A BREAM teenager has proven her seafaring spirit after taking the helm of a 72ft racing yacht in a demanding seven-day sailing adventure with guiding.

Fiona Day, 16, was part of an all-girl crew of 23 guiding members from across the UK who took to the waves for the girl guiding South West England Challenger Challenge.

The voyage, coordinated by the Tall Ships Youth Trust, saw Fiona tackle a round trip from Portsmouth on a 48-tonne Challenger yacht, docking at the Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Poole en-route.

The vessel was one of a pair chartered by girl guiding South West England to give girls and young women aged 14 to 26 the chance to experience life on the ocean.

During the voyage, Fiona - who is a young leader with the 1st Woolaston Guides - had the chance to learn a string of new skills, from steering the yacht and hoisting sails up the 95ft mast, to standing watch and sailing at night.

Fiona, who has just completed her GCSEs at The Dean Academy, said: "I saw the notice in the region newsletter and I just thought it sounded so different from anything I'd ever done.

"It was an unusual environment so it was quite unsettling and challenging to adapt to all of this. It took quite a lot of determination to put effort into each job we had to do."

On their return to Portsmouth, the crew were met by girl guiding South West England chief commissioner, Solange Rebours.

Solange said: "This challenge really took participants out of their comfort zone – they had to get up in the middle of the night to go on watch and help sail and there were no plug sockets on board, so they went without phone chargers and other electrical items for the week.

"It was a really exhilarating experience that helped girls increase their confidence and learn some amazing new skills and I'm sure left them with a real sense of achievement."