On September 1st the third annual Exercise Leviathan, once again supported by The Ulysses Trust, set sail from Portsmouth Harbour. Forty young army cadets from JFS CCF, St Benedict’s CCF, City of London and NE Sector ACF and 9 Company ACF spilt into four crews aboard four 72ft Challenger class yachts began their voyage with no prior experience or skill at sea, only the willingness to take on a challenge and a new adventure. Over the coming days and nights, the crews learned everything that was required of them to sail, maintain and navigate these large vessels around the English Channel before taking part in three days of competition to determine the overall winner. The seas were rough but spirits were high throughout the exercise with sail raising at sea, tacking, jibing and point to point racing all developing outstanding skills in resilience and overcoming the elements.
This now annual exercise offers the opportunity for cadets of a disadvantaged background, SEND diagnosis or disability to undertake an expedition they would not have had the opportunity or financial backing to provide for themselves thanks to donors like the Ulysses Trust. All participants gain a Duke of Edinburgh Gold expedition credit, a Royal Yachting Association qualification and this year 26 of the 40 participants were invited to join the Tall Ships Youth Trust as volunteer leaders having showed their aptitude over such a challenging week.
“It gave me a huge boost in confidence and opened up a new opportunity that I would never have had anywhere else, making sailing on a large yacht possible. The crew were incredibly welcoming and supportive enhancing the experience even more.” Cadet
“I loved the expedition! it was something completely new to me that sparked my love for sailing which I never would have considered doing before coming on board. I learnt so much in such a short time and gained so many memories, as well as having the chance to build friendships with people I don’t usually see. There was never a dull moment as there was always something to do, whether that’s with the boat or with my friends” Cadet
“The exercise was extremely well coordinated and effectively and actively involved all cadets. I believe that the trip was extremely beneficial and created a positive impact on myself as a cadet and person.” Cadet
“Made significant impacts to specifically cadets’ leadership, resilience and teamwork as a result of levels of communication required and mental and physical resilience to keep going. Overall a fantastic expedition in terms of enjoyability and character building.” CFAV
“My daughter thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Spoke about it for days after. All adults helped to make this the very best experience for her and all other cadets. Thank you to you all for making this possible.” Parent
“My son really enjoyed the trip. He got to do something he would never otherwise have the chance to and learned new skills and knowledge. He saw other parts of the uk and experienced many amazing things” Parent
“I can only think of positives, the whole experience was a huge boost and gave my daughter great life skills like teamwork and hardworking, and has motivated my daughter to work harder and stay focused so she can further have other similar opportunities” Parent
