On the 25th of January 2026, 10 Officer Cadets and staff from the North West Officer Training Regiment were lucky enough to embark on a two-week sailing trip around the Canary Islands, all gaining their Competent Crew certificates and learning how to live and work aboard a 55-foot yacht.
A very early start on the Sunday got us all to rainy Manchester Airport, with members from all detachments: Liverpool, Lancaster and Manchester. After a very good full English breakfast, the team were bonding well, and everyone was excited to get on the water and learn the ropes. A flight to sunny Lanzarote and a taxi to the marina later, we were confronted by the sail training yacht Dasher, a stunning 1970s Nicholson 55 Yacht, and our skipper, Jon.
Life aboard the yacht took some getting used to on the first day, with the narrow bunks, limited headroom and close quarters. This was particularly challenging when at sea, with the constant movement, as well as when cooking, which for 11 people at a time was quite a challenge. However, everyone settled in well and was anxious to get underway and put some of the basic knots we had used that day into practice.
So, bright and early on the 27th, we left Puerto Calero on Lanzarote, bound for the port of Rubicon. With beautiful sun and good wind, we got the sails up, learning how to tack and gybe. This required good communication, as the sails had to go down and come up in time with the winches, and the helmsman needed to be clear in directions about when the boat was turning and what needed to be done. The next manoeuvre we learned, crucial for the safety aspect of our competent crew, was the man-overboard manoeuvre. This involved throwing a buoy overboard and then implementing the accompanying action: hoving the boat too, marking the location on the map, radio distress calls, and retrieving the buoy from the water. Everyone enjoyed getting stuck in, managing the challenge of moving up and down the boat and managing ropes, knots and winches when the boat was moving. On coming into Rubicon, we practicing mooring the boat, which again tested our teamwork and conduct under pressure, as everyone had a job, whether it be attaching fenders to protect against the docks or pulling the ship in with bow and stern lines.
Day 1 was a very good introduction to sailing on such a big yacht. However, the big challenge was yet to come. After a good night’s rest at Rubicon, we set off on our longest voyage of the trip. This was a 36 hour hop from Lanzarote to Tenerife. This was a tough journey, with big swells and waves for an uninitiated crew. It was our first introduction to an overnight passage, with the 4-hour shifts and cooking at sea that this entailed. Most of us suffered badly from seasickness, spending rather a lot of time over the railings. However, as horrible a feeling as this was, something very good came of it. In the middle of the night, when it was cold, sleep wasn’t easy because of the rocking of the boat, and everyone was feeling worse for wear, the camaraderie and teamwork showed through. Constant cups of tea, looking out for each other and a shared amusement at the various trips to the back of the boat to deposit boiled eggs into the Atlantic brought the team together and forged strong bonds that were to last the rest of the trip. Nevertheless, we were all ready for a more relaxed day after what had been a bit of a baptism of fire.
The next stop on our trip was San Miguel, an easy sail down the coast from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. From there, we crossed over to Gran Canaria. This was some of the best sailing of the trip, with very strong winds because of the funnelling effect between the two islands, and the yacht reaching speeds of 9 knots. The thrill of the railings being almost underwater and having to fight the steering wheel to keep the yacht on course was great fun, and we made excellent time. Coming into Puerto de Mogan, under the impressive sea cliffs of Gran Canaria, we were greeted by the charming town.
Mogan is a beautiful port town with whitewashed buildings and colourful flowers. This was the best location we visited all trip, and we enjoyed our day off here, wandering about the town, going to the beach and taking the ferry around to Puerto Rico to explore.
“It was great to chill in the sun, but the best thing was experiencing the sea in a new way.”
OCdt LT
Next was our 2nd overnight hop to Gran Tarajal on Fuerteventura. This was much better than the first. Our baptism of fire had set us up well, and this time everyone was comfortable with what they needed to do and when, administrating themselves and cooking and cleaning for others to make the journey as smooth and enjoyable as possible. It is fair to say that cooking, cleaning and living with 11 people in such a confined space presented its own sort of challenge. As members got tired and felt cramped, it might have been easy to start snapping or let emotions get the better of you. However, this challenge was risen to by the team, who pitched in, helped each other out and kept morale high.
On the way to our penultimate stop, back to Rubicon, we were accompanied by dolphins, playing alongside and with the boat. This was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip, to see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat. From Rubicon we sailed back around the headline and into Puerto Calero on the 6th of February.
After a morning of cleaning the ship from top to bottom ready for the next crew, we went for a swim at the local beach. That evening we had our final meal together as the crew: a delicious curry being the perfect way to round off a great trip and reminisce on the fun and challenging moments we shared along the way.
“It was great fun learning how to live onboard the yacht, and at times more challenging than I thought it would be.”
OCdt GP
2 weeks sailing around the islands presented us with amazing views, challenging moments and great memories. Most of us had never done sailing like this before, so to get the opportunity to learn on such a beautiful boat in such fantastic conditions was a real experience. The main takeaway from the group was communication and teamwork. With many things needing doing, and everyone pitching in, talking to each other clearly and concisely when under time pressure was a skill that everyone developed. In addition, the quieter but no less difficult challenge of working with many people in cramped conditions tested our patience and teamwork.
We are all extremely grateful to the Ulysses Trust and the other donors for the support which made such an amazing trip possible.
