Page 142 - Bugle Autumn 2014

Sailing with
The Band & Bugles
of The Rifles
On 10 February 2014 a select few water born members of the Band and Bugles of The Rifles took part in five days of hardcore sailing at the Joint Service Adventurous Sail Training Centre (JSASTC).
The Joint Service Adventurous Sail Training Centre (JSASTC) is a sail training establishment situated on the south coast in Gosport, Hampshire; by the sea, it is just inside the harbour entrance on the western side of Portsmouth harbour. The following members of The Band and Bugles who participated with this activity were Musn Peacock (Little Emma), Senior Bugle Major Held (alias Captain Pugwash), Cpl Pope (The Assistant Bugle Major of The Band and Bugle of The Rifles alias Master Bates), LCpl Merchant (The Colonel in Chiefs Bugler
of The Rifles alias Seaman Stains) and finally Rfn Cooper (alias Roger the Cabin Boy).
Upon the arrival at the JSASTC the weather looked really promising for the entire week; however, the weather report on the news suggested otherwise and how right they were! After the briefings we then proceeded to collect our sailing kit and meagre rations for the week ... disappointing Cpl Pope as he has rather a large appetite for food!
Once on board we had another short brief from our skipper (Captain) Ruby who also showed us where we would be sleeping and eating for the duration of the week, and more importantly where the emergency life jackets were held.
We then set off on our first days sailing to Cowes on the Isle of Wight, which made me feel like Captain Jack Sparrow! En route to the Isle of Wight the waves started to get choppy and the weather was not as calm as it had been when we had first boarded the boat. We were taught a few drills and skills that would apparently “save our lives”.. Two hours into our adventure the Senior Bugle Major embraced the sailing at the same time as I embraced the sea sickness tablets. A few hours later we had arrived at our first destination of the week, Cowes, which was such a joy as the boat was now stationary. All that was
left to do was look for treasure and collapse the sails. With those tasks completed we showered and had a nice evening meal consisting of Chicken Goujons and wedges which I found difficult to digest as my stomach was still doing cartwheels.
The next day we set off to Ocean Village in Southampton, en route taking in more drills and skills of Sailing; man over board drills and hoisting the sails. The weather made this even more demoralizing to myself and the crew as it was slightly worse than the previous day. The wind and hail was so strong that the weather report over our radio stated do not leave the harbour unless absolutely necessary but this did not stop the determined crew of The Black Pearl!
On Day three we could not sail as the weather worsened. Judging by the radio broadcast it was only going to get even worse so therefore, I took charge. As a thinking rifleman, I made a command decision not to sail in order to care for my crew.
The rest of the week consisted of the same drills; the only exception was that the weather worsened. All in all I thought being a pirate for the week was a wonderful experience and I look forward to my next challenge ... hopefully mountain biking or kayaking!
Basel Tattoo 2014
Early on a bright and sunny Monday morning this July, the Massed Bands and Bugles of The Rifles, comprising 95 buglers and musicians from The Band and Bugles of The Rifles, The Waterloo Band of the Rifles with buglers from 2 and 4 Rifles, boarded the coaches for Basel to take part in their world famous annual Military Tattoo. The journey was uneventful, though very long! When we eventually arrived in Switzerland it was so late we just had time to unpack and go to bed for the night in order for us to be fit and ready for the following day’s heavy schedule of rehearsals. The following morning began a long three days of rehearsals ... and marked
the first time that the entire group had ever worked together! The afternoon was spent working on our own display, for which we had the help of our good friends the Central Band of the Royal Air Force Squadronaires; who added a touch of rock and rhythm to our finale piece ’Eve of War’. There was no time off that evening either as the band met with the other performers, from Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, the UK and the Netherlands, to work on the music as
a massed band for both the opening and closing portions of the tattoo.
The next day, Wednesday, was our first time working in the performance arena. The sun
was so hot that on the rare
occasions we were static
during our display our boots stuck to the floor! It was another long day with an
140 THE BAND AND BUGLES OF THE RIFLES