Page 50 - The Wish Stream Year of 2021 (Crest)

Exercise NAVIS CADET
OCdt Moffitt
On the 13th of December 2021, our team of five OCdts and our steadfast skipper, Major Simon Burgess, embarked on a 5-day sail-
ing expedition to the Solent, a sailing area just off Portsmouth. Calm if frosty conditions for the week were a perfect match for an induction to the skills and drills that sailing a 34-foot Halberg- Rassy yacht entails.
Day one was as expected; safety briefs and a handover takeover of the yacht made for riveting stuff. Spirits were buoyed as it became clear we were the last boat standing as the COVID axe fell in some way or another. A blow-by-blow view of all other Sandhurst crews being confined to dry land became our own little badge of honour. That afternoon was hoisting the main sail and foresail for the first time. Dinghy proportions that many of the crew had experienced, seemed tiny as the billowing sheets were winched aloft. Dur- ing the crossing towards the Isle of Wight, night fell and, after two hours of night sailing, the lights of Cowes Harbour greeted our arrival. We drifted in on a slackening breeze.
The rest of the week followed on in much the same manner with stop-offs including Yarmouth, the Hamble and another Cowes leg. Major Bur- gess had the crew conducting man-overboard, anchoring in Osborne Bay, mooring to a buoy,
tide calculations, maneuvers in the marina’s tight spaces and becoming adept at hoisting and low- ering the sails. Perhaps most importantly each of our number became proficient when coming alongside, both when operating the tiller and the mooring ropes.
On completion of the course, four team mem- bers received the RYA’s competent crew quali- fication and OCdt Willis built valuable days of experience towards his Day Skipper qualifica- tion. More importantly Major Burgess introduced all aboard to a thoroughly enjoyable week of yacht sailing.
48 SANDHURST