10 July 2006
10th July 06
On 5 July 2006, 10 youngsters aged between 11 and 18 from UCLH and Great Ormond Street Hospital arrived on the Isle of Wight for the first 4 day EMT trip of 2006. I was lucky enough to have been accepted as a volunteer through working for Into the blue, the company that deals with PR for the Trust. Although I was excited I was also pretty nervous about whether I would be of any use. I had been to the training weekend but still wasn’t sure what to expect as I had very little sailing experience and hadn’t been around people that had experienced something so testing and traumatic so early in their lives. Now I know I shouldn’t have worried!
The youngsters arrived at UKSA having all travelled down on the train together and already forming friendships. Several of the youngsters had been on previous trips, including Dan Monk who
was back this year as a volunteer, and those that hadn’t seemed eager to know what would be happening. After an initial meet and greet everyone went to see which boat they would be on, where
they were sleeping and so on. On the boat I was on, Scarlet Oyster, we had five of the older youngsters, Ross Browne, Henry Williams, Lucy Sampson, Luke Croarkin and Tom Broughton. The
skipper Andy Dare went through the safety briefing and then we all went to the swimming pool for a session of water volleyball (at least that’s what it was billed as although a water free-for-all
with a ball would have been a better description!). Straight away there was a lot of laughter as teams were decided and the ‘game’ commenced. The 2 hours in the pool flew by. After
this we went back to the boat to cook the first supper of lasagne. The youngsters were asked to help with this, as these trips are about getting involved in as much as possible and not just a
holiday. Luke, who could boil an egg but that was apparently abut the limit of his culinary capabilities laid his first layer of mince, white sauce and lasagne into the dish and spread the
grated cheese on the top with so much care that it was always going to turn out delicious. This first evening as the weather wasn’t too great everyone sat below deck playing games and getting
to know each other better, which was necessary as everyone would be sleeping at very close quarters. Chatting continued till way past ‘bedtime’ but everyone seemed to finish their day
happy.
Day two and the alarm went off at 7am. After being put on snooze a few times everyone started to emerge 45 mins later and bacon rolls were served. We found we had a stowaway as Peter from
the other boat had spent the night on ours after falling asleep chatting with the other boys. It was great to see everyone getting on so well and moving with ease amongst each other
already. Today was our first day of sailing and after breakfast we set off for Yarmouth. Sailing of course was the main reason everyone was there and throughout the three days you could
see confidence around the boat growing. There was a sense of achievement when each youngster got behind the wheel to steer the boat, completed a successful tack, or managed to tie the right
knot. Tom had sailed on a trip before so it was great to see him picking the brains of the sailing experts on board to be even better and learn as much as he could. Andy the skipper and
Gordon, the owner of the boat who is also recovering from cancer were on hand to answer any of these sailing questions and show the youngsters how to do things. A water fight between the two
boats was attempted but was hampered by faulty water bombs that were bursting whilst being filled and the range of the water pistols, but still everyone was having fun. We moored at Yarmouth
harbour for the night and from there were given a tour round the Yarmouth lifeboat followed by tea provided by the lovely ladies at the Royal Solent Yacht Club. Rainbow sprinkled iced-doughnuts have
never tasted so good! My personal highlight of the day however was a team game of football, played initially in the rain and then accompanied by a rainbow before the skies cleared. Ross
was top goal-scorer and Hannah came a close second but again it was the constant laughter that made this my favourite bit, and for me, although it sounds totally corny, the appearance of the
rainbow seemed somehow significant to the beauty of what these trips are about. Dinner was sausage casserole with everything sliced, diced and cooked by Lucy and Luke, who later on that night
decided to sleep on deck with Peter, which I was dying to do but wimped out on account of it being too cold for me! Games were played, steering wheels of the other boat were pinched..(then
hidden, then tied up on to the rigging without the skipper Martin noticing a thing for a good 3 hours, much to everyone’s amusement), and again, chatting, reflection and laughter meant no-one got to
bed when they probably should have done!
Day three began with taking a water taxi to the shower blocks. Ross made some great bacon sandwiches for breakfast then everyone was in for a special treat. Ellen MacArthur arrived on a RIB to take everyone on a speedy trip down to the famous landmark of The Needles. Ellen introduced herself to all the youngsters, and after everyone got their waterproofs and lifejackets on, we got into the RIB for a guided tour of the coast of the IOW from Ellen. All on board loved the speed and wanted to get wetter as the RIB hurtled around the sea. Comments like ‘this is the best boat ride I’ve ever been on’ were heard and I’d be surprised if there weren’t broad smiles on all faces in every photo from the experience, as whenever I turned round it was smiles all the way! After this there was time for a bit of souvenir shopping in Yarmouth before leaving for more sailing. Ellen was on our boat Her passion and enthusiasm for sailing can’t fail to rub off on people and I think she gave the youngsters a better understanding of what it’s all about. Lucy from Upminster, Essex said “It was lovely meeting Ellen, you can see how passionate she is about sailing and to help people with cancer.”
After sailing up the Medina River we moored for the night by The Folly pub in Whippingham and Ellen presented a video of her amazing trip to learn more about the albatross in South Georgia to the youngsters. This was followed by a delicious barbeque prepared by Frank Fletcher who runs The Trust. The food was accompanied by a kick-about, chatting and games of pool in the pub as well as everyone gathering to sing happy birthday to Ellen for the following day. Everyone enjoyed a piece of her birthday cake!
After a great night we all eventually returned to the boats and chatted till the early hours. As Lucy commented “As well as meeting the people excellent friendships are made” and the nightly chats were an important part of this bonding. Lucy, Luke and Peter once again spent the night up on deck, just like real sailors! After the trip Luke from Basildon, Essex said “I think it was excellent because of the way you get treated. Sometimes you can forget that you had leukaemia. They make you feel normal. You can talk to other people and they know what you mean, they understand. Last night we were just taking and they know what it’s all about, coz not a lot of people understand.”
The last day was spent mostly tidying the boat and getting everything together for the journey home. All the youngsters throughout the trip had been working towards an RYA certification Start
Yachting and everyone passed so were presented with a certificate signed by Ellen MacArthur, and given RYA handbooks so they can work towards other qualifications in the future if they want.
Then it was time to say a sad goodbye as they all got a boat to the Red Jet for Southampton, continued back on a train to London and the trip was over.
At the end I asked for comments from the youngsters about their experience and a selection of replies included:
“There’s not one bit I didn’t like, not one bit, apart from being a bit seasick. I think what Ellens done for The Trust, what she’s built, is fantastic. You feel like people forget about the teenagers that have cancer, it’s always about the younger children. I’m definitely coming back next year, without a shadow of a doubt.” Luke Croarkin, aged 18, from Basildon, Essex
“This was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, thank-you”. Lucy Sampson, aged 17, from Upminster, Essex
“You had to learn to work together as a team. Sailing the boat was fun I had to concentrate really hard. I’ve learnt to do clove hitches, bolings, reef knot and learnt names like headsail and mainsail.” Hannah Durkan, aged 11, from Stanford, Essex
“I think it’s been an fantastic experience and I have learnt a lot I’ve learnt how to sail and I’ve made new friends and everybody’s really nice” Ellize McBride, aged 12, from Stanford, Essex
“It’s a new experience for me I didn’t imagine it would be like this, however I would like it to be longer.” Henry Williams, aged 18, from Vauxhall
“I think it was really good and I think it couldn’t be any better really.” Benedict Mahoney, aged 14, from Marlow, Buckinghamshire
I hope these comments say it all really.
Aside from several youngsters getting a bit seasick for a short time during the sailing, which afterwards didn’t seem to have affected their whole experience, I can’t think of any bad moments on this trip. Some of the things that touched me the most are things I don’t feel I can write on the site as they were private conversations with the youngsters about their experiences, ambitions or just snapshot moments that no one else need know, but that made me feel privileged to be in their company. Suffice to say each one of them has coped with something past my comprehension and are all the more amazing people for it. If I’ve missed peoples names out from helping with dinners or not credited them with the washing up, it’s only because my memory couldn’t place everything. I know all on board Scarlet Oyster shared the work fairly and everyone did their bit. I’d like to thank The Trust for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this; Ellen MacArthur has created a truly wonderful thing. Mainly I want to thank all the youngsters for making this one of the best four days I’ve had for a very long time. You have all created a lasting impression on me and I wish all of you the best with your future plans. I have no doubt that the strength, enthusiasm and great character you all share will carry you on to great things in your lives and I hope you will all be back again next year!