Golden Hinde Sleepover, September 2012

On the weekend of 8th and 9th September, 20 Cubs and Scouts left early on the Saturday morning for a sleepover on the Golden Hinde in London. As the Thames Festival was on over this weekend we made the most of it, by joining in with some of the attractions. The weather was really very good for us, one of the hottest days of the year. We had lunch by the Tate Modern after exploring the attractions inside, then carried on walking along the Thames and joining in with the many things that were on offer. After exchanging our day sacks for our sleeping gear we arrived back at the Golden Hinde at 4.45. After the Cubs/Scouts had stowed their bags, we changed into period costume and start our time as a sailor working under the eye of Sir Francis Drake!!! We were split into 3 groups of Officers, barber surgeons and gunners each with their own job. All of the groups were shown what it was like to be on board and how to perform their jobs. Just as they were finishing learning how to be a gunner, we were attacked by a fleet of Spanish ships and the battle commenced. We of course won!!! At about 9.30 we got changed and came back to the year 2012. The Cubs/Scouts then watched a film before settling down on the gun deck for the night. On Sunday we all had breakfast and a browse around the Golden Hinde Shop, before setting off to Greenwich Royal Observatory. We spent the day exploring both the Observatory and looking at the view of the Olympic Equestrian stadium, before setting off for home.