The first international sailing exercise undertaken by the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) took place from 30 July to 6 August 2011. This most successful Exercise, which received support funding from the Ulysses Trust, enabled six members of the Corps to charter the Gibraltar Garrison’s yacht ‘Pickle’ for a week. Led by an experienced Coastal Skipper from the London Scottish Regiment, the exercise involved sailing from Gibraltar across the Straits of Gibraltar to Ceuta, on the North Africa coast, returning across the Straits to the Spanish ports of Marbella, Estapona and Duquesa – finishing at Gibraltar, completing a 119 nm course in winds ranging from Force 1 – 8.
The FANYs reintroduced sailing into their adventurous training programme in 2009. With 30 members of the Corps regularly undertaking weekend sailing exercises on the Solent, Broad Reach offered a week’s off-shore sailing suitable for both the experienced and novice sailors. Providing a rare opportunity for beginners to gain experience and step outside their comfort zone, all participants learnt how to handle sails, steer, berth, keep a lookout and assist in all the day-to-day duties on board. Earlier this year, specifically to support this Exercise, two FANY corps members obtained the RYA Competent Crew qualification and with another obtaining the RYA Day Skipper qualification.
This sailing required strong teamwork skills, physical and intellectual stamina, versatility and a determined work ethic. Living in confined accommodation on-board, required a positive attitude, testing our leadership, communication and team building skills. As ‘Pickle’ is a modern yacht [Elan 37′] with a wheel and roller reefing sails it required an entirely different set of skills to those required to sail the traditional Victoria 34’s based at the JSASTC. The first full day, Sunday 31 July, was spent in the Bay of Algeciras familiarizing ourselves with the new technology and sails.
The second day was perhaps the most challenging of the whole Exercise – crossing the Straits of Gibraltar from Gibraltar Garrison to Ceuta, a Spanish Port in North Africa. With our start delayed by 6 hours due to a thunderstorm we set sail for the 14.5nm crossing wearing wet weather gear. The number and speed of the huge container and storage ships which traverse the Straits required vigilance at all times – the Force 6, gusting to Force 8 winds [40 knots], required something quite different – courage and trust in both our Skipper and Helmswoman as we reached speeds of 8.8 knots on fully reefed sails. After an hour and a half, we headed into wind, lowered the mainsail and sailed into Ceuta on a furled jib – such was the strength of the wind. We successfully completed the crossing in 2.5 hours – it was a leg we will all remember.
On Tuesday 2 August, we sailed from Cueta to Marbella. With a more gentle following wind we covered the 45nm in just over 8 hours averaging speeds of 6 knots. Arriving at Marbella fishing port we had a second opportunity to practice our new berthing skills – stern berthing and the use of ‘slime lines’ not being required in the UK. The following day, Wednesday, the winds dropped dramatically. With the temperature rising to 30°C we were keen to find a sea breeze and set off under motor to Estapona – another small fishing port on the coast. With an opportunity to practice rigging the boat for swimming off the stern several members of the crew enjoyed a much needed dip in the Mediterranean – although at 24° it was more like a warm bath!
On Thursday 4 August, we headed south in search of wind as we didn’t want to rely on the motor. After half an hour we headed into wind and fully hoisted our sails. It was an impressive sight. The yachts we normally sail are 34ft long – the extra 3 feet on ‘Pickle’ seemed to make an enormous difference. With a modest breeze of just 10 knots we managed to find the ‘sweet spot’ and sailed close hauled at 5.5 knots. The evening brought another opportunity to fine-tune our stern berthing skills at the port of Duquesa, The FANY crew had, by this time, perfected the art of stern berthing, and dealing with barnacle covered ‘slime lines’. In reverse, we berthed between two large motor yachts with ‘text book!’ praise from our skipper.
The final day required our return to Gibraltar Garrison. We set off under modest wind conditions, but with both the current and wind increasing in strength we lowered our sails and used the engine to round Europa Point – the southerly tip of Gibraltar. We returned to harbour where the following 2 hours were spent giving ‘Pickle’ a thorough clean in preparation for her next crew.
We all learnt something on this exercise, including:
How to sail a larger and more modern boatHow to live as a small group in a confined spaceRecognising and facing the challenges and dangers of the elements – Force 8 windsOvercoming the fear of swimming in deep blue clear waterHow to berth in a totally different way – stern berthing with ‘slime lines’
Broad Reach was a great success. Upon our return, two members of the crew have decided to obtain RYA Competent Crew qualifications and the Day Skipper has challenged herself to obtain the RYA Coastal Skipper qualification. The FANY are extremely grateful to the Ulysses Trust for their support of this Exercise without whom we would not have achieved our objectives.