On the 2-8th August Bristol
University Officers Training Corp was fortunate to send twelve Officer Cadets
yacht sailing in the Solent area on the south coast. The weather was excellent
and the Solent was full to bursting with crafts of all types hoping to enjoy the
festival of Cowes week. Sailing during the week was extremely good with sunshine
and wind being plentiful. On the first day the yachts were taken all the way
along the Solent, against the wind and tide to Lymington harbour. This was a
very long day of sailing for a novice crew and they found their sea legs
extremely quickly. For some this was their first time on a small sailing craft.
On the second day it was planned to sail to Newtown Bay for lunch and a swim and
then proceed up the Beaulieu River. This is a very picturesque part of the
Solent making an enjoyable passage up the river to the famous Pub at the end.
During the passages the instructors had the opportunity to coach the crew on how
to handle the craft effectively and some essential knot work and seamanship. The
last night was spent alongside at West Cowes giving us a front row seat to the
fantastic fireworks. This is an opportunity that many of us will not have again
to be involved in the final celebrations of one of the biggest yachting weeks in
the world.
Everyone left the trip with a good
understanding of basic sailing techniques. The instructors were extremely
pleased with the progress made by the crew during the week. The crew bonded very
quickly in the cramped living conditions to sail the boat to its full potential.
This week will be a difficult week to forget because of the brilliant sailing
weather and a brilliant crew. The money from the Ulysses trust enabled us to
offset the expensive mooring fees so we could explore more of the Solent area
and tackle longer passages.