Page 111 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

Exercise Tiger Blueseas 2nd Lietenant Daniel Arnold
I was resigned to the fact that summer 2015 wasn’t going to live up to previous years. A poor student just coming to the end of my final year at Birmingham University, I was unable to attend the annual training exercise as I had to attend PCCBC; leaving me
with a significant lack of spending power! So, when I was offered the prospect to
go sailing with staff officers from Army Headquarters, this promised to be an excellent opportunity not to be missed, and thankfully it was supported by my unit.
Exercise TIGER BLUESEAS was conducted in the Solent, a strait of water that separates the UK mainland from
the Isle of Wight, and stretches from Portsmouth Naval Base to Lymington. Although the main body of water is only 20 miles long and four miles wide in area, it is one of the busiest commercial waters in the world; not to mention it being the centre
of the UK yachting scene. Throughout the week we shared the water with Sir Ben Ainslie and his America’s Cup Team, that was in final rehearsals for the preliminary stages being held in the Solent. We spent four days sailing from the 13th to the 17th July, during which we encountered the full spectrum of British sailing weather and a few dramas along the way.
After an early start on Monday 13th, we were chauffeured down to Joint Services Adventurous Sail Training Centre (JSASTC) in Gosport. We met the skipper, Lt Col Iain Smith AAC, who was already busy securing our ride for the week. The ‘Dosinia’, one
of JSASTC’s finest Victoria 34’ yachts would be our home for the next few days. In dribs and drabs, the rest of the crew assembled. Although eager to hit the open seas as soon as possible, we would spend the next two hours learning the ‘ins and outs’ of our yacht. We were briefed by
JSASTC staff on safety drills, the vast array of equipment on-board, and then received detailed instruction from our skipper. This gave us a great confidence in our life saving equipment, and how to use it in the event of an emergency.
After completing the admin phase,
which also included kit issue and ensuring ‘Dosinia’ was ready for open waters, we were ready to let slip and head out of Portsmouth Harbour into the Solent. Once out into the main channel, passing the iconic Spitbank forts, we then experienced the roughest sea state we would encounter all week, sailing into wind and with strong tides along a narrow channel using the
We even managed to catch some sun, which resulted in a few burnt arms and noses by close of play
War Memorial to guide our heading. Although this proved challenging, I found this an exhilarating experience in the lumpy sea. This had us all on edge as we made slow progress towards Swanwick Marina, located in the River Hamble. After mooring up late evening, we celebrated our successful sailing with a curry cooked aboard. However, we soon saw ourselves off to bed not long after, totally exhausted.
The following morning, we were on
the go by 0700, feeling rough after an uncomfortable night’s sleep, but looking forward to another day on the Solent. Some of us, including myself had to sleep in the yacht’s galley curled around the
folding table; I had definitely drawn the short straw and yet was at least six inches taller than the three Colonels aboard which was
a sign of things to come! Once we were caffeinated and fed, we were back on the open water feeling revitalised by the steady breeze, which made for perfect sailing conditions. We even managed to catch some sun, which resulted in a few burnt arms and noses by close of play. Along
the way to Tuesday nights destination we challenged one another to see who could conduct the best ‘man overboard drill’ during which we would take it in turns to recover a buoy under sail and motor; I
am sure I won, but was a little outranked so I conceded. That evening we made it into East Cowes Marina after a successful days sailing. A chain ferry and a short walk across to West Cowes allowed us to enjoy some refreshments in the bustling centre of this diverse yachting community.
On Wednesday we set sail back to Gosport, after we witnessed how difficult
it was to control a Vic’ 34’ in a closely confined marina, against wind and tide. Following a minor, but regrettably expensive collision, the morale and confidence of the crew took a nose dive, but thankfully we pressed on, having dealt with the marina staff and JSASTC. The dip in morale of the crew was soon vanquished as a pleasant day of sailing lifted everyone’s spirts, especially as the crew began to operate like a well-oiled machine. Along the way, we learned the complexity of rights of way and sailing etiquette, as well as witnessing other sailors who clearly failed to understand
the rules, and received five loud fog horn warning blasts from a massive container ship as they sailed under its bow.
The final day’s sailing saw a variety of weather conditions from a few spots of
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
109