For the cadets this was their first ever opportunity to experience living and working aboard a yacht and going ‘to sea’. Although the cadets were very excited they all were a little nervous and unsure of what to expect.

On arriving in Gosport the kit was taken onto the respective yachts. This was the first time many had ever been in a marina and most seemed to wander around in a state of awe. However, their Skippers quickly brought them back to earth with a detailed tour and safety brief. Watching them trying to master putting on their waterproofs and safety harnesses was certainly an entertaining fifteen minutes.

After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast (which one or two would see again), the cadets and staff prepared the yachts for departure. On a bright and sunny Saturday morning with light winds, the yachts made their way out of the marina and into the Solent. This is where the cadets realised for the first time how different dinghy sailing and offshore sailing really were. The crews then had to get to grips with handling their yachts learning all about the lines and halyards, sails and sailing position. The first trainees were also invited to take the helm. Nervously they would take a firm grip of the wheel and brace themselves as the yacht leaned over a little. However, the look of determination and smiles on completing a good ‘going about’ drill were evidence of how much the cadets were already enjoying themselves. Both yachts were never too far apart with frequent outbreaks of manic waving between the two.

After a hard day of sailing manoeuvres and going through their syllabus, the two yachts headed for the harbour of Cowes on the Isle of Wight to moor for the evening. The cadets who ventured below whilst under sail were busily preparing the meals on both yachts. Several others politely declined the invitation to go below and assist!

After securing alongside the crews, all sat down for supper followed by the traditional ‘run ashore’. Already the sea stories were coming out from the hearty band of old seadogs with all of 12 hours worth of sea time.

Next morning, bang on time the yachts prepared for sea and left the side. The plan for both the yachts was to complete more manoeuvres with all cadets having the opportunity to take the helm. They had several practical syllabus items that they needed to cover which included man overboard drills, navigation, ropework, meteorology and rules of the road. The unit staff acting as ‘mates’ assisted in running the evolutions and taking each cadet through the syllabus. This routine was identical on both yachts with the only interruption being the odd cadet feeling a little unwell.

Both yachts made their way back to Gosport and ended up sailing in as part of The International Festival of the Sea Review. We then secured alongside which took only a matter of minutes as the cadets were already showing degrees of knowledge and confidence in their delegated tasks.

After a good clean ship and numerous photo opportunities, the crews said their farewells to the skippers and made their way back to the minibus. The chatter for the first thirty minutes was exactly what our objective had wanted to achieve. All of the cadets were planning further trips on the yachts but not for just a weekend but for a whole week. Slowly the chatter died down as a weekend of hard work and sea air began to take its toll with all of them falling asleep.

We thank the Trust for helping to make this voyage happen.

CPO (SCC) Philip Warwick