Page 3 - Eagle Eye Autumn 2022

AT Adventure Training
– Competent Crew Course Sept 2022
by Sgt Rowan Boddington
Having completed a short online “Navigation & Seamanship” course during Lockdown, I felt the urge to expand my sailing skills and set foot onboard a real yacht. Navigating the Adventure Training App on Defence gateway, I successfully bid for a place on a Competent Crew Course.
This course requires no previous experience, just bags of enthusiasm, an ability to swim (if the worst should happen), and sea sickness tablets. Having ticked all the previous boxes, I boarded the “Trooper” at Brize Norton and took off for RAF Akrotiri and the Joint Services Adventure Training Centre (Cyprus).
The course runs Monday to Friday with the first day in the Monaco-like Limassol harbour, lots of yacht parts and knot tying practise, but first, the instructor handed the 5 course members £350 euros and send us off to the supermarket to buy a week’s supplies, a significant amount was spent on chocolate hobnobs, no rum allowed.
Over the following four days, we sailed up the coast to Larnaca Marina and back, we practised driving the boat under power (engine on) before learning how to raise and lower the sails, this required the whole crew to work together, synchronising our actions and communicating as a team to harness the wind, set the yacht on the best point of sailing and then follow the course set to reach our next anchorage.
The weather was very sunny with temperatures reaching 34c, the wind speed crept up to 12 knots with the sea remaining
calm, perfect conditions for a novice crew. The yacht contained 3 cabins with two crew sharing a cabin and a communal galley where we shared meals, each night we took turns to cook for the crew, I managed a passable Beef (Range) stew followed a run ashore” to enjoy a Keo beer in the marina. Overall, the course was immensely enjoyable, the instructor was engaging and developed
our skills at a comfortable pace.
By the end of the week, we all felt confident
inpreparingtheboatforsailingandhandling the yacht in open sea.
If you are interested in developing your
operational effectiveness through any Adventure Training platform, visit the AT App in Defence Gateway Applications.
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