Adventure Training Cyprus Competent Crew Course Sept 2022
By Sergeant Rowan Boddington
Having completed a short online “Navigation & Seamanship” course during lockdown, I felt the need to expand my sailing skills and set foot onboard a real yacht. Navigating the Adventure Training Tab on Defence Gateway, I successfully bid for a place on a Competent Crew Course.
The Course This course requires no previous experience, just bags of enthusiasm, an ability to swim and sea sickness tablets. Having ticked all the previous boxes, I boarded the “Trooper” at Brize Norton and took off for Akrotiri and the Joint Services Adventure Training Centre (Cyprus). The course runs Monday to Friday with the first day in Limassol harbour with lots of naming yacht parts and knot tying practise.
Progression
Over the following four days, we sailed up the coast to Larnaca Marina and back, we practised driving the boat under power (engine on) before learning how to raise and lower the sails, this required the whole crew to work together, synchronising our actions and communicating as a team to harness the wind, set the yacht on the best point of sailing and then follow the course set to reach our next anchorage. The weather was very sunny with temperatures reaching 34c, the wind speed crept up to 12 knots with the sea remaining calm, perfect conditions for a novice crew. The yacht contained 3 cabins with two crew sharing a cabin and a communal galley where we shared meals, each night we took turns to cook for the crew, I managed a passable beef (Range) stew followed by a ‘‘run ashore’’ to enjoy a Keo Beer in the Marina.
Summary
Overall, the course was immensely enjoyable, the instructor was engaging and developed our skills at a comfortable pace.
View over the bow of the Harmattan 2, calm seas.
The Crew enjoying “Range Stew” cooked by Sgt Boddington in the galley of the Harmattan 2.
Sunset over the Cypriot coastline.
By the end of the week, we all felt confident in preparing the boat for sailing and handling the yacht in open sea. If you are interested in developing your operational effectiveness through any Adventure Training platform, visit Defence Gateway Applications.
AGC JOURNAL 2022 141
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