Barge Trip Report By Ryan Franks

What did I learn On the Barge I learnt a lot of team work skills and how to put them to a good use. We had to work in watches, so this gave us a lot of time to get to know each other and work together. We learnt how the boat worked, we had to get the sail up to get our destination. We learnt knots to keep the sails up and to keep the deck nice and tidy. I also learnt some cooking skills as we had to cook our own food.

What was the Experience Like I really enjoyed myself on the barge and spending time learning about this way of living, trading and transport. I enjoyed spending time with my friends and working together to try to achieve a common goal, which was getting the boat from A to B. When it night time and we were under deck we spent some time with the owners of the barge and it was interesting to talk to them abiut their history on this boat.

The Best and Worst parts of the Trip The trip was mostly good but the small amount of things I did not enjoy was not the fault of the owners of the barge. The worse things about the trip was the amount of sleep I got because of the noise that my peers were making, however the rest was amazing. The best part of the trip was when I got to climb the mast up to the top and got to take in the scenery.

What challenges did I face The whole trip was physically challenging with the amount of man labour needed to get the barge up and going. Also the amount of sleep I got meant I was not up to the greatest of standards. Having to remember the parts of the barge and what to do with them was challenging as you were doing many different roles as you were there for only a short space of time.

My future in the Navy I am considering a path in the merchant navy, however I am not sure if I want to go down that route. Right now I am considering my options so what ever comes along I will consider to take.

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