Wednesday 19 August 2026
My time on Spirit of Adventure was an experience that challenged me, surprised me and at times left me completely covered in someone else’s breakfast. One of the funniest moments came when the boat began to rock heavily and a mate and I had to sprint downstairs to rescue the spread as before they spilt everywhere. Our rescue mission was not particularly successful at all as instead of saving the spreads we ended up covered in jam and honey but the laughter took away this sticky feeling.
Beyond moments like this what surprised me most was how open everyone became. We began the voyage as completely different people from different backgrounds who hardly knew one another but the shared challenges quickly broke down those barriers and created a genuine feeling of trust.
The hardest part was the dreaded morning swims at 6am where at some point your body gave up on trying to fight the cold and just started embracing it. I felt that particularly in the uncomfortable moments, where it would have been easier to let someone else take responsibility, were the moments that taught me the most. I learnt that leadership is not always about being the loudest person or having every answer but rather remaining calm, supporting others and stepping forward when something needs to be done.
Spending time on the Spirit of Adventure strengthened my resilience, confidence and ability to work within a team while showing me that personal growth usually begins where comfort ends - and that sometimes leadership also means trying to save breakfast supplies from flying across a boat!
Matt Sawden (Year 12, Major)