Blue skies, sunshine and a busy day

Sea kayaking and lobster creels for the Year 6 team

The Year 6 team arrived at the road end just after midday to meet our team, waiting for them with the pickup truck and trailer. Bags out of the coach and onto the trailer before finding out their teams, meeting the instructors, and walking together along the track to the Adventure School.   Packed lunches on the grass and then bags to rooms.

With a shorter than normal week we wanted to crack straight on with the adventures.  

The Red team went sea kayaking with Emma and Kev.   Kitting up on the bridge, setting up their kayaks and launching onto the sea loch right in front of the School itself.   The team paddled across to the bay at Portlevorchy before dividing into smaller pods to explorer the coastline of Loch A Chadh-Fi, circumnavigating the island and paddling past Ardmore where Rebecca and Mark live, and where half of the Blue team are billeted.    On such a warm day it was inevitable that some would choose to find their way out of the kayaks and into the water.

The Blue team boarded our workboats, Argo and Victoria, to go lobster creeling with Mark and Rebecca.   The boys and girls in the Blue team who are billeted at Ardmore took their big bags with them and settled into their rooms before boarding the boats again and starting their lobster creeling.   Pulling creels from the seabed is a great way to see creatures living in the deep.   We caught shore, velvet and spider crabs, hermit crabs and brown crabs, whelks and a scorpion fish.    The team also spent time at Ardmore seeing the little wooden rowing boat that Rebecca’s father, John, used to cross the north Atlantic in 1966 and hearing the stories of that adventure.

Macaroni cheese and salads followed by chocolate cake for supper.   After supper the teams set off on the short walk up to a high point above the School.   It gives a fantastic 360-degree view of all the places we will explore together across the week.

A really busy first day to make the most of the time that we have together.   

Runs and swims before breakfast tomorrow.   Then the Reds will be lobster creeling, the Blues will be sea kayaking, and all teams will look at the fire, food and shelter skills needed for the island. 

Pupils on great form and enjoying beautiful weather.