As an Officer Cadet from Exeter University Officer Training Corps, I was lucky enough to take part in Exercise Tammie Norrie, a two-week Sea Kayaking Adventurous Training expedition to the Shetland Islands with other Officer Cadets from Exeter and Bristol UOTC. Having done very little sea kayaking beforehand, I was unsure what to expect, but it quickly became one of the best experiences I have had through the OTC.
I was part of one of the K2F groups, spending the first week on the Northern most island called Unst before moving to the Shetland mainland for the second half of the exercise. From the first day on the water, it was clear this was not about learning how to paddle. After a lot of falling in, getting back in, and trying not to fall in again sea legs were quickly established. Every session introduced something new from our instructors, whether it was improving our strokes, practising rescues with varying levels of technique or navigating as a group around the beautiful yet jagged edges of the isles. It was rewarding to look back after only a few days and realise how much more comfortable and capable I and everyone else had become.
One of my favourite memories was our overnight expedition. Carefully planned with our peer’s nights before, we worked through everything from what to wear and pack to how to pack it all into our slim kayaks. After eventually loading everything, we needed from tents, food and warm clothes, we paddled out to a small island called Burra on the east coast of Unst where we set up camp for the night. Sitting around the fire together cooking and laughing and even some cheeky karaoke, watching the sunset over the Shetland coastline was something completely different from everyday university life or any normal life for that matter. It really brought home what Adventurous Training is all about and made all the hard work worthwhile.
