Page 49 - Wish Stream Year of 2019

On our Easter break between the Interme- diate and Senior terms of Sandhurst, five Officer Cadets went sailing for our Adven-
turous Training. Many imagine sailing as cruis- ing along in the Mediterranean, sunbathing and swimming with little to worry about. However, for our exped the British weather did not cater for this in the Solent.
With the crew either having little or no sailing experience, OCdts were intrigued as to how a 34ft yacht was to accommodate us cooking, using the heads and sleeping five of us all in such a compact space. With our exped starting on a Sunday, we spent the even-
The baffling ‘kick-turn’
Exercise WEST EXPRESS
OCdt Capon
ing getting to know the yacht and
going through a lengthy inventory.
For those who have never sailed
before, it can be a steep learn-
ing curve with plenty of new ter-
minology to learn. Monday came
with high winds predicted and no
blue sky to be seen. The skipper
explained the concepts of: how a
yacht sails through the water and what every- thing on the yacht does, how to come along- side and slip the lines including some knot tying, hoisting and dropping the sails, an understand- ing of all safety equipment, as well as what to do in the case of an emergency, as well as practice of MOB drills.
We motored out into the Solent where the waves began to crash over the bow of the yacht and the skipper, whilst helming, verbalised and pointed at what ropes needed pulling to hoist the sails,
the crew getting soaked whilst being clipped on to the jackstays, and on their knees for good balance. The wind smashing the yacht and sails around created some intense situa- tions and high adrenaline moments, pushing the crew to the edge of their comfort zones. Once beating up wind, the yacht stayed at about
a 45-degree heel with everyone adjusting to how the yacht worked and learning how to helm and keep a course, understand the points of sail and tacking and gybing safely and effectively. After a long windy day, the pub and stable land was greatly appreciated by all. The rest of the exped had little wind which showed the varying envi- ronments a boat at sea can experience.
It is safe to say that all those onboard definitely experienced sailing as Adventurous Training!
The wind smashing the yacht and sails around created some intense situations...
SANDHURST 47