Page 112 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022 CREST

Exercise BALEARIC WATCH
2Lt Ben Chandler REME
After an early alarm at 0445hrs on the 20th of April 2022, it was time for seven person- nel from 13 Fd Coy, 6 ACS REME, to meet at the parade square for our transport to Bristol Airport to begin Ex BALEARIC WATCH. After a smooth transition through check-in and security, it soon became apparent that we hadn’t even left the country and some of the individuals were already introduced to new expe-
Petro. It was a unanimous decision to head East as it best avoided a storm, and then opened an opportunity to spend a night in the beautiful nature reserve of Cabrera Island.
Setting off after breakfast on Thursday 21st April, we began our first leg of the two weeks, heading to Rapita, and it only took ten minutes
riences, as they were about to embark an aeroplane for the first time in their lives.
...it only took ten minutes for the first individuals
to discover their bodies didn’t enjoy being at sea.
for the first individuals to discover their bodies didn’t enjoy being at sea... Five hours later we arrived in Rapita, where we were met with strong undercurrents, making the berthing process challenging – but a good interest piece to demonstrate the various ways of securing a yacht in such waters. The next few days saw us sailing to Porto Petro, where
Once arriving in Palma De Mal-
lorca, we took a taxi to S’Arenal,
where we were met by the Skip-
per and our beautiful new home
for two weeks: Spirit of St George
II. After an introduction to the yacht, accom- panied with a safety brief from the Skipper, we headed out to purchase food for the week and began discussing the various options for our time on the yacht. Whether to head West around Port Adriano and along the coast to Se Dragon- era, or to head East towards Rapita and Porto
we had to spend a few evenings to wait out a storm. During this, we explored the local town and a small cove in which we could swim and snorkel. Once the storm had blown over, we began a long sail upwind through bigger seas to get to Cabrera, a small Island South of Mallorca which is protected and only accessible by boat.
110 SANDHURST