Ex CS XLI, XLII and XLIII were 3 ULOTC Offshore Sailing expeditions run over the course of a weekend using a REYC chartered yacht from Gosport. Each weekend took 4 novice sailors out onto the water, exposing them to challenging AT and a very steep learning curve. The MEL repeated from weekend to weekend and other than the Skipper, it was a whole new crew each weekend. Core components of the RYA Competent Crew course was covered, with OCdts learning how to live in a confined space, identify parts of the boat and tie the relevant knots.
The OCdts showed great potential and perseverance in harsh conditions where pleasure sailors were few and far between with most boats away for winter storage! The expedition diary below from our first weekend illustrates the training provided and the value of delivering weekend expeditions around university commitments. These are excellent opportunities that really complement the university education of our OCdts!
Ex CS XLI Exped Diary
The crew met in Handel Street at 0900hrs on the morning of the 15th, departing just before 1100hrs via CombiVan. On our way down to Gosport, we collected the food shop from Tesco and arrived at the yacht at 1425hrs. The HOTO was blind given the Skipper had taken the yacht out recently so was a quick process before we could get all the kit on board. The Skipper conducted the initial ALeRT brief followed by the in-depth safety and sailing briefs before we started with lessons. The crew were taught the use of key equipment (winches, sheets, lines etc) before we slipped from our mooring. We completed drills coming alongside with myself at the helm first and then OCdt Wright under my supervision. After a good hour of practice, we came alongside a final time for dinner (prepared by OCdt Day as we were completing the drills) and prepared for sea. After dinner we slipped from JSASTC, heading out of Portsmouth Harbour, putting sails up and turning West for Beaulieu River. This was an excellent opportunity to get the novices on the helm in quiet and benign conditions, with OCdt Wright honing her night navigation skills. Once we were close to Beaulieu River, we dropped the sails, resorting to the engine to take us in. We pottered up Beaulieu River with the novices surprised how shallow the water was around us as we came alongside a floating pontoon to spend a very calm and peaceful night under the full moon.
The crew were up at 0700hrs the next morning, getting the boat ready for sea before we slipped and made our way to Cowes under engine, coming alongside Trinity Landings comfortably in time for a morning coffee. After completing a few bits of necessary shopping, we slipped again, put the sails up and set course for Yarmouth. Catching the tides West we were able to complete many tacking, MoB (Man over Board ) and gybing drills on the way down. When we arrived in Yarmouth, we found some incredibly strong tides coming out of the harbour, making the approach to the pontoon more challenging than expected – but excellent execution from the crew ensured a safe and successful evolution. The crew put the boat to bed and completed several additional tasks before most headed to the pub to watch the England game. Skipper and Mate joined for the second half after some theory lessons on passage planning and MoBs. After the game, we all reconvened at the boat for a delicious meal and a debrief on the day and to look forward to our last day.
Sunday morning brought an early rise of 0545hrs to catch the tides back east before they turned foul. OCdt Wright ran the boat before we slipped, allowing her to progress to more of a Skipper role. Sadly, once slipped, we saw the ferry coming over the harbour wall and so resorted to practicing tight manoeuvring as we waited for it to complete its docking before heading out and putting our sails up. With the tides we flew back east, with the crew learning about the purpose of, and how to rig the preventer. We sailed down to Priory Bay before completing more MoBs with OCdt Wright at the helm and then dropping the anchor for lunch. Three of the crew elected to pursue the ‘resilience’ aspect of ALeRT further by diving in, while the other half focused more on the Cold Injury ITR teaching! With hot showers and brews on the way, everyone was revitalised before finishing off lunch and preparing for our last sail of the exped. Fortunately, the wind had picked up a bit allowing for a lovely sail straight into Portsmouth Harbour, dropping sails once inside and refueling at Premier Marina. We then came alongside one last time in JSASTC before beginning the highlight of the trip – the boat clean. With efficient teamwork, we were in the CombiVan heading back up to London by 1530 and parked up, with the OCdts heading home by 1845. All in all, a great weekend and particularly notable OCdt Wright’s progression to starting to become a Skipper and OCdt Day’s leadership and coaching of the other novice OCdts despite himself only having spent a weekend on a yacht previously – his dinghy background coming through. With several repairs, factory level whipping and excellent cleaning, it was wonderful to leave another ULOTC exped with the yacht in better condition than before. Kudos to the crew!
