LOCAL girl Nancy Porter spent several months in the newsroom at the Cornish Times last year as she waited to join the Navy. Now the big day has arrived and she finally joined up at HMS Raleigh last week! Follow her progress each week as she sends us her latest bulletin...

WEEK ONE

MY first week at HMS Raleigh has flown by so fast in a blur of medicals, paperwork, dental checks and physical assessments. Our class, Walker 03, is made up of five girls and 21 boys. There is a real mix of people with ages ranging between 16 and 29, from all over the country and as far away as Fiji. We are bonding really quickly, probably because you are constantly around each other, but also through interactive team building activities and team sports. I must admit, I am starting to feel more like a real sailor. It was really exciting to try on my uniform for the first time, but I'm still working on the most stylish way to wear my beret. We've even had our first voyage at sea, taking a look at different warships from a boat on the river. Probably the hardest part of this week was the mile and a half-run, which I did in 12 minutes 55 seconds. I don't think I've ever run so hard in my life, and I was definitely feeling the burn! But we have learnt that physical training instructors will accept nothing less than 110 per cent, otherwise it's press-ups! The naval swimming test was another important part of this week. I had to swim a length of the pool wearing heavy overalls, tread water for three minutes and then climb out unassisted. Passing both these tests was a huge relief, now I have to concentrate on getting my kit up to scratch. Next week is going to become much more intense. We are starting proper parade drill and it will be much more physical. It's a good job they feed us three cooked meals a day, I need my energy! Nancy Porter