Page 27 - 2020 AMA Summer

EX DRAGON LUNDY
A TEAM OF KEEN CLIMBERS, LUNDY AND STORM LORENZO
By Huw Gilbert
Storm Lorenzo , the eastern most Category Five Atlantic Hurricane ever recorded, was certainly
a factor that we had to work around during 104 Regiment’s October rock climbing expedition, Exercise Dragon Lundy. Above my amended expectation we actually travelled out as planned on the MS Oldenburg from Illfracombe to the Bristol Channel island of Lundy. I’d made that journey a number of times before but this was as rough a crossing as I can remember. Some of the team had an exhilarating two hours enjoying every deep pitch and roll as the ship crashed its way through the white crested waves. Laying down with my eyes closed was a fairer description of my outward journey but unlike a good number of fellow passengers this approach did allow me to keep my breakfast on the inside.
The concept of the trip was to take those in 104 Regiment who have some kind of rock climbing leader or instructor qual- ification and give them a good dose of further knowledge and experience in a challenging environment in order to help them move on forwards through the Joint Service leader and instructor award scheme. For those unfamiliar with the Joint Service Adventurous Training leader and instructor awards they are much more modularised than the equivalent civilian award schemes. On one hand this means that attendance on a higher number of training courses might be required to reach the highest level. It also means however that once the first stepping stone is taken that service person has an award which they can then use to lead others to one degree or another. Those that we had on our trip typically held awards which
would let them set up and run bottom rope and abseil sessions or perhaps the award which would let them lead one other service person on a multi-pitch rock climb. Allowing the training to happen this time were six Joint Service Rock Climbing Instructors which included myself, Ian Hothersall, Chris Wright, Tarquin Shipley, Miles Hill and Gary Mason.
If sailing to schedule the Oldenburg slides up to the quay on the sheltered south-eastern corner of Lundy at around midday. For the visiting climber this allows an afternoon of climbing which although some being slightly green around the gills we were certainly all excited for. Lundy is one of the ‘A list’ venues for British sea-cliff climbing which is in itself a very British aspect of the wide and great game of mountaineering. The island is three
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