I was really nervous, anxious and so quiet on the minibus on the way to Dunbar, everyone was feeling scared and I just wanted to go home. We got a taxi to Excelsior in the shape of a rib, our bags were really close to the edge and it felt like it was going really fast. When we went around the corner I was feeling a little scared, even climbing on the ladder I was trying not to show that I was scared but missed the ladder and took a big jump instead on to Excelsior. I instantly started feeling sick, and it felt like hell. It lasted from Dunbar until Peterhead, almost 24 hours. Most of the time was spent either in my bed or on the top deck being physically sick. Or near the sink because Jayne made me do the dishes when my team was on watch. When we got to Peterhead I was so thankful to see land that I’ve never been so happier in my life. I did want to go home but support from one of my crew members Amie encouraging me help led me to stay.

From Peterhead to Whitehall was quite challenging as I found it really hard, like all the pulling of sheets (ropes) and socially talking and communicating with people but a really good experience. At the end of the week I felt that I was handling the more challenging tasks better than at the beginning.

I am taking away more confidence and stepping out of my comfort zone which I’ve never done before. This has made me feel really good about myself and being with a group of people that I can really trust made such a difference.

Even now I am still feeling that the ground is moving, it’s a really strange feeling. I’ve made new friends, it’s funny because one friend in particular has been in the same classroom as me for over three months and we never talked. We’ve now found out that we have quite a lot of things in common, and we are definitely going to become really good friends. We only started talking because it was such a small place.

I want to give a big shout out to the crew, Miss Springhall and Jayne, and say thank you for putting up with me. This is something that I will never forget.