Page 115 - AGC-Journal-2016

AGC JOURNAL 2016

Leg 4 crew preparing to set sail from Cape Town heading
for Australia
but the waves and rocking are relentless
and we have to finish the main sail drop
before he can be placed below deck.
View from aloft checking the equipment prior to sailing across the Indian Ocean
Background

Our Adventure Commences the crews sail the yacht from Gosport to
Our adventure started with a Joint Services Lanzarote, to Rio de Janeiro and Cape
Adventure Sail Training Centre application Town with future legs due to sail to
to be a watch leader on the high risk and The initial crew meeting was at the Sydney for the Sydney Hobart race then
remote Transglobe circumnavigation of headquarters of Joint Services Adventure to New Zealand, across the Pacific Ocean
the world expedition. My application was Sail Training Centre in Gosport for around Cape Horn before heading north
for leg 4, a 5,700 miles, 30 days crossing briefings then a flight out to Cape Town stopping in South and North America onto
of the Southern Indian Ocean from Cape to take over the yacht from a crew that Greenland, Iceland and back to Gosport.
Town, South Africa to Freemantle on the had just sailed it from Rio de Janeiro in
west coast of Australia. As a qualified Brazil. Within 48 hours of departure we
skipper of smaller yachts and with previous were caught in a force 10 storm producing Happy Ending
experience of crossing the Atlantic Ocean, 55 knot winds and a very angry sea that
I was appointed ‘Watch Leader’ and Purser relentlessly hit us with huge waves. The At the time of going to print, the skipper
(Purchase of and control of food supplies). ‘on deck’ watch battled with sail changes has successfully been flown back to the UK
The 15 man crew was broken down into and keeping the yacht on course whilst and is slowly recovering following surgery.
3 watches of 4 men plus 2 ‘Mates’ and a below decks coupled with cooking on a All adventures such as this have inherent
skipper. The watches would operate on a 45 degree angle or trying to sleep without risk to life and limb but if it was easy, it
4 hour on 4 off shift pattern for 24 hours being thrown from the bunks. We won’t would not be an adventure.
a day with a respite being ‘Mother Watch’ mention the difficulty of using the toilet. I
who prepared and cooked the meals. will mention however, that the toilet door
did not survive contact with a body being
thrown through it as a wave suddenly
changed the travel direction of the yacht. Lieutenant General James Bashall at the helm during leg 11
The front deck hatch had been buckled so
water gushed into the bilges every time
the yacht dipped below the waves thus the
manual pump to expel the sea water from
the boat was well exercised.

Sailing Routine

As with any major Ocean crossing, the
routine can be monotonous and like the
film ‘Groundhog Day’. Nothing but sea
birds and the odd dolphin to look at,
but the sense of achievement is worth
the hardship, cold, sleep deprivation
and constant wet clothes. Our yacht
Steve Marsh during the South Indian Ocean Crossing ‘Discoverer’ had an Army crew and the
Africa to Australia
second mutual support yacht ‘Adventure’
was manned by the Royal Navy and
Royal Air Force. Previous legs had seen

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