Nearly home

 

A message from Miss Gayson

 What a great time we have had at UKSA!!

We have been blessed with beautiful sunny weather and the children have had a great time.

They have enjoyed activities such as paddleboarding, kayaking, keelboat sailing and dingy sailing.

The children were also surprised with a visit from Mr Allen on Saturday, which they loved.

I am very proud of all the children and their willingness to give everything a go!

I would also like to thank all the adults who helped on the trip: Mr Ward, Mr Beevers, Miss Owen and Miss Childs (and the blog editor would like to offer a huge thank you to you, Miss Gayson, for all the work you have done in making this trip happen).

We look forward to seeing you all soon

Miss Gayson.

Heading home!!

 We are now on the coach and are setting off for home. We estimate a travel time of about 2 hours, so barring traffic on the M25 should be back for 16:30. Please keep the zigzags clear for the coach.

On our way!!

 As you can see from our tracker, we have now left the UKSA for Gunwharf Quays. Here you can see the centre disappearing behind us.

Ferry arrival

 Our ferry back to the mainland, the Jenny M, is arriving.

The tracker is on so you can follow our progress back home. See you all soon!!

Boat race

 Finally, our boats are set off on their maiden (and final) voyage(s):

Now it's time for lunch, ready to board the ferry home at 12:30.

Nearing completion

 The vessels are now nearing completion, and are starting to look like boats:

Build

 And now our marquee is filled with the sounds of children building water craft:

Design and start to build

 Before building, we sketch out our ideas:

And then start building:

Final activity

Our final activity is boat building using a variety of recycled materials.

Here are the teams choosing team names:

And here is a selection of the material they will be using:

Good morning

 This morning is a little cooler than it has been but the sun's out and it looks a lovely day.

The children are currently removing bed linen and ensuring they've left nothing behind. After breakfast we will return to the Sea change building one last time to remove our suitcases ready for departure. 

Good night

So the sun has now set on our last full day here: the tide's out, too. The children are now packing ready for the journey home tomorrow, as between breakfast and our activity there isn't time for it in the morning. Our ferry from here is at 12:30 - we will turn the tracker on just before that so that you can follow our progress home.

The disco was great fun: Queen, Oasis and Avril Lavigne all getting airtime in what was my favourite school journey disco (and I've seen a fair few!!).

You can’t beat a bit of Taytay

 

Turn the volume down!!

 Can you tell if they’re having fun??

Quiet times. . .

 After all the excitement we’ve had these last few days, some of the children just want to take in the view - and what a view it is!!

Disco time!!

 Cake over and done with, it’s disco time

Birthday

 Every birthday needs a cake!!

Happy 11th birthday, Alistair!!

Kayaking

 First, we must learn some basic kayaking skills

Our first venture on to the water in a kayak is a relay race, adding one extra team member per leg:

And then we set off for a round-marina trip in twos:

Keel boating

Yesterday, half the group did keelboating while the other half did kayaking: today they will do the other activity.

Keel boating - first we need to get into the boat, and then we are taught about how it operates:

But very soon it's time to go sailing:

Today conditions in the Solent aren't ideal for beginner keelboaters, so the children are heading up the River Medina to sail there

Returning

 Now the children are returning for lunch