A major Tri-Service Adventurous Sail Training Exercise open to all UK service personnel, Regular and Reserve, from June 2009 to July 2010. The aim of the ex is to develop the personal qualities essential to Regular and Reserve members of HM Forces through adventurous sail training in a Service environment.
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Tuesday, December 8
View Article  We came – we learned – we sailed – we conquered……
by Clive Cooper on Tue 08 Dec 2009 01:42 PM GMT

We came – we learned – we sailed – we conquered……..

 

Our final blog………we had just turned north at the time of writing the last blog after some fantastic sailing through the Bass Strait.  With 350nm still to go we were still following our Skippers tactics: relax then pounce-were we still in touch with the other two yachts? The Army were well ahead over 100nm and the RAF were 70nm – was this too much-or could we dig even deeper and find an inner strength as a team to begin the chase?

 

We had hugged the coast hoping for better winds – having had gale force winds throughout the Bass Strait – we were surfing big waves and at certain points we were getting 15 knots (and more) out of our beloved Adventure as we exited the strait we had 3 reefs in the main and were on the number 3 yankee – the wind started to leave us and began to back even further so we shook reefs out one by one and upped the foresails until we were on full main and the No 1 Yankee – we then tried the heavyweight spinnaker and achieved sound progress overnight on Friday.  The wind shifted yet again and was not good for the spinnaker but our “Ninja” Royal Marine Brigadier eked out 6.5 knots into wind using this downwind sail!! Eventually even he couldn’t overcome the force of nature and the Genoa was called for and finally got an airing on Saturday morning.  The wind kept decreasing and decreasing – were we beaten? – were we to give up? – were we to consign ourselves to coming third? The whole crew gathered into the cockpit and our options were discussed – Dig deep and work hard or have a day of sun and rest – the whole boat backed our Skipper and went for the former – those that had had night watches gave up on sleep – those that were working below worked harder to help out on deck and those that were on watch oversaw the activity.  The spirit onboard was amazing – a true togetherness.

 

Saturday 5th of December will remain in all of the crew’s minds for a very long time…………….

 

The decision was made – the wind had backed sufficiently to put the spinnaker back up – it was slicker – the sail change was quicker and we had speed – 8/9 knots – trimming the sails as required getting every last bit out of the boat that we could – even the dolphins were with us – seemingly pulling us along and criss-crossing our bows in delight at our new found energy. – The wind died again another shift – what to do – the lightweight spinnaker was our last throw of the dice, the heavy spinnaker was down and through into the centre of the boat in no time - the magnificent, huge sail opened majestically sucking in the wind and our speed increased yet again – we were gaining on the other yachts – the distances had decreased significantly and we had the bit between our teeth.  The heavy spinnaker was packed away for the second time in

12 hours and prepared yet again but the chute was really eating up the miles – then we were dealt yet another card – the wind increased yet again – putting the chute out of limits, with 20 knots of wind and increasing – another change – chute down - through into the boat - packed away and the heavy spinnaker up again in a cyclical motion that any racing crew could be proud of.  ‘Look – is that the RAF’ – they were visible – over twelve hours we must have been doubling their boat speed and we now had a visible target – we were gaining and we were gaining fast.  In what seemed like no time we were level with them and the wind died again – we were now a crew with polished drills – we took the heavy spinnaker down – and the radio chirped with a call from the RAF stating ‘it looks like you have now stopped in the water’ – as if goaded the lightweight spinnaker filled for the second time – ‘the tortoise’ sprung into action and gradually we forced ourselves into a narrow lead.  Our wake glinted in the sun as the crew reflected with true fulfilment on 24 hours of extremely hard work.

 

After a while –the calls were made on the radio and it was agreed by the skippers to put the iron spinnaker (engine) on – we had done it! 

We had overhauled the RAF and got within 25 nm of the Army – a truly tremendous achievement.  In our first blog we talked about Commitment, Self-Confidence, Courage, Leadership, Teamwork, Determination, ADVENTURE, CHALLENGE AND DISCOVERY.  The last two weeks have seen all of these values in all of our crew culminating in an amazing day of sailing right to the finish.  We were shattered, but each and every one of the crew had taken part in the whole effort – we were a merry band of men and women indeed – we had all contributed to our ADVENTURE and we all felt true fulfilment and satisfaction at our achievement. 

Congratulations to the Army for winning Leg 5 but on the Royal Navy boat we all feel like winners too for our own individual triumphs alongside the accomplishment of the Team – it can honestly now be said ‘The Team Works’.

 

Life is supposed to be about the journey and not the destination but hello……..we are going into Sydney.  Standby Sydney the Royal Navy is in town.

 

A big thank you goes out to all those who have followed our blogs and we will all be back amongst our loved ones very soon.

 

Tactics Corner

So it almost worked, we were dealt a cruel blow at the beginning of the race but determination, wind shift predictions, solid onboard training and the consequent slick drills got us into second place with minutes to spare. Well done to the whole crew for a brilliant display of dedication. - I am resigned to the fact however that we would have achieved 1st place had it not been for the lack of carbohydrates after the sad demise of the potatoes! Sydney is minutes away and the nearest Spudulike is going to get a visit from 15 yachtsmen and women tonight…

 

Personal messages

 

From Neil, first to the RN/RNR; sorry I couldn’t quite match the well- drilled Army racing crew but the bit will be back between my teeth next month for Leg 7. Hi to all at home, looking forward to a few days break in Australia now; hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year and I look forward to seeing you all next year.

 

From Mike, hello to all the family and friends following at home. I have had a fantastic last few days and am now looking forward to a few days in Sydney ☺  Look forward to seeing you all soon, xxx.

 

From Pete – what a rush! I want to do it again! See you all soon xx

 

From Steve – we have done it – it was character building but I am richer for the whole experience - home soon and really looking forward to Christmas and New Year – love to all xxxx

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Monday, December 7
View Article  What's ya favourite dance.......DISCO
by Clive Cooper on Mon 07 Dec 2009 02:19 PM GMT

G’day and it’s nearly weekend!  Today is Thursday and as we listen to the calming voice of Katherine Jenkins filling Discos’ saloon it has seen the crew say their fondest farewells to the Southern Ocean.  I think every member of the crew have had their own battles to win during the last 9 days but for most this has been matched by having had lots of smiles and achievements along the way.

 

Since I wrote the last blog it has been quite an eventful couple of days.  Tuesday evening and after dinner we had Discos’ inaugural quiz night.  We split into watches and the games commenced.  It was only a short quiz but white watched romped home with an astounding victory especially by the team captain knowledge of Postman Pat was legendary.  However the laughter like the pleasant sunny weather slowly changed and it became chuffin’ windy and it was all hands on deck to change the sails.  The sail change was going well until Al hollowed downstairs for extra help.  His voice didn’t sound good and panic seemed to fill the damp air.  I shuffled to the hatch – that’s all that’s possible when heeled over and the yacht is bouncing around like a kids’ bouncy castle – and there I was greeted by Al and Bomber who lay on his back in pain.  When Al had taken him down to the saloon the injury wasn’t as bad as we thought and Bomber explained that it was now the 9th time he has dislocated his knee which he himself had popped back in.  While the sail change on deck continued Bomber went to his bed.  Once the sail change crew had finished their only thought was too get warm in their beds and have a restful nights sleep.  Oh how wrong could we all be.  The noise from the sea state and the waves could only be likened to mortars landing around our beloved Disco. (a sound no-one wants to remember)  Our initial thoughts were that the Navy was launching Trafalgar II because of their position and were trying to get their own back as they are the Senior Service.  The deafening noise shook Disco all night and as the crew rose for breakfast it not only looked like a bomb had hit the galley but the crew looked liked they had just survived 10 pints of Guinness – which would be nice but it’s a dry boat.

 

Wednesday continued in much the same vain as the evening, a very strong wind and the yacht keeled over at an awkward angle likened to walking in a straight line after the above mentioned 10 pints.  We also discovered a leak near the heads and if you were lucky you could get a free shower if you were quick enough with your sponge and shower gel every time you visited the heads.  Terry the electrician and Jamie his apprentice eagerly mended the leak and after an hour we were water tight again.

 

This morning and after a good nights’ sleep all crew seem alot more jovial.  Bomber ate day 3 of the advent calendar and the relief on everyone’s face could be seen and he is fighting fit once more.  Lunchtime saw a welcome to the notorious Bass Straits and the knowing that the final furlong is in sight.  The wind is now behind us and with Phil the skipper at the helm we reached 20.4 knots we are skipping along at a good rate of knots. In addition our sail configuration is now goose-winged with a spinnaker pole holding out our foresail. 

 

With us now in sight of land, the mystery of the missing pants is hopefully going to be solved.  We have seen on the horizon a small rib – could this be the Melbourne customs boat?? Having read our problems on the website have realised that we did not declare that we had such an important item missing.... or is it the Kate Adie preparing for the next conflict expected once we reach Sydney and the Australians refusing Discos entry into port.  Bomber is looking towards the horizon head in hands.

 

Well TTFN and next time I write the blog we’ll be there ....... HOPEFULLY.

 

Vee

xxx

 

 

Al – Hi still alive so you can’t cash in the insurance just yet.  Speak to you next week on arrival back to planet earth.

 

Andrew – Debbie, Oliver, Jack and Chloe not much longer til we are in Sydney and I’ll give you a ring. Love and miss you all.

 

Rich – Hi Caz – not long to go now – should be in Sydney by Monday at the latest. Will call you when we get there – missing you loads. x

 

Vee – Hi to the Bray clan, Jess and Ben.  Not long until we get back, uncle Mike says hi to you all.  Love you and miss you all. Big Hugs xxxxxxx

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Saturday, December 5
View Article  The show must go on - Queen
by Clive Cooper on Sat 05 Dec 2009 10:25 AM GMT

Blog covering Thu 26 – Tue 1 Dec 2009

The Crew:

No change – but a few more feeling a little more human.....but only a little more and only a few.

“Message in a Bottle” – The Police

Apologies for the late arrival of our ‘in voyage’ blog.  Our modem has not been talking to our sat phone, but in true Apollo 13 style, with an egg cup and some sticky back plastic and string, we have (well Steve has) managed to get our IT talking to satellites and are now back in comms – no more Message on a Bottle moments for now.

“Make way while the wind blows” – one I made up!

Challenger has been making the most of the strong winds over the past 4 – 5 days and has averaged some 200 miles per day – not bad at all for a boat built like a tank, named after a tank , weighing in at 45t of pure British Steel and with a planning range, or should I say distance, of 160 miles per day.  The sea has been a maelstrom of confused waves, making for a roller coaster ride – but Challenger is extremely robust and in her element, she happily rides the waves any way they come at her.  Those crew members affected by our motion mayhem are gradually starting to come around and some are even opening their eyes more often, which is good news.  Life on board is kind of settling down and things are getting just a little more comfortable .  We had identified a period of high pressure which should have been over us for the weekend, but it hasn’t arrived yet so still, for now, there is no respite.  We keep talking of calmer seas on board and the opportunity to sort some of the gear out, but it just doesn’t seem to be coming.  So we are making as much headway as possible while the wind blows.   We are in good company.  Dolphins have been swimming just metres from the boat; there are a number of Frigate birds flying off the stern as well as a number of albatross’s, and Polly somehow managed to see a small shark just off the cockpit of the boat.  There might be some linkage to the amount of partially digested food that has been projected overboard which is attracting these creatures, but their presence is spectacular.  The skipper is enforcing a weetabix, milk and sugar diet for those in need of some energy and the Doc is threatening to deploy some of his saline drips for those who need a top up of fluids. 

Leg 5 in Context

The  sea here is a vast desert of water with the swell forming magnificent peaks, deep troughs and wild spray blown off the waves by the howling winds.  As we monitor our progress on the electronic chart, the size of Australia and the distances involved are put into stark context.  It seems to have taken an age to round the South West land mass of Australia, but we have clearly made way and have transitioned from the Indian Ocean to the Southern Ocean in a matter of days.  We are currently 8 hours ahead of GMT and the UK, but by the time we reach Sydney, we will have crossed 3 time zones and be 11 hours ahead of you; the additional 3 hours will have wreaked havoc with our Watch system timings.  Undoubtedly there will be winners and losers.

As I write, Buzz is back in the Galley as the only unaffected member of Harry Watch.  He happily helms, crews and makes food and brews with a smile on his cheery face.  Rations are stretching much further than anticipated.  The Curry lasted 48 hours and the Pasta Carbonnara did the same.  We could have saved a small fortune on rations had we known!  At times, a small glass of red wine would have been most welcome, but Challenger is dry......well alcohol free but not exactly dry when it comes to sail changes. 

Sunday 29 Nov – A day of rest........

We talked of calmer weather and flatter waters and this morning our prayers were answered.  The wind abated from 35 Knots of down to below 10.  Sunday has already proven to be a day of rest and administration.  We have managed to clear all of the water from the bilges, have a morning sing-song on deck, a shower, fix the sink pump (Roddy!) , fix the email problem and dry clothes and towels out.  We even managed to have bacon for brunch as opposed to the usual diet of cereal and toast – very very refreshing after a 5 day battering.  Furthermore, 13 of the 14 crew look 90% or more human, with only one exception – Phil.  He’s still below par, but on his way back to life.  Murray has his array of cameras back in action, so we know he is feeling much better.  Morale today has been exceedingly high, but the winds light and progress slow.  We know we have a pretty horrid low pressure system chasing us and it may well be upon us when we enter the Bass Strait, the much shallower stretch of water between SE Australia and Tasmania that acts as a reef (the depth drops from over 1000M to well below 100M) and throws the seas into turmoil.  But we are well prepared and everyone has now experienced extreme sailing.

We hope everyone back home is well and we look forward to making communication with you once we get to Sydney.

 Noticeboard

1.       Dick watch were feeling disgruntled that there were only 3 of them and Tom and Harry had 4 apiece. Then as if by magic, some bloke called Phil appeared. We think he might be a stowaway! But at least he isn’t a drain on food!

2.       Buzz has had the brunt of the dampness in his berth. He is hoping it is sea water and not one of the sickies not wanting to get up to go to the heads!

3.       Roddy may need to see a snoring counsellor as soon as he gets back to the UK otherwise Windy may have to impress on him the urgency of this matter.  With a Lemar winch handle.

4.       Windy sends a big shout out to Lou, X, Heiford,Minger,Mike,Liz, and my two gold fish, thats if my old cats have not eaten them.

5.       Murray sends his shout-outs to the Posse in Bristol, all the family, big grins to all in the REYC and any of the RFOM crowd who are checking in.  Better a bad day on the water than a good day in the office and we’ve had precious few bad ones!

6.       Big shouts to Bridge, Woodsy, Hels, Claire, Lisa, Caroline, Bob, Fraser and all the REYC associate members – sorry you can’t be here! Rob Moy – Gutted mate!

7.       Ryan, Hi to Karen, dad and the boys, mum Charlie and everyone in Ireland, Knocker Midders and Pops, Ben and the lads hard at work  and Rachel hope you’r not missing me to much i will not lie im missing  ya lol x x Ps cant wait for Sydney. As for the sailing lets just say its an experience!!

8.       Nols, Rose, Holly and James, love and miss you, see you in a couple of weeks. 6 months in Afghan and not even close to being sunburnt – 3 days in the Southern Ocean and my nose is ready to fall off!!! There is no justice. I hope all is well on the home front, I’m not missing the weather you are having. Hello to everyone else checking how we are getting on; let’s just say the only thing missing from the back of our boat is “Follow the Sapper”J

9.       Polly, (AkA Terry) Hi to all watching at home, it is a real eye opener, some of you who sail would love it, however most of you I think would have been pretty ill by now. Love as always to Sally, see you soon with tales from the high seas.

10.   Stevie, Hey shout out to my darling wife, this trip is worth it!! LWMU.  Hi to my kids, missing you and hope you all still behaving.  Again thanks to mum and dad, hope you got home safely.  Hello to brothers, especially to Jar Head.   Of course to Chaz and the lads, really not missing you all, this place rocks.  Mel and steve sorry didn’t get to see you, any chance you can visit Sidney around the 8th or 9th.  Finally a big shout out to the girls at autonomy especially Anita, Paula and Tash.  Hope you’re enjoying ‘miserys’ company!

11.   Great stuff!

12.   Hi to Manisha – hope you get this blog message and that all is well. To Rob Moy – hope your course is worth it and as fun as this expedition – see you when I get back! Chris.

Sun 29th/Monday 30th November (St Andrew’s day for the four ethnic minorities on the boat)

While this is, technically, an arduous sailing expedition (and let there be no doubt about the arduous bit people) today and much of yesterday has been spent motoring.  While this may sound like a bit of a cop-out bear with us for a couple of minutes while we state our case to the jury.  There is, no wind.  In fact there is a little. About 5 knots in fact, from directly where we are trying to go.  There is also a happy current pushing us backwards at about a Knot.  This means that if we could sail directly into the wind we would be making 4 Knots (or just more than 4 Mph) towards Sydeny.  Which is still two time-zones away.  We hope, dear reader, that you’ll bear with all three yachts as they attempt to fast-forward into the next low pressure system.  For those of you who missed ‘Southern Hemisphere Weather 101’ in essence High Pressure = Flat, windless, slow.  Low Pressure = bouncy, windy, fast).  Much of the crew spent most of the first few days praying for a high but now we have our sea-legs the High sitting above us is simply, slow and boring.  We are also wary of asking for too much in case we get it.....

So if we can’t spin tales of derring do on the foredeck, awash with foam and flailing sails what shall we talk about today?  One thing that occurred to Harry Watch (Murray, Buzz, Lee and Caesar) at about ‘dark o’clock’ this morning is that while some of our audience will be old sea-dogs themselves and some may even have been following Challenger and Co around the globe for a while equally a number of you may be friends and family with no idea what we are actually up to.  Equally some of you (I know I was one) may be crew due to join the race, ahem, exercise later on and you may be trying to get a feel for what life is like.  We’re pretty sure you’ve got the idea that we all sit on deck all day, pulling ropes, gently turning the steering wheel ducking the occasional wave.  For the length of a continent.  Um, sort of.  Challenger is in actual fact a hive of activity the whole time, a yacht of this size is in reality a small ship, village, machine, racing car and elderly relative all rolled into one and as such needs constant attention – as does the crew!

The crew splits down into it’s three watches (named after those famous tunnels – this is our ‘great escape’ after all!).  The first – and using today as our ready example – Watch are the ‘on-watch’ they’ll be doing 4-hours on deck before being relieved by what is currently the ‘off-watch’.  Essentially they will do turn-and-turn-about alternating between working on-deck and eating, sleeping and fixing the boat and most of the other niff-naff and trivia that keeps the boat ticking along.  ‘Mothering’ the crew is left, strangely enough – to ‘Mother-Watch’ theire job, for a 24 hour period is to feed and water the crew and keep the inside of the boat clean and hygienic (easy sometimes, other times less so.....).  What this all leads to is a three day rotation which, when you add in a two-hour dog watch to off-set watches doing the same times each day AND changing time zones, means that we are constantly busy, often blurry and usually utterly confused as to either/or the date/time.  Add in rough weather, sea-sickness, darkness, comedy bunks etc and you may start to notice a little degradation in our ability to spill, punctate and use grameeeer.  If you see what we mean (Roddy never could anyway...).

 

In some ways the early part of the voyage was pretty simple as the boat was in tip-top condition, food was plentiful and the conditions meant that your time-spending choices were

1. a. Sail – as hard and fast as you could “sail it like you stole it!”(if already a sailor).

1.b. Sail – Lean.  Quickly (if not already a sailor).

2. Sleep – “ahh blessed sleeeep” – Homer Simpson, repeatedly (also (Ph)ill)

3. Work out how to feed 14 hungry (sometimes...) people when your ‘kitchen’ is at 30 degrees, your ‘cooker’ is at 10 degrees (and is swinging randomly) and handling anything vaguely sharp has potential to be ‘interesting....’.

At first anything else was pretty much beyond us. Now however our boat needs more work, as fresh stores dwindle we need to start being more creative with our food and frankly we’re used, believe it or not, to our watch routine we have time for a few other pursuits.  For half the crew the first option is easy – smoke. For the non-addicts amongst us books are being read, new skills learnt (sewing!), all the old jokes and stories are being dragged out and we’ve even had a few sing songs using Dave’s ever-ready song books (Flower of Scotland being Murray, Steve, Eddie and Roddy’s song of the day).  All very domestic but wait until you hear about our bread-making, with fresh supplies exhausted it looks like the next mother watch could be in for some fun......

Before Harry Watch sign-off we’d just like to add a few notes for those back home. 

1.            We are NOT in Australia.  Australia is merely the closest land-mass.  The next closest land-mass is Antarctica...  While we are sure you all have images of us on a sun-drenched deck, in shorts and sunnies with ever-deepening tans you could not be much further from the truth if you tried.  ‘Day wear’ on deck is a minimum of a thermal base-layer, trousers a soft-shell jacket and a hat.  Usually this will have a full-on ocean spec’ Gore-Tex suit over the top of it.  ‘Evening wear’ is similar but you can add in thick fleece salopettes and a fleece jacket to the tally.  The only bit of us getting ‘tanned’ is a narrow strip between face-mask and hat – and that’s wind burn not sun burn!.

2.            The second point is a word to one of our sponsors (they all deserve a cheer – without them we wouldn’t be here, but this is quite a specific one).  We had quite a long chat about this one on Harry Watch last night.  Sponsors, we suspect, get all kinds of thank-yous.  Some of those will be formal letters or the implicit type that comes from enormous transfers on the side of the boats but there is another type.  This is the muffled thank-you of a fore-deck crew, doing a sail-change in the Southern Ocean.  This is when they realise that the incoming wave is coming over them, not past them and that because they’re wearing good gear that wave is going to keep going with a minimum of its tonnes of water ending up down neck or in boots.  So just a short muffled cheer of thanks to Gill.  Good kit boys.

Highlight of the Day

On Monday afternoon, at about 1610 hrs, Tom Watch were in the driving seat when the helm (Dave) saw a seal (not an Otter, as Chris called it) jumping frantically out of the water just metres off the stern.  All hand were on deck before too long to see this spectacle, but the real event was to follow as a pod of over a dozen Minkie Whales swam just metres from the yacht, like a true RAF flypast showing off their frames.  Suffice it to say, we never saw them or the seal again.

What, if anything, are we starting to miss.............................?

The UK weather.......................hmm, no

Phone calls ..............................no, not really

Texts.........................................not really

E mails (from Jason)..................NO

TV .............................................no...................no, especially reality TV

The News..................................no, but intrigued by what we ‘could’ be missing

A change of scenery..................sometimes, but only sometimes

Regular showers........................yes

A comfortable bed.....................yes, definitely

A good night’s sleep...................yes

Pukka Pies...................................yes, ‘........don’t compromise’

Families and loved ones............yes, of course

The Navy and RAF boats............yes and no........................alright, no

A meal in a level dining room....yes

A glass of wine with a meal......would be nice occasionally

High winds and rough seas.......no.....and yes, for the speed, adrenalin and exhilaration they bring

 

Great Stuff!  Thank you for reading and we’ll continue to keep you informed of our voyage as we transit through the notorious Bass Strait between Tasmania and Australia, and then on our final stretch of 400 or so miles up to Sydney from the SE corner.

 

Comments (2)  |  Permanent Link  |  Cosmos
View Article  No Challenge to 'Be The Best'.
by Clive Cooper on Sat 05 Dec 2009 10:21 AM GMT

Blog covering Tue 24 - Thu 26 Nov 2009

The Crew:

Skipper – SSgt Windy Gale (not a made up name!)                                                                                                

Mate – LCpl Roddy Simpson RE (Legend in his own lunch time!)

Tom Watch :  Col Dave Pardy, Dr George Kivell, LCpl Polly Parsons, LCpl Chris Purdie

Dick Watch:  SSgt Eddie Morrison, Spr Ryan Taylor, Spr Phil Davies, Cpl Steve Board

Harry Watch:  Capt Murray Smith, Cpl Keith Busby, Cpl Caesar Pennell, LCpl Lee Philips

 

 “Time nor tide waits for no man” – some maritime quote – stating the bleeding obvious frankly!

“Slip by 9am” he said (Windy Gale[1] our skipper that is!).  What he did not take into account was that the Navy boat, Adventurer, was in front of us blocking our exit, and they had a number of admin tasks to do before they could slip Perth.  We hurried, then waited, and waited, and waited.  No change there for the Army, so we made some additional sail ties and whipped some rope ends to pass the time – concurrent activity at all  levels and ....admin!  10 am came and passed, as did 11 am.  A little later, with the Navy kindly moving forwards to make room for us, we slipped Perth and made for open water to shake out (coolly shake the room! As Windy would say).  The sun was beaming and faces were ‘all a glow’ (there’s a song there somewhere)  some literally through exposure to the southern hemisphere’s potent rays during the acclimatisation period.

Tom, Dick and Harry – The Great Escape – Challenger’s Watch System!

Being a largely sapper crew, and having escaped the real world, we decided to name the watches appropriately:  Pardy’s team being Tom Watch, Dick being Eddie’s and Harry being Murray Smith’s.  Escape is clearly our theme, and many cannot believe they have managed to find time away their day jobs for such an adventure – but which tunnels will make it to the other side in tact?  Time will tell.

“You spin me right round baby right round” -  lyrics to some song? (Answers on a postcard)

Windy wanted to set the compass on the Raymarine E120 Nav computer, so we completed a number of long slow circles in order to try and calibrate the system.  It should have been 2 complete revolutions, but we lost count in the end.  This procedure did not go as planned but was not the end of the world.  “We’ll get by with what we’ve got” said the skipper – typically Army!

“We are sailing” – Rod Sewart (some short, old aged husky voiced singer who attracts good looking but, by nature, seemingly shallow women)

Joining yacht Adventurer in open water, we shook out, raised sails and started to get used to the boat.  Everything on Challenger is over-engineered (= bl***y heavy) as the boats were designed to sail around the world against the prevailing winds in the BT Global Challenge.  No task is easy – simply moving, raising or lowering sails is a major team effort, and the crew found out pretty quickly that this would be no cruise.  We sailed around for a while and when the Royal Navy yacht joined us, we lined up and set off south, destination Sydney Australia.  A couple of whales were on station to see us on our way and made for a real spectacle.

“You spin me right round baby right round” – again!

As we headed south, the seas grew and the southern ocean swell started to gradually take its toll on the crew who started their own spinning acts.  The resident Doc, George Kivell, had ordered the taking of sea-sickness tablets 24 hours prior to departure; they worked a treat for several of the crew, who became sick as dogs and were soon paralysed by their condition.  Before long, over half the crew were incapacitated wholly or partially, the Perth smiles having been wiped away – but only temporarily – they’ll be back.  The clean white deck started to become a hazard zone with pizza toppings being strewn around.  The seas grew and the wind picked up increasingly as we headed south – the swell made crew unwell and the dash to some down-wind space to remove stomach contents was a sight to behold at times. 

Pamela Anderson eat your heart out!  We have Doc Kivell on board.

Changing sails in rough seas is a trick in itself.  We needed to lower the No1 Yankee (too big for the fast approaching foul weather!).  Roddy, Dave, George and Polly dashed forward to do the deed.  Getting the sail down was one thing, stowing it below another.  It was like grappling with a large sheet of cardboard on a howling rainy day.  Just as we were getting to grips with it, whooosh, Dr George was showing all the signs of major breast surgery – his life jacket inadvertently inflated due to the amount of water he was wearing.  He actually looked quite attractive – for a brief moment – it was hilarious and we had to take time out to laugh at our circumstances whilst holding on for grim death.  Oo-er Doc!  The same happened  to Dave Pardy who was soaked putting a reef in the main – similar impact and he must have been to the same surgeon for the look was identical.  Murray Smith, almost naked, was receiving our foresail down below and had the first shower of the voyage – unintentionally – such was the mass of water entering the foredeck hatch.

“An Army marches on its stomach” – anyone in the Army will tell you that.

No mention of sailing in that quote, and it became clear early on that food would not be in such great demand on this trip – is this a new diet for the market – the TRANSGLOBE Diet?.  The Southern Ocean was taking its toll – 36 hours of big seas and winds in excess of 30 knots were making for a roller coaster ride – and some of the crew were not fans ......and not enjoying the ride.  Buzz Busby on Harry Watch ran the Galley almost single-handedly on the first day, taking it all in his stride.  Buzz allows nothing to come before the crew and their food – an epic achievement under bouncy circumstances and pies all round for supper – a real sapper meal.  On Wednesday, Tom’s Diner was in full swing as Dave and George (Dr George), prepared a sandwich lunch with fillings to spare and then a chicken curry – hot and spicy as ordered - with all the trimmings to go with it.  Preparing such a feast for 14 crew at 45 degrees in an unstable environment was an epic to watch - and no mean feat for it took 2 ½  hrs to prepare whilst fighting gravity and the boat’s tilt.  All of that effort, but sadly, Tom’s Diner was not filling all of its seats; gaining custom was hard work, even with the hard sell approach and spicy aroma emanating from the kitchen (Galley!).  Hell’s Kitchen has nothing on the Gormet Galley, but the language here is much cleaner than Gordon Ramsay’s, apart from when the fruit nets spill their contents all over the deck.  We have much bruised fruit on board.  

As we approach the first 48 hours at sea, Challenger is ploughing through the southern ocean and making around 200 miles a day thanks to the strong winds.  At the rate, we should get to Sydney in good time.  The crew is (largely) in fine spirits and due some slightly calmer weather in the next 48 hours, and this would be most welcome.  Challenger performs like a dream and long may she continue to do so – she is in her element!

 Messages from the front:  From those who could find a few words........

Windy – Best way to stop being seasick is to hug a tree!!!!   Roddy  is holding my card to ransom for extra hours in bed, miss you all big kiss. X

Roddy –  Well hello to Dad and Kath, Mum and to Shelagh, and to all family and friends, and my wee pal Clark, Angus is loving the trip!! All is going well and dad we have run out of sick bags, just like the straits of Gibraltar but bigger seas,  Hope you all have a lovely Crimbo, I`ll be throwing some shrimps on the bbq,  love to you all. x

Dave – To my wonderful family, I hope you are all well and looking forward to Christmas.  To B Div ACSC 13, hi all and enjoy CLM.  To my Director, thank you for indulging me and good luck with your next job – this battering is already doing my soul the world of good.  “Scooby Dooby Doo, we love you”.  See you all when we’ve nailed this southern ocean leg.

George –  In Action,  seasickness help provider, if you need help please call 0800001066!!

Polly – To Sally, you would love it out here, missing you, tay. x

Chris – Not available for comment.

Eddie – Hi all, a quick quote from one of the novices on board who plays rugby league for the Army and is not lacking in strength: Ryan - “the first bloke who tells me sailing is for poofs when I get back, is getting bloody knocked out!” 

To all my family, love and miss you – see you in a couple of weeks. To all at work – suck it up buttercups!

Ryan – Hi, I seem to be the last sapper standing at the moment; much to my surprise, the sea sickness has only affected me slightly. This is nothing what I expected a leisurely sail around Oz -  yeah right, it’s hard core this sailing business.  Hello to everyone at home especially Rachel, catch you later.

Phil – Not available for comment.

Stevie –Hi Jo, thanks for a lovely few hours sat, best fun i’ve had in transit accommodation in years!, glad you back to uk safely. LWMU.  Hello to Joe and Nadine, hope you had a good time with gran and granddad , I know you behaved yourselves.  Hi to Amy and James, see you at Xmas.  And a big thanks to my folks for helping me get away on this adventure.  Dad you may have ruled under the sea, but sappers own it!!  Chaz and lads, this is awesome, wishing I could be back at work, ................not!!

Murray – Not available for comment!

Buzz – Loving it!

Caesar – Not available for comment.

Lee – Not available for  comment.

 

Love to all,

Challenger Crew J

 

 

[1] SSgt Windy Gale – Royal Signals skipper of Challenger – not a bad bloke as it happens!

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View Article  She is D.I.S.C.O.
by Clive Cooper on Sat 05 Dec 2009 10:15 AM GMT

Greetings from the nightshift of Disco.  At this moment in time I’m sat at the chart table mid way through a 4 hour watch between 0001 and 0400 and my thoughts go back home.  As I sit here with 3 layers of clothing and having just had a mug of tomato soup the majority of you reading this will be settling in front of the TV having just had a Sunday roast. Oh how our minds wander – anything to stay awake on the graveyard shift!!!

 

Anyway as I’ve sat for the last 2 hours upon deck the Southern Ocean sprang to mind.  Here we all are on an adventure that is taking us through the infamous ocean of the world.  I doubt many of the crew or skipper will ever have the opportunity to sail this area ever again however it will no doubt be etched in everyones heads and log books for many years to come.  I think I speak on behalf of the crew, family at home, friends and work colleagues that everyone envisaged that this would be the so called ‘easy leg’ of the exercise.  It wasn’t until arriving in Fremantle that not only the crew but Phil our skipper realised the enormity of the task.  Many thought that maybe this would be the board-shorts, beach and ‘throw a shrimp on the barbie mate’ cruise, however, how this could be further from the truth.  Most of us are resembling Michelin men rather than the desired beach bum look on a daily basis and the shouts of does my bum look big in this are a dim and distant squeak.  The wind whips us constantly from the south which for those unfamiliar with the region is directly from the Antartic. Isn’t it supposed to be summer here?

 

The Southern Ocean could be described as the longest North Sea crossing ever but without seeing anything except its inky eerie blackness and grey sullen skies. The thought crosses our minds that the only reason the original visitors from UK to Australia never made it back home was that they couldn’t face the journey back through the Southern Ocean again. Our only sights since loosing sight of our fellow yachts are 2 dolphins one morning on the port side.  Our elation nearly got the better of all 4 crew members who were hoping and praying that they would join us at our bow and ride the surf man, however this was not to be and they disappeared as quickly as they were spotted.  For the last day or so our newest member Albie joined the Disco crew– the magnificent albatross circling our position and pointing out our course like a pathfinder from WW2.  A very welcomed sight as each day he visits without fail.

 

Sunday morning saw the first crew decision being made but only after a few rounds of fresh bread and bacon butties.  As you can imagine smiles all round.  Since we left Fremantle we have been under a low pressure system whisking us along with winds up to 35 knots, however behind us a high pressure system eventually caught up with us and the wind has disappeared. Al asked the crew and the decision to put the engine on to get us to Sydney on time. This will give us a penalty but we have no alternative.  Later the evening whilst eating lasagne we have found out that the other 2 yachts have come to same decision.  A welcome relief that we were not the only ones to see sense.

 

Due to the sea conditions and the welcome thunder of the engine we have the relief of not being heeled over on a 45 degree starboard tack in our water bungalow since leaving Fremantle.  The crew are feeling more comfortable and while nursing their sporting injuries from the last couple of days Phil put the crew to work.  Jamie, Paul and Phil entered the twilight zone of the forepeak – a place where no man or woman wants to go.  They managed to tidy it out from the bottom and re-stacked all the sails. On the foredeck were the team of Andy, Rich, Nick, Bob, Bomber. The intrepid team set about 3 rounds with the sail bag and No 1 Yankee.  This entailed taking it out of the forepeak, undoing and then flaking the sail back into the bag.  Sounds easy – it could be liked to retrieving your washing from that spin cycle again. What a team, it was touch and go at some points and a few blows felt by both the sail and some knees, but they didn’t let the sail get the better of them and after the bell rang the sail was safely stowed below.

 

Monday arrived and unfortunately disaster struck the good yacht Disco.  The day had been spent catching up on maintenance and the stantions of Disco resembled the Boxing Days sales in M&S with everyone doing dobey (washing to all you land lubbers) We had all been treated to a curry night including homemade naan bread and red watch were just being given a rendition of the skippers joke about Henry and Christian – the prawns from prawn town!!!(the Southern Ocean has affected everyone in more ways than one) when out of nowhere the engine just stop and died.  Phil, leapt to his feet and sprinted back to the cabin.  Here both Bob and the skipper wrangled with the engine and after a few looks of fear on every crew members face tried to figure out what had happened. Meanwhile up on deck red watch (myself, Ian and Kev) like a coiled spring, reset the main to try and power us along, both Al and Paul now on deck assisted and within 5 minutes the watch had not only put up the forsail and staysail but managed to get a round of teas and stickies in. Air traffic and ABMs working in harmony!! This gave us a measly 3-4 knots but this could be Discos only speed for the next couple of hours. While the workers worked on the engine the talk upstairs was – well we may now get to see Melbourne after all. Our trusted SEF Chf Tech Bob from Odiham and Phil showed no signs of stress (but lots of sweat) and within an hour the engine was back purring with its fuel problem now resolved and the rest of the crew safely asleep. However when finishing red watches’ night shift Bob was heard mumbling in his sleep that maybe he could get a GEMS award or even a good show. I don’t know what some people do eh?

 

Today is the 1st Dec, we had a we wish you a merry Christmas with skipper cooking us all bacon omelette for breakfast and the opening of day1 of Discos’ advent calendar.(thanks Scotty some well earned morale down here).  We decided that day 1 should be Neptunes chocolate much to the angry eyes of 2 females as the Cadburys’ chocolate was thrown overboard.  We were also treated to some of the elusive wildlife.  Off the starboard side at about 0600 a pod of about 15 Dolphins suddenly appeared, only briefly and then no sooner had they sunk below the inky sea than on the port side a whale popped up blew some air then descended.  At 0600 this brought some of the crew to watch and smiles all round were seen.

 

In good old fashion Rich is at the moment in the galley making us all Christmas cake which smells delicious, hope we get to eat it before we get to Sydney and as I write this last paragraph our own Fireman Bomber is getting himself strapped into the bosuns’ chair to ascend the mast to grease the mast track. He is still looking for his pants and however hard we tell him i think he is looking in the wrong place.  If they had been up there maybe we would be in the lead as it he has mentioned that they were baggy enough to catch wind! For all his pals at work we have some good video evidence  of his ascent - it puts a whole new slant on the role of a  RAF Firefighter.

 

Well that’s all I guess.  We will keep you posted and by the time you get our next blog we’ll be in the Bass Straits and days closer to sailing under the harbour bridge.

 

Ta Ta For Now

Vee

 

Shout Outs

 

Terry - Hello Jane, Mum, Dad and everyone.  Still crashing from port to stbd and accumulating lots of bruises.  Haven’t managed a trip from bow to stern without unintentionally blundering into someone else’s cabin with a crash.  Hope you are all ok, looking forward to speaking with you all soon.  Hope the Christmas prep is going well, looking forward to doing mine when I get back, not!  will be thinking of you Jane when I get to Sydney.  All my love to you all T.

 

Jamie – Hi Caroline, Amy and Emily. Many happy returns Caroline, I did sing happy

birthday to you out on deck yesterday morning just as the clock would have ticked over 12

with you.  Hope you liked the prezzies? Girls I hope you are looking after Mum for me and

you took her for a nice meal? Bit quieter seas at the moment, waiting to hit the Bass straights.

Dodgey weather again is expected. Still this has really been an adventure so far and a real test

of lots of things, but I am coping pretty well.  Just done some washing and its out on the side,

Amy, I have just had my first shower in a week, Emily, guess what I smell like? To all the

Family who are looking on, we are doing alright. Think the Army will take the leg, but we

are giving it a real go. To my girls, love you lots and can’t wait to talk.  All my love. Xx

 

Rich – Talk of Australia invokes such images as long sunny bonza beaches, beautiful Sheila’s,roos, a tinny in hand while a shrimp sizzles on the Barbie, Shane, koilee, and Rolf Harris! However, our little “cruise” couldn’t be further from this perception. We are 14 deep aboard a vessel considerably smaller than your average two-bedroomed bungalow, except that the bungalow is not loaded to the gunnels with sails, fenders, safety equipment etc. Nor does the average bungalow lean to the side by 45 degrees. And where on earth is the sun! My legs still resemble porcelain, save for the impressive collection of bruises I have accumulated thus far from various cleats and shackles aboard! Message to mummy, send more thermal long-johns please, shorts aren’t really

appropriate as we continue southwards. Is this exercise Transglobe, or exercise Antarctic Explorer?!  Thankfully, I am very much in the minority of those who have avoided sea-sickness, which has blighted much of the crew – all of which have now recovered. To put into context the scale of our voyage, our total route is just over 2000 miles and we are averaging between 150-200 miles per day. We have just past the half-way mark so our relentless drive towards Sydney should conclude sometime next weekend. With over 1500 miles on the same heading it is nice to have a port-side bunk with the boat heeled-over as it is! The nautical wildlife remains elusive, save for the odd albatross, and the occasional mermaid – but the latter may be down to sea-madness. Furthermore, I continue my baking odyssey across the southern ocean, producing breads and cakes to keep the crew going. I have also added seamstry to my talents having had to carry out emergency repairs to my foulies! In the meantime, the “plotting” continues afoot. With the sockies throwing their support behind my cause, and keeping dutiful watch over me while I sleep, it won’t be long before we have command of the boat. Next stop Tahiti! So a big Henlow to all the clans of Cambridge Square, Poppy Hill, and Westell Close. Caz – miss you so much and can’t wait to see you soon – I so wish you were here with me – but no long to go now. Love you loads. Sam – I hope you are being a good boy for mummy – miss you too and I am looking forward to seeing you soon – and I’m going to bring you back something nice. To everyone else (including all Exochatters!) – a big hello from the far side of the globe – we’re still bound for the horizon and onward until dawn! Yo ho me hearties, hoist the colours high! 

 

Bomber -As you’ve probably gathered I’ve been a little bit under the weather! I seem to have now found what little sea legs I have left and unbelievably started to enjoy myself. The weather has picked up the last couple of days and things are starting to run smoothly, although as I write this our engine packed in for about 40 mins which was worrying times as I need land desperately! Thankfully skipper, Big Bob and Terry have fixed it and we are chugging along nicely now. We are hoping to make Sydney by Monday but anything could happen. The weather is on the turn for Thursday which could mean more time looking for my pants over the side or in my pit! Leanne, Nico and all the family love and miss you loads and I’ll ring when I can. Take care and I’ll see you all soon xxx

 

                                     P.S Andy wants a mention because he reckoned he helped fix the engine

 

Andrew – Actually I fixed the engine single handed while making a curry for tea and washing up. Well I did make the curry and washed up, but cannot take the glory for fixing the engine.

                                    The sun came out today and I had to unpack the sun tan lotion. Might even get the winter tan after all. Deb, Oliver, Jack and Chloe, love you all see you in a few weeks. We will hopefully get into Sydney in about a week. Take a couple of days R and R and then the 24hr flight home.

 

Bob – Hi to everyone back home and as the guys have previously said it has not been a T-shirt and shorts sail round the Oz coast...numerous layers of clothing in large waves with little sun!! Not to worry though as Phil the skipper keeps us entertained with his jokes and more importantly guides us through the passage and hopefully on to Sydney next weekend for a well earned rest! Anyway, hope everybody is well and I will keep you informed as we progress past Tasmania and then on to the famous harbour bridge. Take care now xx

Vee – Hey Adam, how’s it going.  Hope you opened your Christmas card. Unfortunatley no Sex is on fire out here.... they just don’t seem to get it- yeah man.  Hi mum and dad hope the new car is fine.  Miss you all hopefully get to speak soon.  Big sis, miss you and hope you and Russ are still smiling.  See you soon big hugs Me xxxxxxxx

 

 

Kim, Hannah and Matthew, Still bobbing along, we have a real GNER albatross following us! Looking forward to seeing you soon. Love Ian

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Thursday, December 3
View Article  The Tortoise and the Hares!!!!
by Clive Cooper on Thu 03 Dec 2009 02:45 PM GMT

The Tortoise and the Hares!!!!

 

            Ten days at sea and Perth is a mere fragment of our imagination.  We have come so far and learned so much.  As a team we work as one and are comfortable with our roles onboard and the Adventure we all sought has been provided in bucket loads. 

 

            The major event we have to now overcome is the phenomenon that is the Bass Strait (the final corner before the ‘home strait’ to Sydney)!.  This is a famous body of extremely treacherous yet navigable water – one of life’s natural funnels – where the water depth decreases from 5000 metres to 100 metres (and below) in a very short time then the Southern Ocean seas and swell are channelled through the land masses that make up Australia and Tasmania.  This is difficult in itself but add to this any weather then the conundrum becomes more difficult to break.  The strait is only 100 miles long but it is up there in the top ten of the worlds most perilous bodies of water. 

 

We were ready………………………

 

As this blog goes to press we have entered the strait in Gale Force conditions and we are all keen to exploit this to ensure we gain on our competitors. The couple of days of benign conditions are well behind us and given that we all know exactly what a sea leg looks like (constantly bent with your core engaged!!!! We will explain when we get home!) we are now attacking the environment that is before us.  The training has continued for all with different points of sail being used and we are currently goose winged (mainsail and foresail set out opposite each other) with a spinnaker pole becoming part of the yacht’s superstructure and holding out the foresail to maximise the wind that is pushing us along at around 10-11 knots.  We are all grateful that we are not heading into these seas as life onboard would be considerably different.

 

Mate and mini mate have kept up their astro navigation and it is a daily occurrence to sight them on deck with sextant in hand whenever the sun shines.  Each watch dread the appearance of Ian the mate on deck in foul weather gear as this usually means the on set of a sail change or something similarly nautical.  He was over the moon when a watch managed to change a headsail in ten minutes rather than the customary 45.

 

The end is in sight – although complacency is not – we still have to turn north around the corner, however that being said Sydney is hopefully only 2/3 days away and the talk has turned from tacks and clews to stacks of booze.  All being well this should be our last sea going blog from our Amazing Australian Adventure - we sailed from Perth with expectation, excitement and enthusiasm and all of us have had to dig deep at times to ensure these characteristics have remained to the fore – that being said the whole crew have more character and are richer for the Adventurous Training that they have undergone since their expedition began.

 

But readers, if you are still with us, there is a dastardly deed to tell of before we finish, the murder of a poor innocent.  Our passage has been accompanied by a variety of wildlife, albatross, fulmars and - so Mike believes - flying emu.  One poor feathered friend landed exhausted upon our deck, and sought to join our passage, resting upon deck and even on the wheel, regaling blue watch with song.  It appeared we had an additional and engaging member of the crew for the remaining passage to Sydney.  But this was not to be. 

A sudden roll of the boat saw Steve, yes Steve – named and shamed- stagger and take an uncontrolled step,  A sickening crunch was accompanied by a pathetic twitter from the poor bird.  Despite the strong medical presence amongst the crew, there was nothing that could be done, and with no ceremony the poor unfortunate was consigned to the deep. Steve is now known as SOSM (Southern Ocean Sparrow Murderer)

   

Tactics Corner

 

So did it work? We’ve certainly caught the hares but have we got enough North in our position to get past Discoverer who was forced south by the wind shift last night? Only time will tell….

 

Personal Messages.

 

Steve says ‘Ave a Banana’ – All my love to everyone- Mum, My Zoe, Bryony, Ben and Martha Maisie xxxx

 

Ian hopes Claire and Sophiea have a safe trip out to Aus and looks forward to seeing them on the 7th all going well we should be their the day before.  Greetings to everyone else.

 

Mike hopes all are well back at home and will be in contact soon, love to all xxxx

 

Sara hopes that Glyn or mum can text Cathy’s mobile number – so she can see the yacht when we arrive in Sydney.  Finish line is under the bridge!!  Paige – we should be in by 6/7 if you can call down.  Love to all. Miss my boo – chat soon. Sxx

 

Neil says hi again to all the BFBs including Steve & Nick who are about 100 miles from us at the moment. Best wishes to anybody following our progress and love to Debs (hope you and the cats are OK); Oh and its not too late to say Pinch punch first of the month which I missed off the last blog!!!

 

Jeremy is grateful the mobile is still not working, work (and a razor) a dim distant memory.  Hope to call en route Sydney. 

 

Pete says hi to everyone – I hope plans are going well for skiing at Christmas. Rob see you in the Sheraton at 2pm on 8th all being well. At the moment it is a goer but not confirmed for our arrival yet!. x

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View Article  Be careful what you wish for...you might just get it....
by Clive Cooper on Thu 03 Dec 2009 02:37 PM GMT

Challenger Blog – Wed 2 Dec – Thu 3 Dec 2009-12-02

Be careful what you wish for...you might just get it....

When we last reported in, things were looking up and since then it’s been a game of many halves (if you see what I mean).  When you left us the weather was sunny, we had a slight breeze and we were largely making way under engine in order to maintain momentum.  All the crew have grown in confidence, daily mileages are climbing and morale had been very high, the deck mounted speakers had been blasting out Queen’s greatest hits (the Skipper’s choice but a bit of rock seems appropriate as we thunder along).  To top everything else our daily reports were showing the other boats a fair way behind us. 

“What could possibly go wrong?”  Richard ‘The Hamster’ Hammond, Top Gear

Well the last 36 hours have been a touch ‘busy’ to say the least.  Our first test was a faulty water pump needing attention. Although we’re not completely dependent on the powered pump it does make life simpler so Windy, Doc’ and Roddy spent a few happy hours upside down in the engine room playing with assorted widgets until it started working again – a relief for all but most especially for those who might have had to smell us coming into Sydney having had no showers for a few days... Their top-tip for any of you finding yourselves in a similar position is to not drop the 13mm spanner into the bottom of the engine compartment – getting it back took almost as long as the repair.

‘Houston we have a problem’ – Apollo 13.

Our next puzzler has proved a little tougher to work out.  While all three yachts were (separately) making way towards the finish under engine due to an almost dead calm we gave the engine a routine break to cool and be checked over.  All seemed well until we tried to restart it.... nothing. Zilch. Zip. Nada.  After a few hours of spannering from assorted crew members led by Windy (this is a Royal Engineer crew – no-one was going to be left out!) and the other skippers by HF radio (a truly team effort, thanks for the assist chaps) the diagnosis was that the solenoid on the starter motor had packed in.  To quote Murray’s simple assessment “That’s bad”.  The solenoid is a sealed item and not one that we can repair at sea.  Without a spare there is no chance of getting the engine running again.  A hurried conversation via Sat-Phone with JSASTC, the yacht’s base in the UK informed us happily that there is a spare. Hurrah! On the Navy Boat “Adventurer”. 80 miles behind us. Hurroo.  Now as we were bobbing around discussing options and glumly considering having to wait for the RN to catch us up (ouch!) the breeze finally filled in and we were off again.  This is a sailing yacht and until the wind dies out totally we were determined to keep fighting on even at depressingly slow speeds.  Since then the wind has built considerably and backed round to an excellent angle for fast sailing – we’re back in!  The on-deck teams have been having considerable fun sail handling and we’ve had 5 life-jackets inflate as teams find themselves awash while setting sails (This isn’t too much of a drama as we have tonnes of spares but it makes the fore-deck ‘interesting’).  As we write this the instruments in front of us are routinely showing over 40 knots and often up to 45 knots, we’re blasting down waves with grins of excitement all around (or is that fixed grins of fear?). As we surf the speeds rise rapidly and we’ve a new record for this trip, the weather isn’t due to last long though and we suspect we’ll be back to coaxing every knot we can out ‘Challenger’ but for now we’re making the most of every gust. 

As an aside it’s worth noting everything else that happens around these key events; most of us will only pass this way just this once so we’re all making the most of every experience, sight and sound.  Over the last few days we’ve been sailing due east which gives the 0400 – 0800 deck-watch a pretty much guaranteed seat at some of the most amazing RED sunrises you could imagine, we’ve also seen huge schools of dolphins, pods of minke whales, a great many sea-birds (almost all, according to Roddy, “baby albatrosses”) and we’ve even offered hospitality to a passing swallow who seemed pretty please to take a short breather on our rig...

Back on the boat the succession of Mother-Watches keep raising the bar with recent endeavours having turned out some pretty impressive loafs of bread, Eddy and the gang from Dick have been churning out brilliant chillies and even some home-made muffins, “Great stuff”!

Everyone’s pretty much tied up with finishing so ‘shout outs’ are a bit limited tonight however I’m told to say ‘Scooby says hi!’, ‘I hope Becca’s birthday went as can be expected....’ and Roddy has asked for Ladybird or Observer book of sea birds for Christmas....

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View Article  And the DISCO continues.......
by Clive Cooper on Thu 03 Dec 2009 10:10 AM GMT

Welcome back to Disco.  Having awoken bright and early and received the tactical sail plan from our illustrious leader our departure from Fremantle was approaching fast.  We all took our last land shower, stowed our kit for the last time and awaited the order to slip.  We are all aware that the next 12-14 days are going to be very demanding and tiring but we are all eager for the challenge.  Surprisingly the RAF have been rate ‘the dark horses’ in this race to Sydney – could that be that our plans and tactics have been  a closely guarded secret or is it we are all here to enjoy and see what unfolds!!  In good old time honoured fashion the RAF were the first to slip the surly bonds of Perth, we shouted our goodbyes to the Army and the Navy and headed off into the Australian sun. 

 

Once away from port we started some sail training – learning how to tack and gybe, man over board drills and more importantly to try to get our sea legs for the upcoming adventure. Under the watchful eye of a passing pilot whale on Discos’ bow the other 2 yachts joined us and at 1630 the clock began ticking. This race is by no means a 100m sprint but a marathon in difficult conditions testing the resolve of each and every crew member.  The Army soon took the lead but Disco’s spinning ball began spinning once again and as the sun said goodbye and Fremantle became a distant blur on the horizon Disco headed off into the moonlight in pole position.

 

Throughout the first night at sea we all got used to our new watches and shift timings.  Getting up at midnight, getting into at least 3 layers of clothing whilst trying to stand still, keep hold of something and remembering to breathe is a task which over the next few days will prove to be impossible for some. To those of you yet to experience the pleasures of ocean sailing I would liken it to trying to dress yourself in a washing machine set to spin cycle.  I even type this on a 40 degree downhill slope!

 

The next day or so has seen half the crew still trying to find their sea-legs – myself included.  The swelling sea and rough conditions have made things no easier and time spent between above decks and one’s bed is kept to a minimum.  Food over these days was, to say the least, basic. Toast (dry toast at that) seemed to be the most popular order of the day.  It almost came to a head when the crew discussed throwing rations over board in order to feed Neptune and miss out the middle man.  Once more into the breach my friend would seem to be the det motto for most of us prior to arrival but those thinking that this is one is a milk run should think again! We are in the Southern hemisphere, touching 40 degrees south and therefore the Southern Ocean and all that entails: our latest thermals and outer wear provided by the sponsor Gill Clothing are being tested to the full during both night and day, keeping us toasty warm.  Freemantle sun-tans are fading as all that is visible through foul weather clothing is tips of noses.  Despite their sensitive bellies, the crew once again pulled together and in true light blue fashion managed to round Cape Leeuwin in pole position.  With this fantastic news reaching the crew down below spirits were raised and even Bomber managed a smile from his moment of ‘man down’.

 

The course we are have set will take us south due to the curvature of the Earth and this has been felt amongst everyone.... with more layers appearing every day.  As the crew’s stomachs improve the food on board becomes more enjoyable and the late shift on deck was being treated to the smell of fresh loaves.  Rich our budding Fanny Craddock has plans for a festive feast at some point and by no means has failed so far with fresh sausage rolls, apple turnovers and cheese and onion bread - the hopes of weight loss is in the dim and distant past.

 

And so our journey continues.  Skipper Phil believes that by Sunday afternoon we will be half way to Sydney.  The crew have started to dread him appearing at the hatch mid watch – I would liken it to Kate Adie appearing during a relatively benign deployment – outbreak of war usually followed and this is no different.  We have now started to anticipate orders via the width of his grin.  A really wide smile means sail change and reef – wonderful foredeck fun for all!  A 6 in the morning reef as winds gusting to 40 knots across the deck yesterday saw our ACS trio of Paul, Jamie and Terry all completing the evolution with lifejackets inflated. To say it was wet on the foredeck would be an understatement, I am sure the SBS train in easier conditions.  This was the start of the Crewsaver test day, where, by dusk, most of the crew would have proven the firing mechanisms through choice waves crashing over them.  Any worried landlubbers back home?  Please don’t be folks, all crew are safely clipped to the boat via their harness leads at all times whilst above decks, photo’s of inflated jackets will prove much hilarity once home!

As the day wore on and the weather improved Ahab’s grin widened once more and now we are changing up a sail and shaking out a reef (the previously mentioned widest of grins).  The whole crew were up and completed the evolution in just over an hour of hard work and pulling together.  Lots of lessons learned, a couple of miles lost in the race (did any of us believe it was a cruise in company?) and the next one will be much quicker – we anticipate another grin at any point with enthusiasm! 

 

The mystery of the missing pants widens further with Bomber himself now devoting all his time to looking for them.  If he is not in bed looking for them he is leaning over the side of the boat looking for them, bless him you can see he is literally green with envy.  As the dreaded mal de mer lessens so do the chances of him booking a cruise for a honeymoon!

 

All told the crew are now feeling much more up for it and finding their inner Ellen MacArthur, talk of the halfway point foremost in every helmsman’s thought as we try to concentrate on getting that extra half knot out of our beloved Disco.

 

Well I’ll sign off for now.  Time to make evening meal of chicken savoury rice and 5 loaves of bread.

 

Vee

Shout outs

Vee- Hi to all the band.  Miss you all and hope the Christmas carols are sounding as good as last year.  See all at the concerts in Huntingdon. Shabba Ranks xxxxx

 

Paul and Jo - I want a bigger boat, Jo wants to sell the boat! Enjoying it but very hard work, a doddle it is not! Looking forward to seeing you all soon, we can’t wait for those Mojitos Mum (get training for the Bevan Olympics Papa smurf!)  Mark, you totally have the idea with the minimum boat ethos - changing sails up because the wind has dropped to 25kts a new concept I am trying to embrace! (keep turning left seems much better than 1500 nm to next waypoint – waypoint, not even destination....prepare to tack in plenty of time!!)

Dodge, hope things are still so good between you and Suzanne, a fabulous Xmas is surely in store, we are looking forward to our date in Dec. Same for you Jane, we are taking care of Terry’s shoulders though he does have a tendency to bounce from wall to wall in our cabin whilst trying to dress every 4 hours – trying to sympathise with him between comedy moments.  He has now taken to dressing whilst sat down on the floor. Bless.

Tone and Sue, any luck with the sale yet? Fingers are crossed for you.  Janet and John, what we would give for a seat infront of your fire with that pot on the stove!

Mamma moomin troll, Jo misses you, has come through the worst of what Neptune has to offer her and is now enjoying the experience.  I do believe a hotel with a bath and big stable double bed beckons for my good lady wife on arrival in Sydney.

 

  Al – Hi all, four sisters seems like good enough for my next adventure. Unfortunately despite being bigger on the outside, this boat is nothing like the tardis inside! Living the dream here, really!  Hope you are all getting Xmas ready for my return (with this beard I look like you know who!). Just over 1000 miles to go yet and still haven’t found my present? Hope Uni, College is going well, talk to you next week, miss you all x

 

Kevin – for all of you who thought I was off on 4 weeks of tee-shirts, suntan and flip flops forget it....F7, 3 metre swell and living on a very unlevel playing field and still loving every minute of it! Speak soon missing you all xx.

 

Andrew – Deb, Oliver, Jack and Chloe. Weather in Freemantle was very hot, not any more nearly halfway across and the weather is rubbish. The suntan lotion is firmly packed away and wont see the light of day until we arrive in Sydney. Hope you are all well, miss you loads. All my Love. Xxx

 

Jamie – Caroline and my girls,  well what an indoctrination into ocean sailing!!!!    Quite rough really.  Nearly drowned twice, went to take down sails with Paul and Terry in a storm force 40 knot wind. We all got covered and all three life jackets went off leaving us looking like three over amorous bullfrogs.  Still, this is what it’s about, and soon we will be hitting the true Southern Ocean.  Think about you all every second, and can’t wait till we can talk soon. All my love, Jamie & Dad. Xx

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Wednesday, December 2
View Article  NOT ALL PARTIES ARE A DISCO!!
by Clive Cooper on Wed 02 Dec 2009 03:00 PM GMT

G’day!!  Welcome aboard the good ship Discos’ inaugural blog of leg 5.  The leg will see us depart from Fremantle and with fair weather and Neptune in a favourable mood will see us arrive 2146 miles later in the city of Sydney.  The wishes and aspirations of the crew were not only to safely arrive on the East coast after travelling through 2 time zones and 2 oceans, but to be part of a team who proactively work together achieving many personnel goals – ranging from becoming comp crew to gaining a lot more sea miles for further qualifications.  Andys’ personnel goal of achieving a winter tan in time for Christmas is well on the way after only 2 days and will be available as Rudolfs side kick and Jamies’ personal achievement has already been exceeded.

 

The crew consisting of            Skipper – Phil Brown

                                                1st Mate – Al Davies

                                                2nd Mate – Paul Bevan

                                                Red Watch Leader – Kev Tucker

                                                Red Crew – Ian Birchall                                                        

                                                Red Crew – Vanessa Neilson (Blog Queen!!!)

White Watch Leader   - Rich Rogers

                                                White Crew – Bob Henry

                                                White Crew – Andy Finlay

                                                White Crew – Nick Harrison

                                                Blue Watch Leader – Terry Griffiths

                                                Blue Crew – Jo Bevan

                                                Blue Crew – Jamie Deighton

                                                Blue Crew – Richard (Bomber) Lancaster

 

Wednesday 18th Nov saw the intrepid crew meet for the first time as the grey storm clouds and a tempestuous sea greeted us at Gosport.  Is this an omen for our future adventure?  As the wind whipped around the old buildings we were safe knowing from leg 4 that our new Gill attire would keep us warm and dry but having listened to the briefing maybe the sun would be causing us more problems.  After 36 hours our adventure began with our transit to Heathrow airport, looking at the fear in the 3 crews faces the thought of ‘what have we let ourselves in for’ crossed all minds.  On arrival at Heathrow we met our 13th member Terry who had only 6 hours notice to move.

 

The journey to Perth was very long however the crews of Cathy Pacific and the executive lounge for the RAF was much appreciated and made the jet lag much more bearable, we tried our best for the other crews to gain entry but to no avail – by the way the back massage was stupendous.  The only hiccup was our departure from Hong Kong where 12 of the 38 strong crew were unable to depart unless the airport personnel spoke directly to the Australian Gov.  Our illustrious leader Al stepped in with immediate assistance only to be told –no travel to Australia.  The 12 unlucky crew members looked lovingly at Hong Kong Island hoping that the passport problem would remain unsolved.  Al again insisted that the airport really should take a look at a letter directly from the Gov.  The diplomatic incident continued to unfold and with only 15 mins remaining before take off the 3 crews joined together on board and took off for the final leg of an 18 hour marathon flight.

 

Once arrived at Perth the sniffer dog named Max took great interest in Terrys’ bag not only barking but suddenly sat bolt upright on his bag, everyone wondered what he wanted to smuggle in!!! Maybe a secret stash of nutty?? Or was he just being a good boy??  However, nothing more than a leftover apple from a rogue packed lunch from Gosport. Well so he says.  After a comfortable night in Leeuwin Barracks and an early morning coffee we arrived at our trusty stead Discoverer and Phil the skipper.  Our watches were decided and after a fantastic BBQ hosted by The Army and a few socialable shandys we retired to bed.

 

The morning muster was bright and early as we were greeted by blue sky and a warm southern hemisphere sun.  Sunday was filled with yacht safety briefs and the pursers sorting out our morale for the next 14 days – the menu.  It is said an army marches on its belly, well I think that the food could mean the difference between life and death especially considering Rich is already making homemade sausage rolls.  Rising above the rest already.

 

Monday our last full day in Fremantle has seen the yacht being fully restored to its full glory with not only a full complete rigging but a water maker that works.  Considering the heat and the strength of the sun this is worth its weight in gold.  At least 14 fun packed days with 14 hot enthusiastic buccaneers at sea there is only enough wet wipes you can cope with.

 

Here we sit the final evening before we set sail on the high seas (Indian Ocean) and feel the spray in our faces and the wind on our backs.  Our injuries so far are few but comical, one squashed big toe and second our mates’ groin strain whilst stepping up one step.  Age comes to us sometime but the ships’ carpenter is getting excited and has already started carving out his new wooden leg.  The last time we saw Al he was seen hobbling to the doc on the Royal Navy yacht.  Quite surprisingly he received no sympathy, could’ve been the constant barrage of comments from him about seeing the Royal Navy in our rear view mirror.  The only mystery that has darkened Disco in its final land hours is the unsolved case of Bombers’ missing Y-Fronts.  The search party was sent ashore but their efforts were futile and Bomber has no option but to go commando.  He has been heard mumbling that they were his lucky pants – I’m so glad I’m not in his cabin.

 

To summarise we would like to thank the crew of leg 4 for bringing Disco safely to Fremantle and the other 2 crews for being with us to share this adventure.

 

Shout outs – Bob Hi to all who know me, love to Kim ...and I’ll see you all soon. Hello to all  at Odiham and  it’s a struggle dealing with all this lovely sun....not! “Live the dream”

  

Vee – Shabba to all in the office and Marketing.  ‘Recruiting now’ on the stern looks awesome especially because that’s all the other 2 yachts will see of us.  Mum, dad and big sis love you loads and hi to the Bray clan.

 

Terry – Short notice hello to Jane who without her help and 6 hrs notice I wouldn’t be here. Love you.  Hi to mum and dad and all those at ACS.... what a great way to spend JMLC 008.  I told you I would get out of course commander and organising the Christmas Doo

 

Rich – Hi Caz, Sam, Molly & Jazz. Miss you all loads, another day further on brings me a day closer to home. Can’t wait to see you all in just under three weeks.

Also to the patrons of the Inn (you know who you are Emma, Lsie, Ivonne, Kai, Gareth, Steph who are following my voyage around the southern part of the world) thanks for your support, speak to you all soon. Oh, by the way – JENNY!

 

 

Andrew - Deb, Oliver, Jack and Chloe, took a while but we eventually got here, weather is hot, hot, hot but it is ok the beer is cold, cold, cold. Should be off today on our long journey, look forward to the 12 and your birthday. Love you all, Deb give the Kids a kiss for me.

 

From the clan Bevan.....Hello to all in Scotland, weather is fantastic over here and you chose to emigrate to Scotland! Mark, you would love it, very exciting anticipative (made up word) build up – more of an adventure than we thought!  Graeme and Denise – no booze for two weeks – disaster!

Dodge, Pukey, Rick and sailing buddies at ACS – Terry has no gel in his hair – I now understand why he wears so much and will never put him down again. Rather large rock to south of Australia (charted as drying to 200m and named Tasmania -  will check out the tidal streams try to avoid at all costs Rick).

All at DCTS – hope all is well, thanks for the opportunity to do this.  Now I understand why Wayne wants to emigrate.

All in Newbury – Weather is fantastic, “Hello moomin, loving it out here – see you all when I get back”

Nos amis en France – Oz is tres beau

 

 

Hi Caroline , Amy and Emily, well here we go!!!Caroline, happy anniversary, I will be thinking of you. To the girls look after your mum for me. All of you take care and I love and miss you very much. Jamie and Dad XXXXXX

See you all soon, may the Disco glitter ball carry on spinning and the Mystery of the Pants be solved........

 

Ian – Hello to Kim, Hannah, Matthew and others. It’s a hard life here in Perth, leaving today. I seem to have fallen on my feet again! Love to you all, Ian

 

Kevin – Hi everyone, this is definitely one of the better things I’ve ever done not missing work one bit....or the weather (high 20’s and sunny is a chore but its got to be done), be in touch when we get in to Sydney so in the words of The Joker “and here we go”!

 

Bomber – Big hello to Leanne and Nico, miss you loads and love you lots. Hi to the family and see you all soon. 

 

Well may Discos’ glitter ball keep spinning and the International Pant Mystery be solved.

 

Tara for now

Vee

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View Article  THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
by Clive Cooper on Wed 02 Dec 2009 02:59 PM GMT

Where is the best place to start writing a blog – do you start at the beginning of the trip and describe all the apprehension and excitement – or start it post events and constantly play catch up? I think we all will embrace the ad hoc approach and see what happens…………..

 

The team gathered in Gosport and the team building began – being the home port of many there was still DIY to finish, clothes to be ironed and netball tournaments to be watched so unlike the ARMY and the RAF the depleted team of a few went for a quiet drink together post the first day of briefings and kitting out.  The initial video shown to us certainly opened our eyes to what was to come – the crew consisting of complete novice through to the experienced sailor all raised eyebrows at some point – stirring and motivational stuff indeed.  Commitment, Self-Confidence, Courage, Leadership, Teamwork, Determination, ADVENTURE, CHALLENGE AND DISCOVERY were all there – STUPIDITY was not mentioned once! Especially being the team to follow the previous leg from South Africa to Perth.

 

Not only did the three teams have in common a Corinthian spirit but also a love of sailing or a will to learn, clearly what we did not have in common was the same size of bag!! To a person everyone had brought their own little bit of the United Kingdom with them to ensure their own comfort.  However post the briefings and the sales pitch from one of our sponsors – GILL – then some kit rationalisation was to be done! That being said when we got on the coach – there were still people who were smaller than their bags!

 

The flight was without incident – apart from a few misplaced passport numbers in Hong Kong – a couple of rogue apples sniffed out by the trained apple beagle at Perth airport and the issue of eating four big meals and 3 snacks in 20 hours of airport travel.  There were however some very heavy eyes when we arrived in Western Australia at 1am on the morning of Saturday 21st.  The bed provided at Leeuwin Barracks by the Royal Australian Navy was therefore like a big hug from a long last friend and we slept and slept and slept and……..you get the picture.

 

Saturday morning (proper) saw a stroll into Fremantle along the Swan River watching the freshwater dolphins toying with the fish in the shallow bays – a coffee in Cappuccino Way and big swallow of fresh air recharged the batteries.  There is no ozone layer left over Australia therefore the UV index here is plus 10 when the sun is out and the sun has been out since we got here.  As yet the heat is not uncomfortable but the sun is searing and we are all having to be aware.  The sun is beautifully tempered in the afternoons by the Australian Wind affectionately know as the ‘Doctor’ – as hot air replaces cold out at sea – something we soon hope to exploit.

 

Sunday and Monday have seen all three boats as hives of activity during the day – from routine maintenance – sails being stitched, halyards being re-tied and whipped, shackles being moused, pins being greased winches being taken apart and put back together again and again and again until at last they worked like they did before the un-initiated got hold of it; to sailing drills – there has been no feeling whatsoever of being thrown in at the deep end as everyone has benefited from the building process of hoisting – lowering – reefing – stowing – changing sails and now the excitement is building as we near putting it into practice.  Never again we will laugh or sneer at a caterers or chefs!!! Fabricating a menu through to buying the stores then actually making it magically disappear within in 67 feet of already heavily filled steel is not an evolution to be taken lightly.  There are only 15 of us for 15 days or so at sea but we will be dining like Kings and Queens!!!!  The most important provision was the Champagne that has been stored in the bilges to be brought out again as we sail under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Watch this space…………..

 

Socially the team has gelled completely –  13 travelled to meet our Skipper who had been in place for a week already then halfway through our first social event – a BBQ thrown by the Army at Fremantle Yacht club – our 15th member joined – Brigadier Jeremy Robbins RM – putting us all at ease one his first questions to an eager semi-circle of team-mates was where was his pit (priorities correct) – a wine fuelled answer was excitedly proffered ‘you are in the Starboard Port cabin sir’ – our non-plussed one star was suitably confused.  Our wine fuelled answerer was none the wiser!!!!  The team has thoroughly enjoyed two good runs ashore and this mixed with good hard slog and bags of fresh Australian sea air has ensured fitful sleep – although the Skipper and Mate have a snorer in their midst.  Earplugs are a must.

 

So in one hour we will head out on the blue and crinkly and taking a challenge that we are all exceedingly looking forward to – if you ever get the opportunity to do something like this then look after number one and grab the bull by the horns and do it – you will not regret it…………………..

 

Skipper Neil, Ian, Pete, Steve, Sara, Charlotte, Colin, Kevin, Olly, Tom, Lisa, Rich, Jeremy, Amanda and Mike

 

Personal Messages

 

Steve passes his love and regards to all his readers – the office (Thanks for the time off) , his family, his Mum, and to Zoe for her love and support and to Bryony, Ben and Martha Maisie goes a big hug.

 

Mike says hi to all his family, the Roe family, Collingwood and C4I Sqn.

 

Lisa says hi to Ciara, Mason and Dylan love Mummy and thanks to RCDM to giving her the time to come – Love to Mum xxxx

 

Tom says love to all family and Annie xxxx

 

Jeremy says Happy 18th to Nelly – Toad see you in Sydney – with Mum and Mike

 

Sara says love to all in UK and overseas – looking fwd to catching up with friends and family in Sydney. Sxx

 

Colin says hey to my darling wife Sam and all at 764 squadron.  Pagey Girl, I’m really looking forward to your arrival in Sydney for the next instalment of our travels.

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View Article  AND THE FIGHT STARTS!!
by Clive Cooper on Wed 02 Dec 2009 02:38 PM GMT

 

This is just the first round of hellos from the latest crew of HMSTV Challenger but we thought we’d get it in early and let those of you back home start to get a feel for how the whole trip pans out – warts and all – we promise to try and avoid a long list of menus and sail changes but should things get ‘a bit sporty’ we hope you’ll forgive us if we get a bit distracted.

‘Where are we man?’  – Bill S Preston, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

As with all of the legs of Transglobe we started out in Fort Blockhouse with the usual round of kit issues, briefings and generally child-like excitement.  For the majority of the, mainly, Royal Engineer crew it was a chance to catch up with old friends and for the rest it was a chance to meet the people they had signed up to spend a few cramped, damp and potentially ‘challenging’ weeks with...  After a couple of ‘ice-breakers’ in Gosport it soon became clear that we have a pretty balanced crew, with some experienced sailors, some novice and few that have ever done anything remotely like this leg! Such was the level of team bonding that our token non-Sapper George ‘Doc’ Kivell felt comfortable enough to come out of his closet and admit that he’s actually an ex-para.  After some quick consideration the rest of the crew felt his usefulness as a medic out-weighed his past and that we were good-to-go.  Next stop – Heathrow.

‘Are we nearly there yet?’ Donkey, Shrek 2

We’ll try and not dwell too much on this leg of Transglobe, it went as well as could be expected but 16 hours in cattle class to Hong Kong, a 40 minute transfer window and then another 6 ½ hours onto Perth was pretty grim. No matter which way you cut it, Australia is a really, really long way from Gosport and the boats have gone all that way already!

‘We need to work as a team – that means you do everything I say’ – Charlie Croker, The Italian Job

Our first ‘shout out’ has got to go to the Aussie Forces, in particular those who call Leeuwin Barracks, Freemantle home – a good night’s sleep, in proper beds, for all the incoming crew was a god-send and purely down to their generosity.  Cheers boys!

Getting down the boats was quite surreal for us, even given jet-lag it was still strange to see all three boats, battle-flags flying in perfect sunshine in a gorgeous marina.  There was little sign of the battering that these ladies took on the last leg and only the real train-spotters noticed a few missing bits of standing rigging and other tell-tales of a truly epic crossing from Cape Town.  On that side our Second ‘Shout out’ goes to Royal Logistic Corps Crew of Leg 4, and their skipper, Mike Symes – Thanks guys, the boat’s in great nick and that’s purely down to your hard-work and seamanship, we’ll do our best to hand her over in the same state (or better!).

 

‘I think we’re gonna need a bigger boat’ – Chief Brody, Jaws

The last couple of days have flown by, a short morning to recover from the journey was spent exploring Perth but we’ve mainly been slaving under the eyes of the skipper and mate as we prepare to go to sea.  We repacked everything we can think of, fitted the parts that we brought out for the boat from the UK, seen the last few pieces of standing rigging fitted and stowed an incredible amount of food in assorted nooks-and-crannies all over the boat.  One thing that we can’t quite get straight in our minds is that if 14 men need this much food for 16 days, how on earth did they fit in food for 30+ days? These ‘67s are truly Tardis-like but for the weight-shy racers amongst us the sheer amount of stores and equipment is a real culture shock.

As I write this blog our last supper ashore in Freemantle is being passed out of the ‘happy hatch’, we’ve a few last bits and pieces to sort but we all suspect that we’ll never be totally happy and so we’re as ready as we will ever be. 

Having had a last look at the weather charts the skippers have agreed that it’s looking as good as it can be for the next few days so – all thing being equal – we’ll be heading off tomorrow morning.  Best of luck to the Royal Navy and RAF crews, we’ll see you in Sydney guys.

 

‘The clock is ticking, as of now we’re keeping score’ – Callsign Viper, Top Gun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tuesday, December 1
View Article  Southern Ocean is to a Sailor what Everest is to a Climber
by Clive Cooper on Tue 01 Dec 2009 10:01 AM GMT

The Royal Navy crew of Adventure feel the need to explain the distance between yachts at this stage of Leg 5 – we must confess that we discussed tactics during our upper deck BBQ and film night last evening, post sundowners, and realised that at some point we must forego the lazy Sunday routines and commence a proper seaman-like watch-keeping routine (including night watches).  We have also reduced speed markedly to match the speed of the local marine life so that we can justify the amount of money spent on fishing tackle – we are yet to be successful!

 

The Southern Ocean is to a Sailor what Everest is to a Climber and it has not disappointed. Since leaving Fremantle we have had several ‘tasters’ of what is available. Fortunately, at the moment, as we sail through more benign conditions, during a brief respite of the constant swell and large waves, we have had the chance to re-group as a crew and we are now much more seasoned with a strong teamwork ethic.

 

However, when in big seas and on the foredeck being thrown around like a Gill sponsored rag while changing a sail up or down, there are some in our midst that think they are the next sports photographer of the year and would rather change their shutter speed than crack a piston hank. Further to this, another myth may have been dispelled,  the mate does not get a nose bleed when he ventures forward of the mast – desperate to appear in the photograph he was spotted doing a Kate Winslet impression on the pulpit (the photograph was out of focus however and therefore inconclusive).  There are others who ensure that when a really big ‘goffa’ (wave) is embracing the foredeck that they ship as much green as possible to see if their hydrostatic valve on their lifejacket really does work – once was an accident – twice was a coincidence but three times really kept the skipper busy! (Keep the skipper busy – then he isn’t thinking of more jobs!).

 

During the sail change evolution; however, we must also not forget the members of the crew passing the sail up   through the fore deck hatch from the sail locker. These poor unwary souls were used as human funnels to pass around 300 gallons of sea water through the inside of their waterproof clothing into the boat’s bilges! To add to their woes they were not photographed either – fact!

 

Despite the challenging weather life onboard is very good.  The crew are now all upwardly mobile and actively carrying out their various tasks in all 73 corners of the yacht to ensure that a tidy ship is an efficient ship and is therefore a happy ship!!!! Only this very forenoon the whole of the ship was put out of bounds in preparation for Skipper’s rounds – the crew were towed behind in a life raft and enjoyed a very relaxing game of I-Spy (they got stuck on the letter ‘S’) while the mother watch moved one pile of dirt from one end of the yacht to the other!

 

The ‘mother watch’ is key to the domestic bliss of life onboard.  The yacht is split into 3 watches – Red – White and Blue – two watches maintain the forward motion of the yacht for 24 hours and the mother watch keep them fed and watered, and then we change around. The feeding is not as austere as you imagine – thus far despite the weather while rounding the previously mentioned Cape Leeuwin, and now as we transit the Australian Bight, we have enjoyed a trans-world culinary expedition; this has included – Moroccan Lamb and Cous Cous ( Cous Cous we Could!), Hungarian Goulash, Mexican Fajitas (with authentic Mexican Music), Italian Fusilli Bolognese and of course the Indian Rogan Josh (but we are not sure whether they cheated and got a take away as it was so good!). There was also the Sausage Surprise offering from Blue Watch – the surprise being there wasn’t enough of it! We are now desperate for a good ole’ English supper – but unfortunately the potatoes met a nasty demise and were offered to King Neptune as a peace offering to try and sate his aforementioned roller-coaster from hell. Bread making is now also part of the staple routine – unfortunately it smells that good when cooking that when removed from the oven there are always a pack of drooling dingoes armed with marg and jam to relieve the chef of his fare.

 

The current respite in weather conditions also allowed the Mate and mini-Mate to take the opportunity to check the accuracy of the expensive onboard electronic navigation equipment by carrying out some basic astro-navigation. This task involved taking a sight of the sun with a sextant. On completion both confirmed that the yacht was 300 miles from the position given by the satellite. (So questionably we are winning as we have now confirmed the inaccuracy of all the modern technology) On second thoughts more practice is required! On the subject of more practice the mate was spotted the next day by mini-Mate trying to take a sight with the telescope cover still on. His cry before being put right by mini -Mate was ‘’Oh no this sextant is broken’’ He is now under close Astro supervision for the safety of himself and the crew!

 

Thoughts have now turned to our destination now that we are over half way……the wind has filled our sails again….and we currently lie south of Kangaroo Island which is only a short hop from the infamous Bass Strait – where the water funnels dramatically from the Southern Ocean Depths through a narrow and shallow channel causing a major navigational challenge for a 67ft yacht!

 

Tactics corner – for the yachties and curious amongst you here are the whys and the wherefores; from leaving Perth we had a SW breeze which was destined to go Southerly imminently. The plan was to use the SW to the maximum advantage and track South until nightfall then tack out to the West and slingshot around Cape Leeuwin using the strong ocean current and the Southerly and claim a beam reach along the South Australian coast whilst the Army & RAF made short tacks close to shore. Unfortunately they got it right as the wind decided to stay SW for longer than expected which meant us going further West than we needed and opened the gap between us and the Army and RAF yachts. They also gained the advantage of the strong winds behind a cold front and allowed them to open the lead (especially the Army who arrived with a racing team foaming at the mouth!) So with the lighter winds for the last week we have been dropping further behind without the power to catch up. The wind dropped for all 3 yachts 2 days ago and the skippers agreed by radio we would motor sail at 1700rpm until wind came back. That’s where we are now and anticipating we will have the upper hand because the next weather system is building behind us and so we will get it first. This should allow us to speed up and hopefully close the distance on the others. The skipper has been studying the weather charts closely and feels that the Army and RAF will have headwinds from now until Thursday night whilst we will have beam or tail winds to bring us within reach of them by Friday. Keeping our fingers crossed, the gloves are now off!!

 

Messages from the team

 

Steve is yet to see another red sail – all of my love to Emily, Ingrid, Scarlett, Mum, Zoe, Bryony, Ben and Martha Maisie xxxx

 

Charlotte is wishing she hadn’t packed so many shorts, T-shirts and bikinis and instead had focused more on woolly hats, gloves and thermals, as the former are yet to have an outing.  Hello from the chilly Southern Ocean to Mum, Dad and Anthony. xxx

 

Oliver would like to extend a shout out to, Mum and Barry, Dad and Diane, Lucy and Conner and last but not least Auntie Sue. Sorry I have been so long writing this but I have been very busy getting used to life on an ocean wave! I hope you are all getting ready for an exciting ChristmasJ No sun tan as of yet but I am sure I will be ready for a cold winter at home after this trip! Look forward to speaking to you all soon, take care and lots of Love X X X X

 

Mike says hi to all his family, might be staying out here a bit longer but will let you know when we get to Sydney.  Looking forward to getting to Sydney to have a decent nights sleep in a proper bed that does not keep moving!!!!  Speak to you all soon xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Rich hopes Alex and Oliver are getting on fine, both are sleeping and being well looked after! Missing you all at home, we finally look to be getting somewhere, even if under the power of the engine, bring back the wind and lets get to Sydney.  Hi to Mum, Dad, Hilary and all those who are following the adventure. Looking forward to seeing you all soon! Xxxxxxxxxx

 

Pagey Boy is hoping that PL is all packed and ready to depart in a few days to the land of Oz.  Hopefully I will be clean and presentable for your arrival.  The winds have been somewhat unfavourable and the trip is taking a little longer than anticipated.  Please take great care of yourself and I will see you very soon.  I love you and miss you. T I & B. (From ‘Boofie’ too). XXX  To Ma and Big Sis, if you’ve been able to access the site; I hope you’re well and looking after each other.  Will call on our arrival in Sydney.  Love Col. X

 

Sara wishes everyone lots of love.  A message for AJ and UF - I waved to Adelaide for them.  Wish Paige would sort out some stronger winds for us so we can arrive in Sydney a little sooner.  Hi to MSSE – hope you are enjoying your advent calendars. Missing my Boo and am counting the days.  Hi to Cathy and all in Sydney – hope we do have time to catch up.  Enjoying the sea time and especially looking fwd to the last part of this trip and catching up with good friends.  Sxx 

 

Jeremy Greybeard is living the dream, and escaping work.  Celebrated a second day as galley slave with a shower.  Life just gets better and better!  Nelly, hope the 18th was great, Mike and Mum hope to see u in Sydney as Toad arrives.  Hi to the Defence team, hope all is well – mobile coverage yet to reach 500 miles plus into the Southern Ocean – a relief for us all.

 

Mate Ian says hi to all those following our progress.  Hope Claire gets to see this before you leave for Aus looking forward to seeing you and Sophiea soon.  If only the sun was shining it could be said we were living the dream, however the sailing is good and the crew morale is high.  Take care all at home.

 

Lisa says hello to Ciara, Mason, Dylan, Mum, Lesley, Steve Ava…..and everyone else!! I spent the first few days feeling very sorry for myself…seasickness…not good. Feel much better now we’re on the stoogies. For the last week all we can see is the sea…Lesley, this would be your worst nightmare. Had no wind the last couple of days, but the wind has kicked in today so hopefully will be in Sydney very soon. I’ll call you as soon as I can. Apparently we’re in for a force 5 storm through the Bass Straits……….gulp! Did the carpet man come? Love you all……miss my babies soooooooooo much. Xxxxxx   Hi to Clive x

 

Tom says hi to all who are following progress… finally we are getting somewhere and now over half way! We’re mother watch today so Baking bread and cockroach hunting! Waiting for the sun to show up too! Missing you all. Love you Annie xx

 

Kev says hi – still on track to arrive Sydney 6/7th Dec.  After a windy start we have been motor sailing for the last 3 days – hopefully the Bass Straits will be a little more interesting.  Speak to you all soon, love Kev XXX

 

Pete says hi to Tina and the troops, hope all is well.  We are currently flying across the Southern Ocean with the possibility of a few days being our ultimate goal for the trip. See you soon X

 

Neil says hi to all at home, the first day of sunshine here in a week, it’s been chilly, it’s 1 p.m. here and we’re trying to make the most of it but having to wear thermal jackets on the deck. Looking to turn the tables in the next few days, hope I can pull the rabbit out of the hat in the next few days! We’re closing land quickly at the moment and should be within 20 miles of the coast for a few days from Wednesday midnight your time. I’m using an Aussie mobile whilst I’m out here, Debs has the number if you want to text. Speak to you soon Debs. XXX

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Tuesday, November 24
View Article  LEG 5 GETS UNDERWAY WHILST EX. TRANSGLOBE
by Clive Cooper on Tue 24 Nov 2009 03:08 PM GMT
LEG 5 GETS UNDERWAY WHILST EX. TRANSGLOBE MOVES INTO RACE MODE
IN PREPARATION FOR LEG 6 AND THE ROLEX SYDNEY-HOBART RACEForty-two British forces service personnel have set off from Perth in WA on three 67ft steel-hulled yachts leaving Fremantle Sailing Club at 1200 local (0400 UT) to tackle a 2,200 nautical mile voyage through the Australian Bight and the notorious Bass Strait en route to Sydney on the east coast of Australia. This is the 5th and a relatively short stage of a year-long, 13-leg adventurous sail training exercise that rehabilitates, restores and revitalises its crew members, many of whom are  complete sailing novices, and many of whom have only very recently returned from serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Some individuals will, on their return to the UK, be deployed to Operation Hellick; hence why many of those on board can only manage a short spell away to undertake some AT (Adventurous Training) prior to returning to active duty.

Mike Bray, who hails from Southampton but was educated in Nottingham where his family now lives is a Navy Warrant Officer 2 at HMS Collingwood, currently detached to RAF Waddington, who only returned from a 5 month deployment in Iraq in June. He has no sailing experience whatsoever and is keen to achieve his Competent Crew having completed this leg of TRANSGLOBE.

Before they slipped their moorings, the crews spent a few days acclimatising, learning about the yachts, getting to grips with hoisting and lowering the enormous and extremely heavy sails (especially when wet), victualling the yachts, get sorted into watches, learning how to tie certain knots, learning how to use winches and set up the emergency steering. They all have to go through numerous health and safety briefings.The three yachts represent the Royal Navy (HMSTV Adventure), the British Army (HMSTV Challenger) and the Royal Air Force (HMSTV Discoverer) on Exercise TRANSGLOBE.

The skippers on Leg 5 are all highly accomplished: Chief Petty Officer Neil Penman skippers Adventure. He is a reservist and runs Torbay Sea School; Challenger is skippered by Staff Sergeant Darren ‘Windy’ Gale MBE from the Royal Corps of Signals. Windy was part of the project team when the Royal Corps of Signals previously went around the world on Adventureas part of Exercise Mercury Challenge in 2006 and he was the first mate on the yacht when they rescued Koomooloo in the 2006-07 Sydney Hobart Race.  Lastly, for the RAF yacht Discoverer, Phil Brown, is a JSASTC (Joint Services Adventurous Sail Training Centre) Staff skipper from Wales who joined JSASTC in 2008 and has since sailed over 10,000 miles on either Challenge 67s or Nicholson 55s.  Phil was a skipper on Leg 2 of TRANSGLOBE which took the fleet from the Canary Islands to Rio, a trip of 4,200 miles. He is also currently programmed in to take part on Leg 12, from Charleston to Boston.
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