Page 20 - Chiron Autumn 2017

18 CHIRON CALLING
Sailing into the Midnight Sun
By Captain Richard Harvey RAVC 101 MWD Sqn
On a recent Joint Services sailing expedition in Iceland, Exercise Arctic Express, I got to experience the ‘Midnight Sun’ for which Iceland is famous. 24 hours of daylight is a very odd experience, it plays with the mind and makes getting to sleep a challenge in itself.
Combine that with the daily routine of offshore sailing, 4 hours on - 4 hours off, and your body clock is ruined. Add to that the challenges of the bitterly cold Arctic wind, cooking and making brews in rough seas, and the physical exertion required to winch up the 80ft high main sail and you can imagine how much effort is required to sail in the Arctic environment.
However, these efforts were rewarded with landscapes and scenery which were fantastic, sometimes otherworldly, and the opportunity to see wildlife that few people get to see. Observing a pod of dolphins playing and breaching in the 1am sunshine is certainly something I won’t forget in a hurry, nor the ocks of puf ns launching themselves off the sea cliffs of Grimsy, an island which sits on the Arctic Circle.
The crew were a tri-service mix of ages, ranks and experience, ranging from Pte to Lt Col, and from complete novice to experienced sailor. What is great about this kind of adventurous training is that it brings service men and women together from across the armed forces to achieve a common goal, in our case to sail into the Arctic Circle. We also got some time to explore Iceland and a particular highlight for me was a 30km trail run on the Fimmvörðuháls hiking trail which passes over the volcano which caused the 2010 eruption.
All in all another great experience in the Army Reserves. Great challenges and great opportunities for all.