Day 1, So Far…

Ahoy there landlubbers! A bit of a one-off blog for a first day, as the majority of the children are at Inverclyde whilst the Lainshaw boys and girls are over on the Isle of Cumbrae.

There was no time for unpacking, as the minute we arrived at Cumbrae it was straight to action. The group was split into 2 smaller groups; a group for kayaking and a group for sailing.

 

After lunch (pasta, soup, salad, fruit, yoghurt) the groups switched.

The kayakers took to their role like the proverbial ducks to water, cutting across the waves as if they’d been doing it for years. Games of water quidditch and daring one another to stand up in their kayak (under expert supervision, of course) made for a very enjoyable session.

As I type I’m watching the sailors glide around the Firth Of Clyde in 4 man dinghies with the help of an instructor. Some of the sailors had the added bonus of being taken out to their dinghy on the RIB – the high-powered speedboat, above. A real treat! The occassional excitable scream carries back easily from the water to my position on the balcony of the Water Sports Centre. The sailing looks like really great fun and the weather couldn’t have been kinder for us. It’s idyllic.

Meanwhile, over on the mainland, the sports sessions were well under way. Here’s the itinerary for the week…

After beng shown our rooms, we were given a tour of the impressive new facilities. The children were put into their groups and participated in a mixture of badminton, basketball, gymnastics, trampolines, hockey and rugby.

 

After dinner (round about now) we will be settling down for a quiz. The Cumbrae gang are heading into the rolling hills (!) of the island to watch the sunset and hopefully catch the Northern Lights! Really! Pictures (hopefully) to follow….

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