Offshore Sailing, 'Caribbean Endeavour - Leg 9', Caribbean - Windward Islands,
Mar 2011, ID 1090
5 Military Intelligence Bn (V)
The
eagerly anticipated day of departure, 6 Mar 11, started bright and early at
London’s Gatwick airport. All of the ship’s crew, except the skipper who, as
Exped project officer, had flown ahead to oversee a week of yacht maintenance,
boarded for the 8 hr 45 min Virgin Atlantic flight to St. Lucia. The crew
consisted of intelligence personnel from the Land Warfare Centre, The Defence
Intelligence & Security Centre and 1, 4 and 5(V) Military Intelligence Bns,
many having just returned from a busy operational tour in Afghanistan.
Following
a white-knuckle mini-bus journey from the Airport across the rugged terrain of
St. Lucia, the crew arrived in Marigot Bay and were met by the skipper. At the
end of the pontoon, amongst the yachts of the rich and famous, lay Her
Majesty’ Sail Training Craft Endeavour; a 67 ft Challenge boat and home for
the next 2 weeks.
The
crew received a quick orientation of the vessel, including the loos, now
referred to as the ‘Heads’, the ‘Galley’ aka kitchen, and bunks (which
were more than a tight squeeze!) before heading off for a meal on dry land and
an introduction into the island’ speciality; rum punch.
The
next day training commenced with vigour under the watchful eyes of the Ship’s
after-guard, and the crew were put through their paces going through various
evolutions before heading off to the first destination, Martinique.
No
plan survives the first contact, so, due to making good time because of the
favourable winds, Endeavour changed course for a night sail to Dominica, a day
ahead of schedule. The crew slipped
easily into the watch routine and a memorable night sail was had under a perfect
Caribbean star-lit sky. Around
dawn, Endeavour arrived at Dominica, picking up a mooring buoy in a quiet bay. After tidying up the boat the crew departed to explore the
island, some trekking in the rainforest and visiting (smelly) sulphur springs,
others going scuba diving.
The
next two weeks followed a similar pattern of intense sailing followed by
relaxation and exploration of the numerous Windward Islands. During the two weeks Endeavour visited Dominica, Grenada, Union Island,
Tobago Cays and Bequia before returning to St Lucia, covering some 500 nautical
miles.
The
trip presented the best that Caribbean sailing has to offer, with consistently
strong winds, sunny weather and a plethora of wildlife to watch. While sailing the crew observed whales breeching the surface and filmed a
large pod of dolphins playing on the bow wave and jumping next to the boat. While exploring the islands and beaches, the crew snorkelled with Manta
rays and dived with turtles and sea horses. The lobster BBQ on one the beach at Tobago Cays was the perfect location
to unwind from a challenging operational tour and catch up with friends and
colleagues while watching the Caribbean sun set into the sea.
5MI
Bn (V) wishes to thank the Ulysses Trust for their generous contribution which
allowed its personnel to take part in additional training alongside their
regular counterparts. The grant allowed the Corps to achieve its aim of filling
all after-guard and crew places on the leg with Intelligence Corps personnel.
Thanks to
|
|
working in
partnership with
|
|
|