Page 22 - Chiron Calling Autumn 2019

20 CHIRON CALLING
This is a military dog handler sailing tail ...oops, pardon my poor English, I meant this is a personal offshore sailing tale. As an RAVC Reserve soldier with 101 Squadron I joined to be a Military Working Dog Handler in 2017. I had 3 key objectives in mind when I decided to join the British Army: the first objective was to learn soldiering skills, second, I wanted to become a Military Dog Handler, third I aimed to develop my sailing career via an Adventurous Training (AT) syllabus by undertaking sailing courses and obtaining new sailing qualifications. Earlier this year I received an email that was both exciting and scary, as it described an offshore sailing opportunity which for years I had dreamt would come my way, and now that it was finally in my inbox I was determined not to let it slip away from me. Apparently, I was being offered a position to act as a competent crew member on a 72ft British Navy yacht, which was going to compete in one of the most challenging offshore sailing competitions in the world, namely the famous Fastnet Race, taking place every 2 years during early August. Earlier this year I had successfully completed my RYA Competent Crew sailing qualification through the AT sailing programme, and therefore I felt able and ready to test my sailing skills over 600 nautical miles in rough seas and strong winds.
Fastnet Race is world famous for testing the participants to their absolute limits, and there have been many incidents, accidents and deaths associated with it, most notably during the 1979 event when a big storm hit the sailing fleet causing as many as 5 yachts to be sunk and 15 sailors lost their lives.
There was an important question I was asking myself as I was preparing to send my email reply to the British Army Sailing Association in regard to confirming my participation, and this question was if I was ready to throw myself into the deep end, or not, i.e. if I’m competent or incompetent for such a challenge? Please allow me to tell you at this stage a few personal aspects related to myself, my Army career in 101 Squadron and my interest in offshore sailing. Despite growing up close to the mountains in Romania, I have always loved the sea and have been involved in many marine related activities such as diving, surfing, spearfishing, fishing and sailing since I moved to the UK in 2003. I have also purchased a 66ft yacht in Greece in 2013 and this is an ongoing project right now as the yacht is undergoing a complete re-design and refurbishment. One important personal objective is to become a qualified sailing instructor for 1st Military Working Dog Regiment to be able to take both Regular and Reserve soldiers on sailing trips and expeditions, and for others to take advantage of the opportunity and test themselves in a challenging offshore environments. On another aspect, I also interested in being
By Private Frank Ciufudean 101 MWD Sqn
be involved in the rehabilitation of injured and disabled soldiers as per ASA’s (Army Sailing Association) mandate which is promoting sailing as being an ideal activity to help with the physical and mental recovery of our fellow soldiers in the Army.
101 MWD Sqn was very understanding and supportive for my application of taking part in the Fastnet Race, and after reams of documentation was sorted out on my behalf we assembled in Gosport at the end of July, a total of 16 soldiers (4 females and 12 males), from Navy, RAF, and Army with various ranks, mixed sailing experience and wide range of sailing qualifications from Competent Crew all the way to Yacht master levels. On arrival we completed an ‘ice breaker’ intro based on what were our own individual selfish reasons for wanting to take part in the Fastnet, and everyone expressed a variety of unique reasons for signing up. The skipper was very determined for all of us
45 degree wet floor when the yacht was heeling, tried to admin ourselves to the best of our abilities in a cramped wet noisy environment etc....so we learned what an offshore sailing competition is really all about. I have learned how to tie important emergency sailing knots with one hand, how to read navigation lights at night, how to direct a 50 tonne yacht in strong winds and bumpy seas, how to swiftly mend a ripped sail, how to clean the bilges dry, how to run and operate a rota system during night watch, and how to cook for 16 people in a small galley where everything was flying all over the place most of the time. We admired and watched dolphins along the way, we were saluted by a huge Navy warship on our approach to the finishing line in Plymouth, we spent 4 days at sea and came in at a decent place of approximately 100 out of 350 starting boats.
During the celebrations at the end the
The Fastnet Sailing Adventure
to put in a good performance during the race and expected everyone to perform at their best levels, I’m not ashamed to admit that I was probably the ‘weakest’ overall sailor in terms of offshore experience out of the entire group.
There were too many literally ‘ups and downs’ throughout the race to be able to remember and describe them all in this article, so let me give you some idea of the highlights of this demanding race which started in Cowes on Isle of Wight and rounded Fastnet Rock in South Ireland before finishing in Plymouth: we experienced very strong winds, decent size waves, cold and wet nights, not dissimilar to some 101 MWD Sqn training. There were sunny days, amazing sunsets and sunrises, viewed incredible wildlife, learned a lot of beneficial things about being in an offshore environment, people got tired and got shouted at during difficult moments in the heat of the moment, again much like being back at 101 Sqn! We got used to walk like a spider on a
skipper told us that he has also competed in and completed 2 other prestigious offshore races Newport to Bermuda and Sydney to Hobart, and now his next biggest personal objective would be to find a way to skipper a Tri-Forces sailing yacht in 2022 on a round the world competition. I would like to believe that what I have achieved during this Fastnet Race was enough to earn a place on another sailing expedition soon, as this is the only way I can get enough offshore sailing experience under my belt. I am glad to say that I did not suffer from sea sickness, and I hope that I am the type of sailor who never has to experience this unpleasant side effect whilst sailing on a yacht. Finally, on a personal closing note, I want to believe that I can develop a new strand to my military career and reinvest back into the Army in return for their support towards me as a soldier, working dog handler and ‘sailor’.