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.