While most university students were at home for the Easter Recess, 12 ULOTC OCdts embarked on a 2-week Offshore Sailing Adventurous Training exercise in The Caribbean Archipelago. With a single weekend earlier in the month acting as a preparatory training phase, this was the first true taste of sailing for 5 of the OCdts, and a first on such a large yacht for the others. Under the expert guidance of 3 external enablers (the Skipper and 2 Mates), the OCdts worked in watches to sail between 9 islands of 5 countries, clocking nearly 700 nautical miles.
With each watch lead by an OCdt who had achieved their qualifications through previous ULOTC expeditions, leadership development was a core element of the exercise. This focus was maintained throughout the crew with the others given additional responsibilities such as food stores, the tender, sail repairs and medical care to name a few. Similarly, the resilience of all OCdts (and even the Skipper and Mates!) was pushed by the arduous work in some extremely challenging conditions – the midday sun was far more powerful than in the UK!
Whether it be the magnificent geography, fascinating ecosystems, or welcoming communities, all involved have taken away lifelong memories and experiences. It may be cliche, but the OTC certainly provides a student life less ordinary!
Exercise Diary:
The journey to Saint Lucia – OCdt Y
Welcome to the PXR for the ULOTC expedition to the Caribbean as part of Ex Caribbean Express. 12 sailors from London OTC departed Handel Street for Gatwick airport, buzzing and excited for the upcoming 2 weeks of sun, sailing and swimming. We had a range of experiences with us, from weathered coastal skippers to wide eyed novices. However, we all felt prepared for whatever was in store thanks to our previous training weekend in Portsmouth.
Once boarding the plane that would carry us across the Atlantic, OCdts enjoyed a wide range of on-board films, chatting to other passengers, and even completing some regular phys in preparation for upcoming fitness tests. As we landed and the doors opened, we were welcomed with the humid heat and sound of steel drums. Chatting to locals as we waited for the taxi, we learnt about local fruits, such as the Calabash that we carved into a bowl before drying in the sun ready for us to use.
We enjoyed a scenic taxi journey across St Lucia as we experienced the local culture and stunning views. Arriving at Rodney Bay, we were all ready to board HMSTC Adventure, the largest yacht most of the crew had been aboard. As a crew, we enjoyed the ‘local’ cuisine (Italian pizza) before relaxing on deck, discussing the coming days and began adjusting to the heat we were about to live in for the next two weeks.
We then got our heads down, all scattered around the deck before a 5am wake up for a sunrise hike. This quickly turned into a run as we were trying to beat the sunrise, and ended with a refreshing swim in the sea, our first of many. We walked along the beach back to the yacht then spending the rest of the day doing inventory, a big food shop and fixing a few parts of the boat that had seen some wear and tear. As the sun set behind us, the evening was finished with our first crew meal onboard and a post dinner workout for some of the OCdts on the pontoon.
From Saint Lucia to Tobago Cays – OCdts W & K
The next day we were up early preparing the boat for sea and slipping just before midday; we set off on an 18-hour passage where we practised tacking, gybing and man-overboard drills. This passage allowed the crew to get into the groove of the watch systems and for people to (re)gain their sea legs, some taking longer than others! Along the way we were spoilt with a background of gorgeous sunrises and sunsets and flying fish darting in and out of waves in the foreground!
Our first destination was Saline Bay, bringing a welcomed and refreshing dip in the sea to cool off and an opportunity to explore the reef with the yacht’s snorkels. We then motored to Clifton Bay on Union Island where we carried out some minor maintenance and personal admin. Some of the crew took the tender out to go to Happy Island, a man-made structure out in the ocean surrounded by reefs constructed as a Bar to host live music out at Sea (the true motivation behind our visit!). However, on closer inspection, we found that it was closed, and we were the only ones there – it really felt like we were on our own deserted island! We decided to snorkel around the island, and this was myself and S’s first time. I personally did not trust what was in the water, so initially was very thrown off but B Jr got me through my fear, and I started to feel a lot more comfortable snorkelling. This was certainly my favourite moment as I overcame a genuine fear, and it really did feel like adventurous training!
When the sun started to set, we left the island to visit Clifton Bay. On our way there, we saw a sunken ship in which the locals said had been taken out by a storm – hopefully this wouldn’t happen to us. We were greeted by the rest of the crew at a local bar, and it was nice to get a cold refreshing bottle of coke as we were still trying to adjust to the temperature and the fact that the water on board wasn’t even that cold! Some of us went out to explore the bay and ended up buying “Easter” flavoured ice cream which literally tasted like vanilla and chocolate ice cream.
Once we returned to the boat, we ate dinner and then had to do anchor watch for the first time during the trip. I was woken up at midnight to do my watch and was greeted by the strongest winds I’ve ever seen. Seeing this made me realise why anchor watch is so important. Those sleeping in hammocks overnight were treated to the hydrating breeze of Caribbean squalls through the night!
The next day was a smooth and peaceful sail to Tobago Cays where the crew swam with turtles off an island with iguanas as the only regular inhabitants – a real life episode of David Attenborough! This was followed by a delicious lobster BBQ on the beach and post lunch swim back to the boat before our next adventure!
From Tobago Cays to Bequia – OCdt K
Following our lunch on the beach, we sailed from Tobago Cays to Chatham Bay, a ‘textbook’ Caribbean Bay with the sun setting over the Island’s highest point – idyllic. We were able to go ashore and enjoy a small local bar, before ‘Mother Watch’ selflessly voyaged back to the yacht to prepare dinner for the crew. To their horror, the burgers had reduced in size by 75% while they were in the oven, causing great amusement to the crew. The teasing quickly subsided as cake was brought up for desert and ‘Mother’ was quickly celebrated for their success!
An ‘early’ 0800 slip after 2 days of long sailing meant we were extremely exhausted for our sail to Bequia, luckily it was only a 4-hour leg.
Once we arrived, we all went off to the island to get some rest especially because our next sail was going to be around 28 hours. This plan however did not reach B Sr who set off for a 2-hour run around the Island in the midday sun!
G, S and I went off to explore the island and found a public trail called the Princess Margaret trail. Just before entering the trail, we spotted a mango tree and asked a member of public if it looked ripe. The woman was on holiday from Barbados, and she showed us the almond trees and the islands best spots. We went our separate ways and finally took the trail which took us to another bay which was much less touristy and had many locals on the beach. On our way back, G decided to swim around to the other side. S and I took the trail and were able see the sunset. We looked away for 10 seconds and you could see how much the sun had moved. We ended up staring into the horizon until the sun completely disappeared. This was an experience for the two of us as we were the only members of the crew that have never left Europe.
Once we got back to the beginning of the trail, we found the others in the bar and had our last shower under a weird, yet fancy improvised shower under a tree.
From Bequia to Guadeloupe – OCdt C
8pm in Bequia consisted of a fabulous chicken curry followed by a brief by Terry (Skipper) telling us the plan of action for the 36-hour sail that loomed over us. We were to be on deck at 11:40pm to slip and hoist the main sail. We tried to sleep as quickly as possible with half the crew braving the heat and sweat in the cabins down below and the other half on deck trying to ignore the local karaoke bar singer. B Sr woke us, we grabbed head torches and had slipped from the mooring buoy by midnight.
I was on mother watch so was able to head back to bed before making breakfast at 7am. Meanwhile those on watch were hoisting the sails and saw dolphins playing around the boat at 2:30am!! The watches changed over for the next 4 hours from 4am-8am.
I woke to the sound of the bilge alarm beeping angrily so mother watch took care of it and used the aquavac to drain the excess and poured buckets over the side. We greeted the current On watch with some bacon sandwiches in the already blazing heat. This is the first time that we were sailing and couldn’t see land and it was extremely weird but amazingly isolated and refreshing.
With the galley temperature gauge numbers creeping up slowly, it ticked over 32 degrees as we cleared breakfast away. Whoever wasn’t sailing put their heads down for a while so that, as B Jr pointed out “we won’t be grumpy for the afternoon”.
Lunch was the classic ham and cheese sandwiches with pineapple for high tea with some nachos and salsa – A was overjoyed with the sight of some “normal food”.
The day quickly passed in the hot sun with lots of learning and drills and dinner was served by the new mother watch – some delicious fajitas. I went to bed soon after in my swaying bunk to be woken at midnight for my 4 hour watch. Unfortunately there was no wind so we were motor sailing but I took the helm for the first time in the trip which was very exciting and our 2nd Mate Shiv shared lots of tips about sailing by the stars and how you can keep a stationary object in between the shrouds for example to keep on the right course. A few hours passed but the energy was slowly dipping so I decided to try and make chocolate milk with hot chocolate powder! A genius idea until i realised i would have to wake up E to get the milk out as her bunk was on top of the fridge. We giggled over the idea and in the last 20 minutes the wind finally picked up so we put the Yankee 1 (Y1) sail up and turned the engine off before handing over to the other watch. My watch leader S taught me how to do the log which was fascinating. I then quickly ran off and went to sleep!
At 7:30am I woke up to E and B’s pancakes and everyone agreed when she said, “this is the best breakfast I’ve made and that’s on sea and land”. After filling up on the delicious pancakes I was on watch from 8-12 where we had to transition from sailing back to motor sailing due to the wind (or lack thereof), so we took down the Y1, pinned in the Main sail and derigged the preventer. We put up the motoring cone and started a new task of checking the Safety swimming gear while A as Sailmaker replaced a piston hank as one was broken yesterday in the hoist. The culprits did put this down to their ‘extreme strength’ – the Skipper did not quite see it this way!
At 11am we finally arrived in Guadeloupe and as I was dropping off T on shore to clear customs, I spotted a turtle who didn’t look particularly happy and was floating on the surface. I rushed to grab some of my crew mates and we rescued the turtle, managing to get it sent off to a vet where it was communicated with us that it has now been put in an aquarium to recover! We all spent the rest of the day exploring the local town, foraging fruit, swimming and G even caught a fish which he later cooked and we all tasted! S and B Sr even went for a run to the other side of the Island – forgetting how quickly the sun sets in the Tropics and not taking any torches!
After an exhausting but rewarding long sail, we hit the hay ready to slip for midnight again.
From Guadeoupe to Antigua – OCdt C
Everyone was awake at 00:00 to hoist the main sail as we set off for the long-awaited destination of Antigua. We sailed for 9 hours from Guadeloupe with some of the best night skies of the trip so far with calm seas. We put the Yankee 1 up to make the most of the light winds. As we approached Antigua Yacht Club Marina the crew were all in action to smoothly moor the boat alongside – this is the first time since St Lucia we are alongside which gave T and B Jr a quick break from the tender. The marina was home to some impressive sail boats as well as spectacular super yachts.
After arriving T sorted out customs while we put the boat to bed and rigged the awning. Flaking the sails on the pontoon in midday heat tested the crew’s resilience but made the free afternoon worth it. A few of the crew went for a swim at Pigeon Point beach and the pursers stocked up on some essential food. Later in the afternoon we walked to Nelson’s Dockyard and had a look around the Dockyard Museum, it was a great escape from the sun and extremely educational.
All crew were back at the boat at 16:30 ready for the highlight of the trip so far – Shirley Heights Jump Up. The taxi took us up to a viewpoint for a quick photo-op before heading to the Island’s high point. As we arrived the steel band set the scene and we watched the sun set with an incredible view over Antigua. The rest of the night continued with dancing a live band, and we saw T and Mtaking centre stage, providing a high level of entertainment. The food at Shirley Heights was excellent although G was certainly a victim of the spicy jerk chicken. A few rum punches and pina coladas alongside plenty of dancing gave us a true Antiguan experience – a night to remember! The next morning, we rigged the boat ready for the next adventure in Dominica…
From Antigua to Dominica – OCdt P-S
We started the day with a delicious ice cream treat at the Antigua boat club before setting sail for Dominica. The afternoon voyage was peaceful, with the sun casting its golden glow upon the tranquil waters. As evening approached, we savoured a good vegetable pasta dinner while enjoying the sunset and admiring the view of Guadeloupe.
Under the cover of night, we practiced our sailing drills, manoeuvring the Yankee and adjusting the main sail’s reef status. The following morning started with a breakfast of pancakes, accompanied by the joyful sight of dolphins and pilot whales gliding beneath the boat.
From Dominica to Martinique – OCdt S
What an adventure we’ve had so far. Having now sailed over 600 nautical miles and finally reached the small island of Dominica in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
But there’s no rest for the team as we have another busy day planned…. Thankfully for those of us still struggling with seasickness (despite having lived on a boat for over a week now), today we would be safely on terrafirma.
At 11am, following a hearty pancake breakfast, we started our tour of the island. Our tour guide for the day was Gordon, a friendly islander who taught us a huge amount about this pretty island’s history, economy and nature. The latter included multiple pit-stops to forage fruits of the island; guava, grapefruit, limes and cocoa pods.
First stop was a mountainous walk to a waterfall in the depths of the rainforest. Despite being a 65-year-old father of eight with dodgy knees, Gordon still outperformed certain members of the group, questioning the integrity of the Lone Soldier PT programme!
Other than the beautiful scenery, exotic plants and tasty fruits, this national park also provided an interesting insight into the growing economy and tourism in the area. We were shown around the construction site that will soon be a luxury Eco-Tourism resort in the heart of the rainforest. Gordon explained how there has been a large economic influence from Chinese developers who employ vast numbers of locals to construct these resorts.
However, despite seeming a great prospect from an outsider’s perspective, our tour guide enlightened us as to how, as with a lot of tourism, a lot of the wealth produced sadly won’t filter back to the locals, due to the international influence.
Next stop, Titou Gorge.
As some may recognise from the pictures, this gorge featured in The Pirates of the Caribbean, in the scene where Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom jump into the water to escape pursuit. We were given our buoyancy aids and sent floating down the gorge with a fast current to bring us back! Ending with some anxiety inducing jumps from the gorge walls, this stage was over.
Back in the van and we were cutting it fine with our timings for mother watch to get back for cooking dinner. So, we’re sat there contemplating whether to ask for an extension from Skip …
Much to our relief, Skip was just as happy as we were for us to be out of his hair for a few more hours as him and Neil went about their own missions terrorising the local restaurants with their phantom food orders and Karen antics!
But, boy were we glad that Terry let us finish the tour, as the next stop, Trafalgar Falls, was really something spectacular. Similar to something out of King Kong, we scaled through the jungle terrain to be embraced by a towering cliff face engrossed by dense green rainforest, with one very special feature- a 60 foot, extremely powerful waterfall, feeding into a series of picturesque pools.
With nine active volcanoes on the island, we were fortunate to find that one of these pools was in fact a natural hot spring. But enough talk of tectonic plates otherwise Maddy will get her colouring pens in a twist.
Overall, the tour was a truly intriguing and educational adventure and will be a very fond memory.
We then returned to the yacht for our evening meal before quickly getting our heads down at the end of a long day!
Another early 0600hrs slip and we were underway on our penultimate leg of the trip. We spent the morning enjoying the sun and the good winds we headed South to Martinique. Once arrived and anchor dropped, we quickly rigged the sun awning before using its protection as we put the boat to bed and got the tender ready for the coming trips ashore. As the watch leaders stayed on board, the rest of the crew all headed ashore to enjoy an ice cream and explore the local town.
Once ample exploring had been achieved, it was all hands back to the yacht for a final meal aboard and an early night before we headed back to Saint Lucia the next day!
From Martinique to St Lucia – OCdt B
We left Martinique for our final destination of St Lucia at 0600 on Thursday. The 40-mile passage included several man-overboard drills, including practising with having a rescue swimmer in the water.
Once we arrived and had secured the boat alongside, we got to cleaning the boat and started the long list of tasks required before handover, such as emptying the forepeak, flaking all the sails and recoiling many lines, before re-storing all the equipment in a tidy fashion. Other jobs included dismantling all the beds, getting them onto the pontoon and scrubbing clean.
Cleaning the entire boat inside and out required a great deal of teamwork and resilience, especially with working in the heat. Once all the tasks for the day had been completed, we were off for our final beach visit, followed by a crew meal to end the trip.
The next day we had a bit of free time before we were off in the taxi to the airport at midday. It had been a long and at points exhausting 2 weeks but what an experience it had been. Memories that will certainly last a lifetime!
Novice report – OCdt Claridge:
Having never sailed before in my life, HMSTC Adventure proved to be quite the step-up. At 72-feet long she required a vast 15 people crew to get her moving. The crew was made up of 2 A Company, 5 B Company, 4 C company, 1 Staff member and 3 external enablers – military experience ranging from 6 months in the OTC to 30 years in the regular Army. I was excited to meet new people and learn from them. There were a few fellow novices which went some way to removing any concerns I may have had. I was particularly drawn by the opportunity to complete the Competent Crew syllabus.
The expedition began, the night before at Handel St, with the sight of 40 blue rolls, 50 packets of floor wipes, 10 bottles of mosquito repellent, 15 bottles of aftersun and 20 bottles of sun cream to be packed into our already overloaded bursting bags, the challenge began… Once we had arrived in St Lucia, we were all so excited as we drove from the airport, taking in the Caribbean sun (unlucky for the gingers) and headed for the beast of a boat – HMSTC Adventure of the Hornet. The first hurdle was unpacking 15 peoples luggage to fit into one small plastic box each. The space available below deck seemed spacious at first but with 15 sweaty bodies busily working at sea, it soon became apparent it would be a tight squeeze…
I was assigned the role of Tender 2IC, which was intriguing as I wasn’t fully sure what this involved. I soon found out that this involved ferrying the crew to shore when needed, along with assisting with the dropping of the anchor and attaching lines to mooring buoys. This was a great experience to work as part of a team and get some experience driving a tender on the sea, riding with the waves and doing beach landings. I strongly believe that my tender driving skills have improved due to this opportunity!
The first day consisted of knots, knots, and more knots. Who knew there were so many! The first was The Bowline, a complex knot to master but after many analogies of rabbits and tree trunks I eventually smashed it and it soon became second nature; slipping lines around the bollard cleat, making the running back stays, and hoisting the stay sail. Along with the clove hitches for tying the fenders onto the guard rails when coming alongside a pontoon, the round turn two half hitches, sheet bend, figure of eight, reef knot, stopper knot and rolling hitch – these all miraculously fell into place after the first week and I felt like I was at one with the ropes!
After the briefing from Terry Hacket, our skipper for the trip, a group was tasked to buy enough provisions in the local supermarket for the entire trip. Many golf buggies and broken plastic bags later, the boat was full to the brim while the other groups were doing on board checks to see if Adventurer was in ship shape and left in a good state by the last skipper to sail us around the Caribbean for the next 12 days!
After lessons on lifesaving equipment and the engine, we were instructed on how to prepare the ship for leaving the pontoon and practising man over board drills with a few of us helping George climb into a dry suit (a thick all in one – not designed for the Tropics!) as quickly as he could as if we were under time pressure in the high temperatures and humidity of Saint Lucia. As he was the Emergency Swimmer there was the task of being lowered over the side of the boat and later in the trip, he was successfully dunked into the sea to collect a simulated casualty.
From Saint Lucia, darting from island to island before returning safely back to Saint Lucia via long night passages and lengthy anchor watches the crew morale remained high, but perhaps the wittiness of our conversations didn’t at the early hours while on a 4-hour anchor watch. I thoroughly enjoyed the extraordinary sailing experience I had. As a novice, I felt a sense of progression over the 2 weeks and was able to effectively contribute to the crew’s successful drills. I have gained a good grounding in core sailing skills and am very keen to complete my Day Skipper qualification at the earliest possible opportunity and to simply sail again with the ULOTC.
The experience has not just built my nautical skillset but has also enabled self-development that will equip me both within and outside the AT environment. Working closely with others in watches, while tired and in the challenging conditions has certainly allowed us to work on our communication and teamworking skills. It is also undeniable that working in the galley during the hot days really tested our resilience!
I look forward to future sailing opportunities, which is noteworthy since I had not particularly considered adventurous training before joining the unit just last year. When I reflect on the life affirming experience of sailing a 72-foot boat around the Caribbean I remember an eye-opening and impactful experience for my personal development. Being surrounded by the vast open waters and witnessing the graceful movement of the sailboats has given me a newfound appreciation for the power of nature and the skill required to harness the wind. Watching and helping the sailors skilfully navigate the vessel through the waves and currents, adjusting the sails and rigging with precision, instilled in me a sense of admiration for their expertise and the art of sailing. It has sparked a curiosity within me to learn more about this centuries-old tradition and the intricate techniques involved.
Moreover, the Caribbean setting itself, with its crystal-clear turquoise waters, picturesque islands, and vibrant culture, provided a breath-taking backdrop that encouraged me to embrace a sense of adventure and exploration. Observing the sailing boats seamlessly traversing these idyllic landscapes ignited a desire within me to step out of my comfort zone and experience new horizons!
Individual case study – OCdt Baig
What was it like going on the expedition?
Since I was completely new to sailing, spending 2 weeks on a boat initially seemed slightly daunting. However, after our training weekend and getting an introduction to all the new terminology I felt a lot more comfortable, and excited for our trip.
Upon arriving in St. Lucia, we were hit with the bright Caribbean sun, which we would have to get used to working under. Arriving on the 72-foot yacht and getting a boat tour allowed me to truly believe we’d be sailing round the Caribbean for the next 2 weeks. After a few admin days, and one of the biggest supermarket shops I’ve ever seen, we set off for our first destination of Clifton Bay. Unfortunately, the seasickness soon hit me, which was a challenge I had to deal with for most of the trip.
Initially there were so many new words to learn, which felt quite overwhelming, however it was very rewarding when I actually started to understand what we were doing, and what each of the lines did. It also really highlighted the importance of communication, as most of the tasks had to be done working carefully with others.
The sailing went very smoothly, and watching the sunset and sunrise from the boat was an amazing experience.
Ex Carribean Express was such a fantastic opportunity which I would never have done outside of the OTC, and has been a great introduction to sailing, and has inspired me to go on further sailing trips to build on my skills.
What and where are you studying?
I’m a 2nd year Medical Student studying at King’s College London.
Why did you join ULOTC?
I joined ULOTC at the beginning of my first year, partly because I was considering a career as a doctor in the army, and also as it seemed like something completely different to normal university life. I enjoy pushing myself physically, which ULOTC has allowed me to do many times, and has helped me to become overall more confident and also improved my teamworking, among many other transferable skills.
What do you want to do after finishing your studies?
After graduating, I would like to join as a regular army doctor, as I think it would give me many different opportunities that I wouldn’t get elsewhere. I’ve not yet decided what specialty I would like to go into, and am currently interested in several.
Can you contrast your student life with this experience – I imagine it will be very different!
Sailing in the Caribbean has been a completely unique experience that I’ve been so fortunate to be on, and so different to student life. Getting used to life on the boat was initially challenging, due to dealing with the heat, seasickness, and sleep deprivation on long passages, however it was all made bearable by the amazing crew, who all became close very quickly.
The experience sounds very challenging – how has this helped you?
It has helped me understand what I’m capable of when I’m not feeling my best, and allowed me to practise performing quickly and safely when under stress. Some specific challenges included changing sails on night watch, however this was made a lot more enjoyable due to the people around me. Undertaking various tasks improved team communication, as many required several people to work together at the same time to achieve the goal, which will be very useful in other situations.
Learning all the new knots and terminology vastly improved my knowledge and resilience, and will also be a useful skill to have going forward.
I’m sure it must have tested your resilience and nerve? How did you cope? Was it frightening? Did you fear falling overboard?
It definitely did test my resilience, for example when learning how to coil lines, and then being told it wasn’t up to standard so undoing and redoing it until I learnt how to coil them as required. Working in the heat required a good team attitude, and always being willing to undertake less desirable tasks, to make it easier for everyone. I coped due to the amazing crew members, who all looked out for each other, and helped each other out when we were feeling rough.
The experience was slightly frightening, as I’d never been on a boat before, and am not the keenest swimmer, however due to the skills of the skipper, mates, and watch leaders, I felt very comfortable and trusted that we would be directed safely.
There were times I felt like I might fall overboard, such as changing the sails in windy conditions, however due to all the safety equipment, and the numerous man overboard drills we did, I felt reassured that even if I were to fall overboard, it would all be alright.
Now you have returned to everyday life how do you look back on that experience? Does normal life seem a bit dull and boring in comparison?
Having returned to university life, looking back on the experience all the low points have been mostly forgotten, and the many highlights remembered, such as seeing bioluminescent plankton, dolphins, whales and turtles, as well as the great conversations I’ve had with the crew members. Being able to push myself in a new environment has allowed me to test myself both mentally and physically. It has also improved my communication skills, and allowed me to prove to myself that if I am committed to learning something, eventually I’ll be able to achieve it.
Normal life does seem quiet in comparison, but it is nice to be able to have more space and not be so cramped on a boat, however this did ensure we all became close quickly. It was nice to have 2 weeks off before focusing on exam revision, and it’s given me so many memories to look back on.