Category Archives: Ocean Youth Trust

Don’t be fooled by texts

Posted on by

coll-002.jpgExhilarated.  That’s the best word I can find to describe the boys when I collected them from Largs last Friday.   There I’d been, worrying all week that they might be hating it.  I should have known better. 

We waved the others off in the minibus and then retired to Nardini’s – or the sad imitation of Nardini’s, all that remains of an institution that should surely have had campaigns to save it – for something to eat.  With ice cream, of course, which can still be had.  They could barely stop talking long enough to look at the menu, although a week of fresh air ensured that Continue reading →

All afloat

Posted on by

yacht-firth-of-lorn.jpgMum, paranoid, needs text from boys, teenagers (gmt & vyt), afloat somewhere in the Clyde.  Maybe they’re too seasick to text.  Or too cold, wet and miserable.  More likely they’re having a great time and we’ll hear all about it at the weekend.  After they’ve had 24 hours sleep, that is.  I do wonder, though, if the boat crew have enlisted the services of an interpreter for those East Lothian accents yet.

Meanwhile,

there are no wet towels on the bathroom floor; Continue reading →

The best laid plans…

Posted on by

asleep.jpgWouldn’t it be nice if once, just once, life was boring and everything went according to schedule?  I could happily do boring for a while.

Whizzo scheme No. 1

The Plan

An Ocean Youth Trust trip for the boys.  What a great idea!  Time off school was negotiated, forms completed, money paid.  The boat is due to leave this Sunday from Holyhead.  No problem! We’d go via Manchester on Saturday, collecting Boy Cousin en route.  And oh look! The World Short Course Swimming Championships are on in Manchester – what a bonus!  So I bought tickets a couple of days ago.  And even better – I have a meeting in Bangor on Tuesday so let’s reschedule everyone for Monday and I’ll stay over for it.

The Flaw

Have you spotted it yet?  No, I didn’t either.  Nor did a lot of other people, it seems. Continue reading →

Ocean Youth Trust

Posted on by

greater-manchester-challenge.jpgI’m not a great believer in the children missing school for any reason.  They really have to be close to death before they can stay home sick and it takes a family wedding to get them the last day of term off.  But they’re both taking a week out in April to go with the Ocean Youth Trust, a sail training organisation, on the Greater Manchester Challenge.

A friend had organised a group of youngsters from dinghy sailing clubs in Derbyshire to go on the boat but several dropped out recently and she was offering the places more widely.  We initially turned it down as it was during term time for us – Easter holidays in other parts of the country – but GP2 was keen to go.  Some more thought and it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.  The school agreed and have been very supportive about the idea; they’re not getting off scot free as they’ll have some reading and writing to do.   Anyhow, they’re both going and so is their Manchester cousin.  They’ll sail from Holyhead, probably out to the Isle of Man, and back to Liverpool. 

Interestingly, although it’s expensive it’s a lot cheaper than some of the school trips on offer, presumably because we don’t have to cover staff costs.   Travel costs will be helped by the fact that I have a meeting in Bangor that week which I’ve managed to rearrange for the Monday – they board on Sunday – so it’s all fitting in well.

And I’m very jealous.