22 year old Carol is from Landport – pretty
much in the heart of Portsmouth. She got involved with the project through a work colleague who was helping with the fundraising. Carol was invited to one meeting and she’s been with the project ever since.
 
Through working with the project she hopes to become more self-reliant and to learn yachting skills that she can take back to her cadet unit, the TS Explorer.
 
When asked what’s been the best parts of the training so far, Carol said,
“The first thing to really stick in my mind was when Mike asked Donna and me to work out the tides and the estimated time it would take for us to sail around the Isle of Wight. That was a big thing for me as it was the first time I’ve ever really read or understood a tide chart. It also showed he had faith and trust in us, and I find not many people give me that kind of trust or have that much faith in me most of the time.
 
The second was actually sailing around the Isle of Wight. Being on the southern side of the island was like being in a different world - it was so empty and quiet with just the sound of the sea and wind and0 the odd ship now and again, watching the sunset at sea and sailing by night with the stars and moon high in the sky. It was relaxing and gave me time to think and clear my mind of troubled times. I never thought I’d sail at night and be as calm as I was; it was great.”
 
“Working with the project has really given me hope that there are people out there willing to help and offer support to, if not completely turn teenagers or young adults lives around, at least give them a push in the right direction. If only there were more groups around like this in our local area, it might help more young people be more responsible for what they do in life.”

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