Moored off the Tongan capital of Nukualofa, Soren Larsen sat calmly awaiting the group of teenagers hopping with excitement and fighting to be first onboard. Gradually the group on shore was transferred to the ship. A welcome of tea and cake calmed any pre-voyage nerves while we surveyed the permanent crew with whom we were about to spend the next 18 days .First impressions were proved quite wrong as the crew introduced themselves to be quite human.

As we looked around the ship I was stunned by the small space in which we were to live - how would we cope?
How would you feel sailing a beautiful Tallship through the clear blue waters of the South Pacific...? BRILLIANT! Hollie Carter.

The new culture, the new bargaining skills, the anticipation of getting on the boat - the excitant of boarding and then the wonder that this is the perfect place to spend the next few weeks - PARADISE. David Smith.

The permanent crew were left the task of changing many sailing virgins into a newly oiled and working team.
The mainsail was set first, followed by staysails, the upper and lower topsails and finally the topgallant and jibs as we sailed off the anchor. Chris Baker

At about 6 o'clock I opened my eyes and looked up to a dark clear sky filled with the brightest stars I have ever seen. The harder I looked the more stars I saw! It was certainly the best start to any day I can remember.
At Uvoleva - we dropped anchor. This was the most beautiful place I have ever seen - long white soft sand beaches with tropical plants and palm trees in the background. The sea was so blue and clear ... Katherine B.