Young people from Addenbrookes, Great Ormond Street and Southampton Hospital sail with the Trust
Sensational sailing, thrilling RIB rides and a random rendition of ‘The Wheels of the Bus’ in the rain on board an open top bus??
Ask any of the 19 children that took part in the fourth EMT yacht trip of 2007 what they remember about their four-day adventure around the Isle of Wight and chances are sitting on the top deck of a double decker in full foul weather gear for an impromptu visit to the spectacular Needles would probably rank quite highly!
But that is the beauty of the EMT trips – you soon learn to expect the unexpected!
The unexpected started as early as day one when, thanks to the great British summer weather, the organised team building event was quickly revised and moved into an accommodating workshop at UKSA so the children, from Southampton General, Great Ormond Street and Addenbrookes hospitals, and the EMT staff and volunteers could all get to know each other.
Their task? To build an egg-holding device that when dropped from 20ft would prevent the egg breaking.
However the children obviously felt very comfortable immediately as within seconds it was suggested that the skippers of the four EMT boats had enough faith in their new crews’ to prevent egg breakage to stand underneath the devices when they were dropped! Fortunately for the skippers they were right to trust their crews as all eggs remained intact.
The children were then given their first introduction of life at sea with a session learning and then teaching each other a number of different nautical knots before the four crews retired to their boats to get to know their new crewmates over lasagne and later on water polo in the UKSA pool.
Mother Nature decided to smile kindly on the trip on Tuesday and escorted by bright sunlight and a comfortable breeze, the four boats – Inspiration, G&T, Scarlet Oyster and for the first time ever on an EMT trip the history-making Gipsy Moth VI, departed UKSA for Yarmouth. With winching and helming at the top of the agenda the children enjoyed what for many was their first taste of sailing as much almost as much as the sunshine
You soon learn trying to stay dry on an EMT trip is a waste of time even when the sun is shining as with all boats armed with an array of water-propelling weapons a full-scale water fight is usually just around the corner.
And that was true on arrival in Yarmouth as the crews of G&T, Scarlet Oyster and Gipsy Moth VI waged a wet battle across the dry pontoon!
Civilisation was soon restored with the customary tea at the Royal Solent Yacht Club before the crews worked up an appetite for fish and chips with a frantic football match as the spectacular summer sun set over the Solent.
If Tuesday was the perfect summer sailing day, Wednesday was winter in July! And after a decision had been made not to set sail and to instead stay in Yarmouth, the unexpected again began to unfurl.
Firstly, much to the shock and excitement of the children Ellen MacArthur made a surprise visit to Yarmouth to say hello and enjoyed herself so much she ended up staying all day!
The crews were then treated to the ride - and soaking - of their lives, when they were taken by two high-speed RIBs for an exhilarating ride to the Needles. Everyone returned drenched but no one cared! It had been a truly unforgettable experience.
With the rain still lingering after lunch, the unexpected took an even more unexpected twist when the children huddled on to the double decker, oillies and all, to see the Needles from a different angle. As the bus wove its way around the Isle Of Wight’s country lanes, very few Islanders were left in little doubt the EMT was in town as the weather played second fiddle to signing, waving and most importantly FUN!
The day came to a close with a barbecue under the balcony at the Royal Solent Yacht Club where once again the rain failed to dampen the well-fed spirits of four happy and satisfied crews.
All too quickly the 2007 EMT trips came to their conclusion as the boats departed a gusty Yarmouth and arrived back at Cowes to say their fond farewells to their new friends.
There was one word being banded about to describe the experience – “AWESOME”.
And it was.
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