Page 24 - Bugle Issue 20 Autumn 2022

3 RIFLES
Ex LOGISTICS BOARDER
3 RIFLES were selected to take part on Ex LOGISTICS BOARDER
in Fachau, Austria, alongside a number of RLC regiments. The exercise was designed to take eight novices per regiment, teach them to snowboard, and compete in three separate events: Slalom Times Race, Boardercross Knockout and Freestyle.
We competed against 4 RANGERS, winning best infantry unit in open and novice team with 6 x gold, 3 x silver and 3 x bronze medals. Five members of the team, Cpl Tevin-Williams, Cpl Mann, Cpl Steel,
LCpl Goudie and LCpl Webb then went on to compete in the army championships where they won best novice team, 5 x golds, 2 x silver x and 1 bronze medal.
“It was a great experience to go away and learn how to snowboard and then compete just days after. I suppose you learn quicker getting thrown in the deep end, trying to avoid the pain that comes with the errors made,” said LCpl Webb.
LCpl Goudie
The successful 3 RIFLES team
Ex ARCTIC EXPRESS – LEG 1
In May seven members of 3 RIFLES crewed Her Majesty’s Sail Training Craft, ‘Adventure,’ which is one of the army’s 72ft Challenger yachts, on the first leg of Ex ARCTIC EXPRESS.
This was a Joint Services Sailing Training Centre (JSASTC) expedition from Gosport to Iceland; the 3 RIFLES leg of the expedition took two weeks. We did two days training and rehearsing Man Overboard Drills in the Solent, then 12 days at sea, sailing up the western coast of the UK. We had six stops along the sea passage, at Weymouth, Dartmouth, Bangor (NI), Douglas (Isle of Man), Port Ellen (Islay) and Dunstaffnage (Scotland), and covered
a total of 788 nautical miles, many of these during night sails. Our longest leg would be from Dartmouth to Bangor which took three days of non-stop sailing to reach the port of Douglas.
The seven Riflemen were all sailing novices, but by the end of the expedition all had gained the Royal Yachting Association Competent Crew qualification. We learned
an extraordinary amount in such a short
time: knowledge of the sea, characteristics and parts of the yacht, sail handling, rope work, man-overboard drills, meteorology, and seamanship etiquette. We had a fantastic time with some amazing experiences, from seeing satellites launched into space at 2am whilst crossing Irish Sea, to having a pod of dolphins follow our yacht in the middle of the night.
I would highly recommend any Rifleman get down to JSASTC and crack on with
their sailing qualifications. Offshore sailing encompasses many aspects of our Regimental ethos and demands the skills and independent
24 RIFLES The Bugle
thinking that are at the core of what it means to be in The Rifles. The reliance on each other in a tight team, and high standards of professionalism also go hand-in-hand with what is required of us as Riflemen.
Ex ARTIC EXPRESS was an excellent opportunity to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones and do some professional development over a challenging, but enjoyable two weeks on the high seas.
Cpl Smith
Sjt Smith observing his arcs
Offshore sailing encompasses many aspects of our Regimental ethos
Ex ARCTIC EXPRESS team