The Royal Armoured Corps competed in three offshore races this summer, with teams of soldiers and officers from multiple units, Regular and Reserve*. The aims of competing in are to develop participants’ sense of competition, courage, leadership and resilience, with a view to enhancing operational effectiveness; and to develop individual and team sailing skills, with a view to participants using those to develop others in future events.
Whilst the Ulysses Trust’s support is generally reserved for Adventurous Training, rather than Sport, the Trust was kind enough to grant us £250 because the RAC race team has a proven history of turning out AT leaders, including Yachtmasters and Instructors. These qualifications require individuals to gain a variety of experience, including of longer passages and in adverse weather conditions, and offshore racing provides both of these.
Race One | Myth of Malham | 2 June
The course for this race is west from Cowes, out through the Needles Channel and along the south coast to the Eddystone Rock (south of Plymouth), then back to Hurst Castle (near the Needles). The crew was as follows:
| LCpl Pollard | Royal Wessex Yeomanry* | Yachtmaster Offshore & Cruising Instructor |
| Capt Gerald | Scottish & North Irish Yeomanry* | Coastal Skipper |
| LCpl Uglow | Royal Wessex Yeomanry* | Day Skipper |
| LCpl Godwin | Royal Lancers | Competent Crew |
| Tpr Jenkins | Royal Wessex Yeomanry* | Competent Crew |
| Sgt McGregor | Scottish & North Irish Yeomanry* |
This was LCpl Pollard’s first race as skipper and Capt Gerald’s first as mate; Tpr Jenkins had never raced before and Sgt McGregor had never even sailed on a yacht before. We therefore took a conservative approach to the start.
From the start line, there was still a small amount of tide against us, so we stayed in close to the shore and, within half an hour found ourselves in second place as a result. Unfortunately, the A2 spinnaker we were flying tore and we had to slow the boat and send Capt Gerald to the top of the mast to detangle it before we could continue racing. This delay, coupled with the loss of the sail we really needed for the entire outward leg (to the Eddystone) meant we fell well behind the fleet and were unable to keep up.
As we neared the Eddystone the following day, the wind dropped to 2 knots, so we fought to keep the yacht pointing in the right direction. The wind picked up again, but not enough to get us to Start Point before the tide turned against us, meaning we were forced to tack up and down level with Start Point for the following night. The wind really picked up and we found ourselves in Force 7 winds, which helped us make the tidal gate at Portland; however, we were so far behind the fleet as a result of losing the spinnaker and the loss of wind at the Eddystone we were unable to make it back up and we finished last (of those who completed the race).
Race Two | Morgan Cup | 17 June
The course for this race is east from Cowes, round the Isle of Wight and then along the south coast to Dartmouth, and the crew was as follows:
| LCpl Pollard | Royal Wessex Yeomanry* | Yachtmaster Offshore & Cruising Instructor |
| Capt Gerald | Scottish & North Irish Yeomanry* | Coastal Skipper |
| Maj Parker | Royal Lancers | Day Skipper |
| LCpl Uglow | Royal Wessex Yeomanry* | Day Skipper |
| LCpl Godwin | Royal Lancers | Competent Crew |
| A/LCpl Jackson | Royal Wessex Yeomanry* | Competent Crew |
This was A/LCpl Jackson’s first race.
The start of this race was frustrating because the wind kept dropping and the entire fleet was left stranded until it built up again. As we came to the east of the Isle of Wight some vessels hugged the island while others, including us, stayed out in the hope of more wind. Unfortunately, staying out did not result in any greater wind, but the tide against us was stronger, which meant we rounded the island later than those who had stayed in. This was a useful learning experience, and shows the difference between weather forecasts and software modelling and the reality.
Once we were past the Isle of Wight, the wind started to build and we were able to catch up with other vessels again. The wind veered and we had to keep changing sail, and by the time we neared Dartmouth we found ourselves in Force 7 winds and rough seas, before returning to home under the command of Capt Gerald, to build his experience.
Race Three | Cowes-Dinard-St Malo | 8 July
The course for this race is west from Cowes, out through the Needles Channel and across the English Channel, keeping the Channel Islands to port and into St Malo Bay. The crew was as follows:
| Maj Kemp-Gee | Royal Wessex Yeomanry* | Yachtmaster Offshore & Cruising Instructor |
| Capt Gerald | Scottish & North Irish Yeomanry* | Coastal Skipper |
| Maj Harris | Royal Yeomanry* | Day Skipper |
| Maj Parker | Royal Lancers | Day Skipper |
| Lt Ellis | Light Dragoons | Day Skipper |
| Maj Foot-Tapping | Royal Lancers | |
| Lt Riall | Light Dragoons | |
| Tpr Kyle | Scottish & North Irish Yeomanry* |
This was Maj Harris, Lts Ellis and Riall and Tpr Kyle’s first race.
A good start saw the crew keeping pace with other similar yachts right across the English Channel. Navigating the busy shipping channels north of Cherbourg and Alderney provides a real challenge because action taken to avoid ships can have a significant effect on the time taken to cross the channels, and a constant lookout is required from all members of the watch to keep the skipper/mate informed throughout.
Wind changes and a slightly late turn south off Guernsey unfortunately meant dropping back in the fleet, but otherwise a good performance from all.
Conclusion
With the exception of the skippers, who are both instructors, all personnel were exposed to more adverse conditions than they had experienced before during the campaign. Several personnel will now use the experience they have gained towards future qualifications and leadership of AT within their units, which will enhance the AT available.
The challenge of sailing continuously for days, with limited sleep and in adverse conditions, has helped all participants to develop the teamwork and leadership skills, and personal courage.
