It was through the social media site Twitter, that we found out about the Transglobe Expedition, and that their boats would be arriving in Lanzarote this week. Through their PR department, we were able to meet the crews in Puerto Calero, spend some time on the yachts and hear the stories of the adventure so far. I’ll tell you about that in a moment, but first let’s talk about why this is happening.
The British Services Transglobe expedition is a sail training exercise open to all UK personnel, and in fact, with various crew changes during the voyage, around 500 people will partake. It’s all about teamwork, developing personal qualities and testing themselves in some very difficult conditions. The leg from Gosport to Lanzarote was the first leg of the trip, and the crews will stay here now for 10 days before handing over their boats to new teams who will then head across The Atlantic. Two future legs include participating in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and the 2010 Antigua Race Week. The boats are identical 67 foot steel hulled yachts owned by The Ministry of Defence.
First boat into Lanzarote was The Royal Navy’s Adventure, and she arrived on Monday evening. We met with skipper Michael Symes and Surgeon Lieutenant Darren Minshall. They talked in some detail about the trip, having to run into wind for the first half of the journey, then having the wind behind them for the second half. Michael explained that the constant sail changing meant that the crew had tried just about every sail combination in the book to maximise their speed! The only mishap on their trip was when Darren was hit hard on the nose by the boom. As the only Doctor on board, he had to treat himself in the mirror!
The Royal Air Force’s Discoverer came in on Tuesday morning, and their trip was marred by a steering breakage during the passage through The Bay of Biscay – during a force 8 storm. They managed to make some temporary repairs, and The Skipper, Canary Bob who has been visiting Lanzarote for years, was working hard on the steering assembly almost as soon as they had docked. The RAF team seem to have suffered the most from sea sickness, having several crew members out of action for a day or two in Biscay. They were unceremoniously nicknamed “Deck Gremlins.” We met Tornado pilot Ollie Moncrieff and the three female crew members Anna, Charran and Emma, as well as Steve, who had been messaged through our comments section earlier this week. Asked to sum up their experience, they all said “Hard work, but an amazing experience.”
The Army boat, Challenger, was the last to arrive at Puerto Calero and they’d had several problems which contributed to their later arrival. Once again The Bay of Biscay was their undoing – they mainsail was literally ripped in half by a gust of wind, meaning they had to rig a temporary main. Whilst doing that, they drifted miles off course. Just to add to the problems, they also lost communications, which meant the crew were unable to upload blogs, photos or contact their families. They had to wait a few days for calmer weather, and they were then able to repair the main and refit it to the mast – no mean task on a moving sailing boat. They then had a decent run with the wind behind them, “Goose winging” with sails out either side to get maximum speed, at which point their next disaster struck when a rope became wrapped around the propeller! This necessitated one brave crewman going over the side with a pair of goggles and slowly unwrapping the rope – all in a heavy swell. We were shown around the Army boat by Captain Paul Ramsey, and the boats are reasonably spacious, although the crew bunks are very tight! The interiors are well organized and fully equipped, although they are short of some mod cons – notably electric winches!
What struck me most was the team spirit on board all the vessels, and the friendly rivalry between the teams. There were all ranks present from Colonels and Squadron Leaders, to senior NCOs, and Privates and Cadets. But rank had been put aside for the trip, egos packed away, and everyone was just getting on with doing their best and enjoying the experience. That camaraderie and team working is what makes British Forces amongst the world’s best, and it was a pleasure to meet a fine bunch of folks who are representing their colleagues so well.
The crews will be on the island until Saturday 1st August when their replacements arrive. They are planning some short trips on the boats, perhaps to Gran Canaria, and some rest and relaxation in the sunshine.
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