Page 84 - WishStream Year of 2023

Exercise FLOATING CADET
OCdt Creelman
We started the journey at Gosport on Mon- day, after getting an early morning coach from Sandhurst. The 4 of us, Theo, Austin, James and Charlie were greeted by rows of yachts moored up at the marina, gently bobbing up and down. We shortly after met our instructor and after being issued clothing, food and having a safety brief, we were quickly onboard and getting ready to set sail. For Austin, this was his first time, though it’s fair to say we were all filled with both excite- ment and nerves. Headed towards Cowes on the Isle of Wight, we took turns at the helm, enjoying the great weather and the freedom that anyone who has sailed before knows well.
The following morning, we woke up, not in our beds at Sandhurst or in a shell scrape being told to go on stag, but to the gentle bobbing up and down of the yacht and the sun shining through the windows. Charlie cooked breakfast, culminating in a delicious platter of bacon and sausage sand- wiches, the smell of which encouraged those still in bed to get up. The day included lessons on how to cast off and set sail, how to tie different knots (though the bowline still needs some practice) and how tasty a ham and cheese sandwich can be for
lunch. We headed to Lymington, and after a very tasty chilli con carne meal thanks to Theo, we were invited by the Lymington lifeguards to have a look at their station and their boat. This was an amazing experience; we had a tour of the lifeguard station as well as a good look at their boat which put the 34-foot Victoria yacht we were on to shame!
On Wednesday, after having a wonderful shower at Lymington marina we set sail and began prac- ticing man overboard drills with a buoy and how to safely come in to harbour. Later that night, we prepped for, what was probably the most exciting part of the expedition, the night sail. Sailing from Lymington to Cowes, we were met with much larger waves than had previously been exposed to with the yacht being at a 45-degree tilt at times, very gut wrenching when you’re at the bow (front of yacht) and you’re falling and rising about 10m every 15 seconds. Using lights as navigational markers, we eventually made it in one piece and all had a very good night’s sleep.
Thursday and Friday were spent spinning dits about the night sail and joking about how at times, due to the sharp rise and fall of the waves, we were basically floating in our seats, now understanding exactly why it’s called ‘The Flying Dutchman’!
Overall, it was a very exciting and fulfilling expedi- tion with Austin gaining his Competent Crew qual- ification and Charlie, James and Theo gaining their Day Skipper Practical qualification, all very excited for setting sail again.
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