The third crew to take part in the YMCA Tall Ships Adventure, from Cardiff to Liverpool, have returned
The third crew to sail around the UK for charity have shared their experiences.
In partnership with the Tall Ships Youth Trust, volunteers from across Newark and Sherwood are taking it in turns to sail a racing yacht in a relay around the UK until October 18, all to raise money for YMCA Newark and Sherwood’s Community and Activity Village.
Each week, we will bring you an exclusive diary from the crews aboard the ship as they share their experiences on their trip of a lifetime.
The third crew to take to the waves on the YMCA Tall Ships Adventure were a group of individual community volunteers, forming the Crew “Community Champions”, and sailing from Cardiff to Liverpool.
Joining YMCA CEO Will Wakefield, the group made a journey of 300 nautical miles over six days of sailing, encountering dolphins, porpoises and the treacherous tail end of storm Dorian.
Volunteer Bonnie Mitchell said: “Despite the horrible seasickness, we faced challenges together as a team from day one.
“Everyone had a story to tell about why they volunteered – each one was unique and showed how the YMCA brings all sorts of people together.”
Of all the crews so far, Crew 3 experienced some of the most dramatic weather so far, encountering towering waves and dramatic winds as storm Dorian caught up to them. The ship struggled to sail onward half-way through the trip, due to the perilous weather.
The difficult conditions took the group of novice sailors some time acclimatise to, including CEO Will Wakefield, who cheerfully shared his experiences in a vlog once the storms had died down.
“It has been one of the most amazing experiences I’ve been privileged to endure. But I’m not going to lie – I didn’t think that for the first 48 hours – I thought ‘what did I do to deserve this punishment!?’” Will said.
“I’ve learned how to winch, how not to winch, how to climb a mast, how to steer a sailing yacht. I’ve learned how to make a cup of tea in gale force winds for 12 people with a gas kettle.”
Fortunately, the weather calmed towards the end of their trip, giving them time to recover, watch wildlife, and discuss why they were taking on such a huge challenge.
One volunteer, Kate Lucas, explained in a vlog why the trip was so exciting for her and for Newark and Sherwood.
“When I was a teenager, I was very lucky to be part of a youth group run by the YMCA. It gave us so much! Not just in terms of somewhere to go, but it taught us a lot about the community and what it was like to be part of the community.”
“It taught me that being part of the community is worth it, not just for myself but for everybody and I’d like to be part of it with the YMCA in Newark too”.
Together the Crew have raised £4,247 so far through their own JustGiving pages, all which will go towards building the YMCA Community and Activity Village on Bowbridge Road, Newark.
The next leg of the trip named “Inclusion to Excellence” is sailing from Liverpool to Greenock, with a Crew made up of CEOs and business representatives from around Newark and Sherwood, and arrives into Greenock tomorrow.
