A few weeks ago Summah Laugeson (12FT) was given the amazing opportunity to go aboard the Spirit of Adventure. This is her account of the journey.

The Spirit of Adventure is an organisation that takes teenagers and young adults sailing for 5 to 10 days around different parts of New Zealand.

The voyage I went on was a pretty special one, called the inspiration voyage which happens once a year and takes teens/young adults with a wide range of different disabilities around the Auckland Harbour, the Coromandel and surrounding islands. The Spirit of Adventure expects the participants (or trainees as we were referred to) to aim high, participate, be responsible and honest, think critically, care for the environment, and persevere in the face of difficulty. The trainees I shared this trip with had many differing disabilities: autism, dwarfism and sight impairment are just some.

The values of the ship are also similar to that of the Riccarton Way; excellence, innovation, diversity, equity plus a whole bunch more.

When I was told I was was going on the trip I had no idea what to expect. I told a few people I was going on it and the responses I got were usually the same, “Wow! The Spirit of Adventure is amazing! My son/daughter/cousin/friend/etc went on that and they came back a new person!” I was a little worried, if I’m being honest. Coming back a whole new person? Does that involve a name change? New style? Or literally a new person coming back from the trip to replace me?! Luckily it was none of those things….

After that mild crisis I packed my bags, flew up to Auckland and got on this amazing pirate-like ship. There were only a few of us trainees on the boat that day because out-of-town trainees had to fly up a day early to make sure everyone was on the boat in time. And because only a few of us were there, none of the crew told us what we were to expect, so we were all clueless… I guess you could say we were all in the same boat for that one. That night after handing in my iPod and phone I slept in this tiny blue hammock wondering what in the world I was doing there.

The next day, when everyone had arrived and we’d all introduced ourselves to each other, we set sail towards Waiheke Island. At one point we got to jump off the side of the boat and go for a swim, which was one of my favourite things to happen that day, because the water was so warm and it was nice to just relax and swim for an hour or so. Also that day we were assigned groups and stations on the ship. My group was Starry B (starboard b) and our station was the mizzen which is the very back sail of the boat that plays a big part in steering the ship when it sails. Pulling that sail up was not easy either because it was particularly heavy, but it was still really fun learning about the different ropes and how to make sure everything was tidy so everyone was kept safe.

On day two we were woken up at 6:30 in the morning, forced to put on our wet togs and jump into the ocean for a swim. I’m not a morning person so this idea didn’t thrill me, but as soon as I got in I never wanted to get out again. The sunrise was amazing and it felt so cool swimming in the middle of the ocean so early in the morning.

After that we had breakfast, cleaned and then sailed the ship without the motor. I felt so accomplished when the boat actually started moving because it didn’t seem that windy but we ended up going quite a distance rather fast. After that we did a whole bunch of team building games which were hilarious and then we had a pool party, which just involved jumping off the side of the ship again (always a highlight).

Day three was the day when we were all doomed to climb the mast, 27 metres, yes 27 metres… From the start I told everyone who mentioned it that there was no way I would step one foot on the rope ladders to get up it, but just my luck my group was the first group to be sent up and I did my best to avoid it until I was literally the only person left who hadn't even put a harness on. With nowhere to hide I sucked it up and just decided to climb it. I set a goal height which was the first out of the four platforms on the way up but when I got there I climbed up one more, and then one more, and then one more until I was right at the very top! Now at this point I had realised my mistake because although it was great I got up there, I had a very, very long way to get down….. Once I got down, the rest of the day was a blur because I was still in shock that I actually climbed the mast. I was starting to think of all the things people had said about becoming a new person, and I felt like I was. It was so out of character for me to do something like that but I did it, and it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.

Day four was a day of relaxation, more swimming and sailing. We stopped at Rotoroa Island which was stunning; crystal clear water, golden sand and heaps of fish. That night the friends I made aboard the ship all got together and watched the skyline of Auckland City and talked about our experiences on the ship. It was a bittersweet time as our trip was coming to an end and for some of us we might not meet again. It was this time that I really started to appreciate how lucky I was to be able to be on the ship with all these incredible people. I really miss them, but we still keep in touch.

As I said, my trip was a pretty special one. I met a bunch of incredible people who taught me not just about boat stuff and sailing, but also a lot about accepting challenges such as climbing a 27 metre high mast and giving up our phones completely for a whole FIVE days. The most important thing this trip taught me was that having a disability, be it a relatively minor disability or a more debilitating disability, you can achieve big things if you set your mind to it.