I Never Expected a Week at Sea to Affect Me Like This

One of our newest members of the team, Lisa Ashbury, shares her first taste of sailing in the Hebrides!

When I joined a marine research expedition aboard Silurian for a week around the Isle of Mull, I thought I knew roughly what to expect.

• Whales and dolphins.
• Wild weather.
• Helping with conservation work.
• Maybe feeling a little bit seasick.

What I didn’t expect was just how much being at sea would get under my skin.

I’ve spent plenty of time around the coast before, but never properly on the water like this. Never living aboard a vessel. Never working as part of a crew. Never spending day after day completely immersed in the rhythm of the sea.

And honestly? It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done.

The sea has a rhythm of its own

Life aboard the boat quickly settled into a routine.

Quiet mornings before breakfast.
The sound of the generator and water moving against the hull.
Layers and waterproofs going on.
Charts spread across the table.
Tea mugs everywhere.

Then suddenly the day begins. You head out on deck and become completely absorbed in what’s around you.

Watching the horizon.
Scanning for fins.
Learning to move around the boat instinctively.
Getting used to the weather changing every few minutes.

At first everything feels unfamiliar. Then very quickly it starts to feel strangely natural.

Teamwork happens fast at sea

One of the things that surprised me most was how quickly strangers became a team. When you’re all living and working closely together, everyone naturally mucks in.

People cook.
People clean.
People help each other into waterproofs.
People pass cups of tea through hatches during rough weather.

There’s no real space for ego. You simply become part of the rhythm of the boat.

And that changes people.

By the end of the week, the feeling onboard wasn’t a group of people on a trip. It genuinely felt like a crew.

The weather is part of the experience

Some days we had beautiful sunshine and calm water. Other days we had wind, rain, hailstones and waves crashing over the bow. Oddly though, those tougher moments became some of the best parts.

Standing on the mast spotting in full waterproofs while the boat moved beneath you sounds uncomfortable on paper.

In reality, it was exhilarating.

There’s something incredibly grounding about being fully present in the conditions around you. No phones. No endless notifications. Just sea, sky, weather and the people around you.

Why people fall in love with life on the water

Before this trip, I understood sailing and life at sea from the outside. Now I understand why people become completely hooked by it.

It’s not just about boats.

It’s the feeling of capability.
The teamwork.
The adventure.
The constant learning.
The respect you develop for weather and the sea itself.

It strips life back to simple things in the best possible way.

You become very aware of:

• where you are
• what the weather is doing
• what needs doing next
• and the people around you

And there’s something incredibly refreshing about that.

The moments that stay with you

Of course, the wildlife was extraordinary. We saw dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea eagles and finally a minke whale right at the end of the trip.

But strangely, some of the moments I’ll remember most aren’t necessarily the big sightings. They’re the quieter things.

Being rocked to sleep by the water against the hull.
Drinking coffee while wrapped in layers after hours on deck.
The entire boat laughing during a ceilidh on the final night.
Watching everyone become more confident every single day.

Those are the moments that really stay with you.

You don’t need experience to start

One thing this week really reinforced for me is that you do not need to be an expert to begin.

You don’t need years of experience.
You don’t need to look like a sailor.
You don’t need to know all the terminology.

You just need curiosity. The confidence comes afterwards. And I think that’s something a lot of people forget.

Final thoughts

I came away from the week feeling tired, windswept, salty… and genuinely grateful. Not just because of the wildlife or the adventure, but because the experience reminded me how powerful it is to step into something unfamiliar.

I now completely understand why people fall in love with being on the water. And if you’ve ever wondered whether you could do something like this yourself?

You probably can.

You might even surprise yourself.