Page 40 - Wish Stream Year of 2016

Exercise POSEIDEN CADET
OCdt Spencer
The trip started on a brisk Monday morning. Spirits were high and every member of the training operation was excited to get under way and move from a group of land lubbers to salty sea dogs.
After meeting our instructors and a quick brief, we were under way, straight out of the harbour and into the Solent. The seas were high and the wind was stirring;. They sailed towards the rst stop which was Cowes. During this rst leg, basics were covered; how to set up the sails, how to tie knots and how to steer the boat. OCdt Harcourt, who appeared to be least affected by sea sickness, volunteered to go below deck to learn how to make the rst round of brews. It wasn’t long before he emerged somewhat pale and regretting his decision to ‘square the boys
It wasn’t long before he emerged somewhat pale and regretting his decision to ‘square the boys away’.
away’. He had, however, successfully produced something that looked like six cups of tea.
Day two saw the two boats split up in order to accomplish different training objectives with the end point of Lymington Harbour. The boats set out and started drills of man overboard and more complex sailing techniques. Luckily, we didn’t have to use these skills again during the expedition, although OCdt Reynolds was close to getting thrown overboard for his outrageous sleeveless hoody.
All the cadets put plenty of enthusiasm into it and this allowed the sailing and learning to continue at an unrelenting pace. This was offset with a spot of swimming to demonstrate comfortability with the water, as well as the ingenuity of using every possible boom and sail as a diving board.
On day three, Fimbria set sail from Lymington Harbour and made her way across the Solent towards the Isle of Wight’s most famous land- mark, the Needles Rocks and Trinity Lighthouse
38 SANDHURST