hour into his rotation when two trainers approach Ciaran with a harness and large chains, the tell him their heading towards a dangerous storm and asked if he would be okay to continue, he was told he will have to remain there until they pass the storm, they will be turning port side in an attempt to go around the storm and once Ciaran was secured to the boat with the harness and chains, one of the trainers are stood no more than three feet in front of Ciaran, he is also secured to the boat and he would help Ciaran communicate with the navigation and radar team.
Thirty minutes heading down the coast and the storm continues to get worse, fighting against the waves as the tilt the boat, it had got to a point where Ciaran was stood in a horizontal position while both feet still on the deck of the boat. The trainer in front of him, tells him they will have to sail through the storm, it worsens further down the coast and they don't have enough time either.
Under instruction Ciaran turns the boat starboard and heads in to the storm, both the power and danger around him excites him, but nothing gave him greater satisfaction then the lighting strikes hit the water around the boat. Now five hours in to his shift and it's the early hours of the morning, they have passed the worst of the storm and it is now safe for Ciaran to release control so he can get some much-needed sleep.
Ciaran wakes to the sound of seagulls, he walks up to the top deck and looks out at the coastline in front of him, the beautiful sun as it glistens of the clear waters off the coast Dublin, Ireland, he heads back to the lower deck to get some breakfast, they will be spending half of the day there before heading up the coast to Londonderry.
The second half of the day is spent travelling up to Derry, Ciaran has the first shift free and is fishing, him and others tied crab lines to the back of the boat, fifteen minutes after tying his own he caught a mackerel and then with one swing with a steel bar he brings it down to the head of the fish killing it instantly, he cuts the underbelly of his catch and removes all the internal organs, after seasoning flour with salt and pepper, Ciaran coats his fillets in the flour and shallow fries his fish which he will eat with chips and salad that has already been prepared. They arrive at Derry but they will be staying on the boat and will be playing games.
Waking to an early start, Ciaran's task for the morning is to up breakfast and then clean down, after that he would prepare lunch for the next shift to take over. As the afternoon comes to an end the trainers tell everyone, they are sailing to a small island of the coast of Scotland so beautiful you would think you're in the tropical country, a hidden gem they said.
They approach the island as the sun starts to settle, the water clear enough to see the sea bed of the bay and the beach covered with pure white sand, after dropping the anker one of the trainers also lowers the engine propelled dingy and in groups he brings everyone to the beach, the trainers have a great evening planned with a camp fire and games, a time to relax and watch as the moon shines her light on the waves that crash ashore.
Back aboard the Spirit to get a night's sleep and when they all wake up the next morning, they found that during the night the waves had turned the boat around one-hundred and eighty degrees.
The next three days are spent sailing down the coast of Scotland, past Wales and further down the coast of England, they are to dock in Southampton where there will be a small party for the course attendees and their families, all attendees are to remain on the boat during the whole event as well as that night.
The next morning they set sail again and the next three-days were spent sailing around the Isle of Wight, this is a chance for all the attendees to be assessed in all responsibilities required for the qualification.