The hushed whispers and muffled shuffling of students echo throughout the cabin. 4.45 am.

Time for the last watch to start. Groggy, shivering students file silently through the galley and up to the cockpit, throwing on clothes as they go. There they wait until 5 a.m. when it's time to fill out the logbook. This is the start to a typical day aboard the Spirit of Bermuda.

For most people, this sounds like their worst nightmare and for everyone doing their first watch, it is. But by the second day, it's sort of exciting. While you're wet, shivering and aching for your warm bed – any bed – you learn how to put mind over matter and force yourself to stay awake.

After your watch you go down to the bunks and practically crawl into them. Within minutes, you're gone. Then your day really starts. On Spirit, your day doesn't technically start in the day. For most, it starts at night. After breakfast (always delicious!) the Main watch and the Fore watch file into the cabins to get dressed for the day. The Mizzen watch has already done this and then has their breakfast.

Then there are the jobs. These include cleaning the deck, galley (kitchen) and the cabin (bedroom). Finally the jobs are over. And they have to be done WELL (or else!). Then it's time for classes. For our week, the theme was 'global warming'. So we have learned all about this throughout the five days we've been aboard.

Only on the third day, I have learned more than I would in a week anywhere else. It's astounding! These classes are preparing us for our debate on Thursday (the last night). We then sail for an average of about three hours a day. The ocean spray, smells of lunch and the bitter wind all sink into your skin and body, taunting and agonising you but all the while encouraging you to work harder.

Three hours later the sails are lowered, rolled and tied. Hair is hastily tied back, shoved into a hat or flattened by a hood. Then we debrief. We all say our "High Tide" and "Low Tide" of the day and what we appreciated that day. I always look forward to this part everyday. One fun activity, humorous auction and more than filling dinner later, we all write journals.

This can be both relaxing and stressful. I like it though because I love to write. Finally we get to crawl back into our beds, stomachs full and eyelids drooping. Soon soft snores and gentle rustling fill the room. The constant rocking of the boat lulls us all to sleep. And then it starts all over again.