Out of the 12 Officer Cadets, only 3 had ever had real off-shore sailing experience, so for the other 9, sea legs had to be quickly acquired! The first few days gave us the necessary conditions to quickly get used to sailing, with many runs being made precariously up to the foredeck. These provided us with enough concentration to briefly forget about any seasickness!

However third day in, and one of the yachts ran aground just down the coast from Stubbekøbing! Rather than panic, most of the crew (with the exception of the unfortunate skipper!) had a good laugh and enjoyed our free day off in Stubbekøbing, waiting for an engineer to come out and check the yacht was crack-free.

The next morning we were off again, cleared by the engineer. So finally we continued our journey and made it to the wonderful city of Copenhagen.

Unfortunately, the wind then proceeded to disappear and the next few days were spent motoring from port to port, though our calm stomachs and chances to swim in the middle of the sea cheered all of us up!

Eventually the wind picked up and hit force 5 and 6. This was fun during the day, but became quite scary on our night sail from Sonderborg, down to Damp, Germany.

Overall I think this was a successful and highly enjoyable expedition. All the novices were challenged in their tasks and managed to reach the level of Competent Crew. I understand that most of them have acquired the enthusiasm and determination to carry on sailing, and more so, to organize their own expeditions next year. The Baltic should watch out!