A Royal Air Force air cadet has swapped the open skies for the rough seas to complete part of her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Emily Grist from Inverness was given the opportunity of a lifetime to complete a 12-day sailing expedition around the Outer Hebrides.
The 16-year-old, who is a sergeant with 161 – 1st Highland Squadron in Inverness, admits the trip was anything but plain sailing.
She describes how one day of the trip took a turn for the worst as the 72ft yacht tipped to an angle of 63 degrees.
“One of the days near the end of the trip the boat was tacked, which basically means it is at an angle,” she said.
“When you are living at 63 degrees, it honestly feels like 90. It was absolutely horrendous.
“I was downstairs for 15 minutes and I thought, I can’t do this and I had to go upstairs on deck because I was going to be sick. I stayed on deck the whole day.
“There were people being sick on deck, below deck and people being sick in other people’s beds. It was grim.
“When you were downstairs and looked out of the windows of the hatches, you could see the water line and that’s how you knew you were completely tipped. It was absolutely mental.”
‘You had no personal space’
Emily, who lives on the Black Isle, said the whole situation was made better by the arrival of a pod of dolphins.
“We were looking over the rail – or where the rail should have been – and there were these dolphins just jumping right next to the boat,” she added.
“It was absolutely fantastic.”
Over the course of 12 days, the 18-strong crew – made up of staff and cadets – sailed along the west coast of Scotland onboard the STV Alba Explorer boat with Ocean Youth Trust.
The group spent the first two days learning the ropes onboard before beginning a practice exhibition, sailing from Oban to Canna and onward to Lochmaddy and Tarbert.
From Tarbert, the young crew began their qualifying expedition visiting Loch Ewe, Raasay and Loch Skursery before anchoring at Rum.
The trip was concluded with a trip to Tobermory ahead of their return to Oban.
Emily says the trip was a real rollercoaster of emotions; particularly in adjusting to the lack of personal space.
“It was really challenging as you had no personal space for 12 days,” Emily said.
“You would wake up and already have negative personal space because you would be standing up in this half corridor type space – there were no bedrooms or anything – and it was just hammocks.
“You would stand up and there would be five people within a meter of you. It was absolutely insane.
“It was really easy for people to get rubbed up the wrong way, for disagreements to start and got really blown out of proportion.
“As time went on you got to know everyone but it was very difficult.”
A rollercoaster ride of emotions
Amidst the turmoil, the group got to experience a string of unforgettable moments.
Emily has not only achieved part of her Gold Duke of Edinburgh award but achieved a level 2 qualification in sailing by the Royal Yachting Association.
The young cadet said the experience has inspired her to venture outwith her comfort zone.
“Every moment on the boat, even the bad parts, will always be in my mind,” she said.
“One night when we were on Raasay we had a barbecue on the beach which was amazing, just under the abandoned village of Hallaig. You just got the impression that not no-one’s been there since it was abandoned because how are you supposed to get there?
“The things we did and accomplished and the hurdles we overcame to achieve what we did were so big but they were so worth it, Emily added.
“The whole experience was so rewarding and I just think after that, I’m going to sign up for absolutely anything.
“The whole expedition was just scary, fun, funny, good, bad and ugly.”
The expedition was the first opportunity of its kind for the Inverness-based squadron.
Commanding officer of 161-1st Highland Squadron, Neil Jack said: “We are extremely proud of Emily and this amazing achievement.
“The expedition with Ocean Youth Trust was possible through our close friends at 1019 Stirling Sqn who have organised the whole event.
“Not many people could say that they have sailed the Outer Hebrides for their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.”
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