Spirit of Adventure

​Spirit of Adventure - written by Marion Frei
This year I  went aboard the Spirit of Adventure. It was a 10 day voyage which I had no clue what I was in for or who I was going to meet. We sailed around the beautiful Hauraki Gulf.
Every morning we started off with a refreshing swim at 6:30am, breakfast and then a cleaning session in our watches. There were four groups and the ship was split up into four different sections. Every day your watch was in charge of looking after a different section. On one day you would clean either the accommodation, cut veggies for meals, clean the half cabin (where we gathered) or the wheel house where the captain was. This was a good teamwork experience and involved leadership skills. We all got a chance to be the leader.
Throughout the day we would learn how sail stations worked, had different activities  such as learning different knots, games, or map reading. Occasionally we would raft to shore to do a beach clean, play games, go for a walk or have a BBQ.  In the evening the crew would always have an activity planned for us as well. One of them was being lead blindfolded around the whole ship as a group, only following the leader’s voice. This was very difficult. Another My favourite part was the ‘pool parties.’ This is when we could jump off the ship into the ocean and just go swimming. Throughout the day we would also have time to just hang out and get to know everyone. Because we were stuck on the ship and had no communication or knowledge of what was going on, in the outside world, it made the whole experience easier.
Throughout the 10 days I met many new people that I still keep in contact with today. This trip helped me grow in my independence and is a trip that I would recommend to anyone that loves sailing. This trip has also helped me decide that I don't want to be a sailor.
Thank you to the Riversdale Lions Clubs for supporting me in being able to attend this adventure.
 

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