Date: June 2021

Article by: Christine Franklin

A life at sea is for me!

12th June 

Our day at sea involved quite a lot of learning and an immense amount of fun!

It was a hot and calm day when we boarded the Pegasus, a gaff cutter from Plymouth, provided by The Island Trust, who made this adventure possible for young carers.

We began by hearing about the variety of plankton we would meet during our day at sea, including vegetation (seaweed) and animals.  We also got to check out the Crab Camera to watch the squabbling crabs fight over lunch! https://youtu.be/N9hkBMUC77w

Our first port of call was to visit the lobster pot, but we found it empty except for two species of red seaweed (edible by all accounts!).

To overcome our disappointment, we turned to the sails and were all excited to be involved in hoisting the foresail.  I found myself attached to a bungee cord at the bow… how did that happen? 

With all hands on deck, we successfully raised our first sail!

The Young Carers took turns on the tiller and kept us on the course set by Captain Tom! 

Others learnt about easing off and making fast!

Additionally, we continued to learn more about marine conservation, which included using a plankton net to collect samples.  We used vertical and horizontal methods!  Later we had the opportunity to look at our samples under the microscope.  We believe we found a baby comb jellyfish alongside various plankton and lots of blue fibers!

Our day came to a close with the announcement of the winner of the onboard quiz. With just 5 points between our winner and joint runners up!

Thank you

We want to thank the crew of the Pegasus; Tom and Cath.  John and Nicky for sharing with us the history and coastline from an alternative viewpoint and the marine life of Plymouth.

Supporting us on our journey was John from the Marine Conservation Society and Nicky from the South Devon Area of Outstanding Beauty, who provided the opportunity for this event to happen. 

Devon Young Carers want to thank you all!