Offshore Sailing, 'Blue Odin', Germany, Kiel, Sep 2011, ID 1180

Liverpool UOTC

On the 8th of September 2011, the departure lounge of Luton airport played host to a medley of excited officer cadets, competent crew sailors and a selection of weathered and rather tolerant day skippers; their Officer Training Corps affiliations betrayed by the abundance of black grip bags and that peculiar but unmistakable manner that is half military rigidity and half lazy student. Their common destination was Hamburg, Kiel, the south Baltic and Exercise Blue Odin. The first two days of the week long trip were spent in familiarisation. For those that had never sailed before, there was a lot to learn. Firstly, proof was required by each in turn that a crew of seven or eight really can live for a week below the deck of a yacht seemingly too small to turn around in. In fact, every panel of the wooden interior could be transformed into a bed, a table or some other essential item; or shown to be hiding some ingenious storage space. Suitably impressed with the three-month old yachts, each crew spent the first morning in Kiel enduring Top Gun style safety videos, gathering kit, filling every nook and cranny of their cabin with food for the trip and, of course, tying knots. While the old hats fussed over the variations of the stopper knot, the novices tied together everything in reach until passing from one end of the cabin to the other became a form of obstacle course. Then it was on to the sailing.

The North German climate was kind and calm and within a few hours each crew was capable of putting up and retracting both the main sail and the head sail; tacking – turning with the bow into the wind; and jibing – turning with the stern into the wind. This was mostly achieved through shouting and gesticulating as the sailing jargon seemed totally incomprehensible to anybody, including the skipper. Everything from the winch handles to the kettle became simply ‘jobbie’ and context was relied upon for clarity while facial expressions indicated urgency.

Friday dawned only too early after the familiarisation socials of the night before, but as there had been only one man overboard and the weather was promising another sunny day, the fleet of 9 Hallberg-Rassy yachts along with the safety boat ‘Baltic Swift’ and its ever cheerful crew set off early on the forty-eight mile crossing to Sonderborg, Denmark. With light winds behind us each yacht was able to show off its colours and hoist the Spinnaker. Lightest and largest of all, this sail was to provide much stress and frustration to all over the days that followed but was, on this occasion, a bright start to sailing. Liverpool’s ‘Pochard’ was first into port in Sonderborg and, after dinner made by one of the crew, lead the way to the ice cream stand for a weird and wonderful introduction to the Danish appetite.

Saturday provided the first of the races and novices and experienced crewmen alike tested their skills against one another in a series of cans races. Having sailed from Sonderborg early that morning, the UOTC yachts reached the quiet waters of Alsforder in time to make use of the still calm and pleasant weather. A single practice race proved wind conditions to be ideal for using the Spinnaker sails which meant Leeds A team’s ‘Pintail’ won three consecutive races while the other crews continued to find their sea legs and wrestle with the twists and knots in their sails. After a quick bite to eat on board, the competition continued with a passage race to Aabenraa; a more industrial port and a perfect place to regain the energy lost on thirty-seven miles of sailing and all of the tense moments and near misses involved. Sunday was passed much in the same way; short course races followed by a passage race to Faaborg. Each crew found themselves running more smoothly as crew members got to know their team thoroughly in the small confines of the yacht. Teamwork was essential and even inter-UOTC relations bloomed, despite the intense competitive nature of the sailing and even the odd collision. Morale remained high as crews competed not only within the races but also attempted to drown one another’s singing with their own version of a Queen classic as they passed.

The following and final three days adopted a more serious note. As the fleet moved to complete its circuit of the south Baltic the air pressure dropped, providing progressively stronger winds and stormy weather with gusts reaching gale force. Monday saw the passage race to Aeroskobing, around 15 miles hugging the shore to lessen the strain on the sails while the boats remained at a 45 degree angle; each crew clinging to the guard rail on the highest side, shivering and, surprisingly, still singing. Tuesday was more of the same and worse as gusts grew to force nine, testing teamwork, physical ability and mental stamina if effective adventurous training. The teams managed to retain their high spirits in the challenge of the exercise and rotation of the roles meant all were competent on deck, even in harsh conditions. Tensions naturally remained high as effective sailing meant not only a good finishing place in the race but the safety of the crew. Many were mentally reciting their man overboard drills as they clipped their lifelines on to the Jackstay and crawled around the foredeck.

By the time the fleet arrived back in Kiel on Wednesday afternoon, the participating UOTC members had learnt much more than just how to sail. Effective communication, patience, teamwork, initiative, thorough execution of instructions, problem solving and the ability to remain composed through tense and dangerous situations were all skills acquired and polished through the course of the week. Mentally and physically exhausted,. This trip would not have been possible with the help from the Ulysses Trust, The Reserve Forces and Cadet Association and the 42 (NW) Brigade Commanders Fund.

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