Recollections of Level 3 Clipper Training in the UK

Level 3 Theory 16^th to 20^th April.

Level 3 Practical 20^th to 25^th April

We came off the yacht on the morning of April 16 to start L3 Theory; there were only two of us doing the back to back stint - Tim L & myself.

We said good bye to the one group and introduced ourselves to the new group.

Justine who likes to be called Jussie is a recipient of a double lung transplant (more about her later), Tim L, Laura, Richard, Lesley & Peter (both of whom I did Level 1 with), Vanessa & Patrick, myself and our instructor James.

From the word go we knew this was not going to be a doddle. Subjects to be covered included International Rules for Preventing Collision at Sea, Definition of Position, Course & Speed, Navigational Charts & Publications, Navigational Drawing Instruments, Compass, Chartwork, Tides, Tidal Streams & Ocean Currents, Visual Aids to Navigation.

Our heads were spinning; we had heard that some students had failed only the week before so the pressure was on.

Most evenings we had up to 2 hours homework so we would order dinner as a group and swat the books before and after we were served.

The group was very supportive of one another and the further the course went, it became clear that without that support, some of us would have struggled, including me.

I’ve got to thank Vanessa & Patrick for shining the light more than once.

We all sat the two 1½ hour exams on the last day and all passed. Fanbloodytastic - another piece of the puzzle achieved.

The energy and drive that Jussie shared with us was an inspiration. We think this whole Clipper race is a challenge, put yourself in her shoes for a moment and you would really know what a challenge is. Check out her blog http://www.justinedoublelungs.blogspot.com/

All the best to you Jussie for the leg of the race that you are competing in.

What took a little while to adjust to was the fact that I was entering coordinates for the Northern Hemisphere. That just didn’t seem to be right. 

Accommodation during the 5 days of theory was a local guest house 'Spring Gardens' just 10 minutes walk from Clipper. Thirty pounds a night with full English breakfast included. I would recommend it to anybody!

Not everybody doing the theory course was going straight on to the practical, so some of us were saying goodbye again and about to meet more new potential crew mates.

Lesley, Tim L, Peter, Vanessa, Patrick & myself stayed on and were joined by Joanne, Shona, Lexi (who I did Level 1 with), Agi, Lloyd & Nick. Our skipper was Gareth and our first mate was Vicki.

From the word go we were a formidable team. We may not have got all the sailing skills off pat yet but we bonded almost instantly. We knew that the aim of Level 3 Practical was to operate under race conditions; we were split into two watches and rotated on four hour shifts.

After the first night at the marina in Gosport we were going to be at sea for the next few days. The skipper was going to give us the latest weather forecast in the morning and then off we go.

From the onset the weather/wind conditions were variable but it was decided by the skipper and first mate that we would sail down and around the Channel Islands along the coast of France and then make a loop back to Gosport after four days.
We were back to working through all the safety & sail drills we had been put through previously plus some more.

Reefing and spinnaker work was the go. Gareth &Victoria were patience personified as we coped with sleep deprivation and trying to do the sail changes in the dark. Sleeping was an initial problem because the drills were carried out day and night, but as we got more tired, we wouldn’t even stir if the crew on deck came down below to get another sail.

We were then introduced to three hour rosters. This meant that when you changed, you would only be asleep for what felt like 10 minutes before being woken up ½ an hour before your change of shift, getting all your wet weather gear back on and grabbing a cup of tea before we started. We were finding out our limits, the great thing was no one lost their cool (at least not openly); there were some rumblings as we went to bed but they were all self directed.

We saw the Channel Islands from every which way; we went around and through them, then continued along the French coast. The skipper then informed us we will be going to Dieppe. Good one Gareth; we will have some hot showers toilet and then a bite to eat. The maximum time ashore after tying up was 5 hours.

We were delighted, a break, a shower, food served, what else could you ask for?

Five hours it was; it was Easter and the port was full. We were the largest yacht there and people were gawking at the yacht and the Clipper ‘round the world 11/12 race’ logo. Momentarily we were celebrities in some peoples’ eyes. We departed at 9.30pm and our watch was active. Back to reality.

I thoroughly enjoyed the time on board for Level 3; it was the greatest challenge to date but the other crew members made it doable because of their ‘can do’ approach. Thanks crew mates.

The homework for me before I do Level 4 is to continue to revise the training manual and my notes.

Sailing is all about process, the names are part of the process obviously but knowing the process is paramount. Night sailing is the challenge at the moment because you can’t see the colours of the sheets or halyards even under a red lamp.

Safety, process & teamwork – that’s my Modus Operandi to go to the next level.

We had a couple of drinks on our last night in port and as we dispersed in the morning (after a deep clean) most of the team indicated that they would be attending the crew allocation, skipper appointments and yacht nominations in Southampton on April 30.

It will be a big day - I will let you know the outcome.

PS The big wedding is on the 29/4/11 I will let you know how I went and who I caught up with. Look for me on the box!!!