Bob Marson
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Bob Marson - Moray Sea School, Burghead Scotland, 1960

MORAY SEA SCHOOL - JUNE 1960 (Submitted by Bob Marson)

Hood Watch:
Back Row : J Harkiss R Whyte I Faifley A Burgess V Thomson B McDonnell B Marson
Front Row : P Bentley D Carmichael G Roomlea R Cairns A Cacaser ?

As a 17 year old Glasgow schoolboy, it was the best �2 I ever spent for the 28 day experience at the Burghead Outward Bound School. (Glasgow Corporation subsidised the remainder).
I proudly told my children, and now my grandchildren, about my memories of cold showers at 6am, the challenges of the pre expedition combat course training, cutter sailing and canoe training in the cold waters of the Moray Firth, sea sickness on the Prince Louis (nicknamed the "Spewey Louis"�), canoeing the 26 miles down Loch Ness followed by hiking back to Burghead climbing 4 mountains over 4000 feet on the way back. All this is the days before "elf and safety"� had been invented, with challenging tasks set that stretched your resilience to the utmost. I recall, as a punishment, being sent up to the crows nest of the Prince Louis to red lead paint the top mast. This without any safety harness and although violently sea sick up there was not allowed down until the job was completed. I never ever found out if there was any truth about the rumour that our tea was laced with bromide!!
All during my working life I was never afraid of business challenges and was always ready to knock down obstacles that got in the way of success. Having spent some 25 years, of my 38 years in the computer business in management, the importance of maximising team effort was paramount. The aforementioned attributes I believe were developed from the experiences in my youth from completing the Outward Bound Moray Sea School course.
Although now retired, I am still an outdoors type and am an active member of a walking club, albeit in the relative ease of the Sussex/Hampshire area