Tom Stevenson
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Tom Stevenson - Moray Sea School, Burghead Scotland, 1959

whilst serving my apprenticeship with Bruce Peebles Engineers Edinburgh I was selected to attend the senior course at Burghead
I think it started or November in the moth of October
one of my early memories was rising from bed at 06.00 hours going for a cold shower were you had to stand for 30 seconds if anyone came out early you started again till all the team completed the 30 second
this was followed by breakfast after which we had to go out to the training circuit ( this course was for 10 days) eventually carry a 60 lb. pack in the afternoon we learned to sail a whaling vessels after all of this we went out on the Prince Louis (Spewy Louis) we left harbour to sail up to Iceland but due to bad weather we had to abandon that trip sailing south this trip lasted 7 or 10 days. after the trip we went walking (another 7 days) in the cairngorm mountains we carried all our own equipment tents clothing food etc. the weather during this trip was extremely cold walking at time in snow up to or waists in the morning we used to put back on the clothes from the previous day a bit cold but you soon got used to that
After 4 weeks of this I was very fit at the time I probably did not appreciate what this course was all about but it served me greatly latter. I lived in Africa for nearly 25 years and used a lot of experience from my days at Outward Bound School