A TRAY of scones baked in a ship's galley during a force eight gale was so impressive a feat that Langcliffe seawoman Ann Harding has been invited back by the Seafarers' Mission to make some more next year.

Ann, of White Cottage, was one of a dozen sponsored volunteers on the Mission's maritime museums voyage from Portsmouth to Bilbao, in Spain.

Her role was to help the permanent crew sail the Jubilee Sailing Trust's wooden square-rigger Tenacious.

"I enjoyed everything about the voyage and the fact that everyone was so friendly and there was no discrimination of age of ability," said Ann, 41, who promotes business training in North Yorkshire for Craven College and Tyro Training.

She even enjoyed the rough seas and force seven winds, working in the galley and climbing the 100 feet main mast, as well as inching her way on the yardarm to haul in the sails.

"I particularly loved being on watch duty from 4am to 8am under a cloudless sky when you can see through 360 degrees and there's nothing around you but the horizon, and then to watch an amazing sunrise was really magical, she added.

"The Mission to Seafarers is definitely a cause worth supporting. Even here in landlocked Settle, many people know about the Mission. When I was raising sponsorship they told me of relatives who had been at sea and who remembered visiting Mission centres."

The trip ended on October 6 and involved a permanent crew of 10, with a further 30 both able-bodied and physically disabled volunteers.

Ann hopes to have raised around £2,000 towards the mission and is currently gathering in donations.

In order to be able to go she had to raise a considerable amount herself.

However, her prowess in difficult situations in the ship's kitchen earned her an invitation to go on another seafaring trip free of charge as a cook's assistant or bosun's mate next year.

The Mission to Seafarers, which has its northern office in Skipton, supports seafarers of all nationalities and faiths in 230 ports worldwide.