Page 28 - Wish Stream Year of 2017

to the other. Again, ropes had to be tightened and released, and teamwork was essential to ensure that no one was caught in the path of the main sail during a jibe. Activities such as this cer- tainly helped in achieving the expedition aims of developing the characters required by the British Army, in this case through working as an effec- tive team in an alien discipline.
Aside from sailing, we spent time on our final day of adventure training learning more about the Royal Navy at the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth. Exhibitions included many stands
displaying the development of the service; the highlight was considered to be the intact hull of the Mary Rose, which sank during the reign of Henry VIII.
It was a fantastic experience sailing around the Solent; sailing provided many challenges which really brought the group together and allowed us to develop new skills in an unfamiliar environ- ment. We are extremely grateful for the gener- ous donation from the Sandhurst Trust, which enabled us to achieve five fantastic days of thor- oughly enjoyable sailing.
Exercise STOWAWAY CADET
In the true spirit of Sandhurst, EX STOWA- WAY CADET began with a hectic dash from a commissioning parade square and a change
out of No. 1 dress, before leaping straight onto transport to the Joint Services Adventurous Sail Training Centre. Upon arrival all were keen to get stuck in straightaway. After the safety briefs we collected even more kit to fit into the constantly diminishing space aboard our 55ft yacht, and
then began to explore our home for the follow- ing week.
Initial lessons were conducted quayside with our instructor, himself a Sandhurst Officer Cadet from the Junior Term, teaching us the basic principles of life aboard a yacht. These lessons ranged from cooking during unpredictable seas to the basics of yacht maintenance as well as sailing fundamentals we would soon require such as sail setting, charts and mooring. It seemed our instructor was a firm believer in that you should practice what you preach, as these basic lessons were
implemented immedi-
ately as we attempted
a short journey across
the busy Portsmouth
Harbour. This short
exercise revealed
that, not only were
we in for a challenging
week in which every
task aboard required
an element of teamwork and communication, but also that the week would be highly enjoy- able, with every person enjoying the novelty and experience.
The following day saw our first introduction to proper open water sailing as well as added complexity to life aboard, as instruction moved onto drills such as the addition of multiple sails and man overboard drills. In addition, we went through theoretical lessons such as the rules that govern interactions with other sailing ves- sels and motor launches, as well as navigation
It seemed our instructor was a firm believer in that you should practice what you preach
26 SANDHURST