Colin Watson - Moray Sea School, Burghead Scotland, 1962

Plucked from school to attend the Moray Sea School in April/May 1962, I was not ready for the cold showers; capsizing canoes; rigorous exercise regimes nor the rowing, sailing, hiking adventures which were the training. The expedition was amazing - one canoe pair were put ashore in some remote part of NW Scotland when their canoe snapped - those on the Prince Louis were subjected to a terrific storm in the Minch before we limped into Oban to resupply and then we hiked back to Burghead through the snow. Character building, saw someone who thought he was a leader thrown off the course for faking an injury, had diarrhoea in the mountains, found muscles I never knew I had [and have since lost somewhere] but, did I enjoy it? Undoubtably and, since you ask, I do think it changed me for the better.