Exercise Transglobe crews prepare for Rolex Sydney Hobart race

by Peta Stuart-Hunt on 22 Dec 2009 'After five demanding and event filled legs, the yachts have completed 16,000 miles of the full 34,000 nm circumnavigation. The boats are in excellent condition, a testament to the combination of the preparation they received before leaving the UK, and the maintenance work completed by all the crews. The crews have received outstanding support and hospitality at each of the crew changeover ports and there’s a huge amount of interest in what we are doing, particularly in the use of sailing as an Adventurous Training activity' sums up Sqn Ldr Neil Cottrell, Exercise Transglobe Project Team Leader.

The British Armed Forces are running Exercise Transglobe, involving the Royal Navy, Army and the RAF each sailing a Challenge 67ft steel-hulled yacht around the world over a 12 month period. The aim of this training Exercise, the largest ever undertaken, is to develop the personal qualities essential for members of the UK's modern fighting forces. The year-long voyage is broken up into 13 separate stages or ‘legs’, each of which has a different skipper and crew. Some of the crew are very experienced sailors, whilst some are rank novices; very few have completed anything like the 5 week non-stop ocean passages that most legs comprise. During a leg, the crew members sleep in cabins of 3, with a canvas sling each for a bunk and a single small drawer to contain all their gear and personal items. Watch systems vary considerably with each crew, but a normal routine might be 4 hours on watch and 4 hours off watch - for the whole passage.

The experienced race teams from each of the Services have now arrived in Sydney and are preparing themselves and the boats for the challenge of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Their Crewsaver safety equipment has passed the mandatory six-monthly inspection and they are confident that their Gill OC Racer clothing will enable them to perform at their best.

HMSTVs Adventure of Hornet (Navy), Challenger of Hornet (Army) and Discoverer of Hornet (RAF) will be on the start line on Boxing Day, December 26th, jostling for position and racing for, amongst other things, the Oggin Cup, an inter-services trophy awarded at the end of the race that the CYCA (Cruising Yacht Club of Australia) has kindly re-instated for the winning military team. First contested in 1984 the Oggin Cup has had British winners before and it will be interesting to see how the intense service rivalry develops between the Transglobe fleet as well as with any other service yachts entered this year.

'Physical and mental fatigue are clearly challenges to be overcome'
A member of the RAF, Flt Lt Morwenna MacGillivray, is about to embark on Leg 6, one of only two bona fide racing legs during this Exercise. She observes: 'Physical and mental fatigue are clearly challenges to be overcome, along with the sheer difficulty of managing the immense loads on the sails and rigging of a 40-ton steel boat; each member of the crew must learn to work effectively as a team member in order for the yacht to sail safely. For most of us, a leg of Transglobe will be the greatest challenge faced in our Service careers, away from the front line of deployed operations. The team-working skills we learn crossing the Atlantic or in the fierce Southern Ocean will be important elements of our personal development, and we will learn lessons that will enable us to be better prepared for the challenges that await when we return to deployed service in Afghanistan and other areas of high tempo operations around the world.'

Although Leg 6 is the shortest leg of the Exercise at 640nm, it will no doubt also prove to be the most intense as the crews racing on each of the three Transglobe yachts are determined to represent their country and their Service to the best of their ability with a fast time, and even hoping for some silverware. The Sydney Hobart is one of the greatest ocean races in yachting’s grand prix racing calendar, and Morwenna says that the crews are excited and a little anxious about it as the time draws closer. 'Our Royal Air Force team has sailed together three times since selection began at the start of 2009, in order to ensure that we work together effectively as a team. In August we completed the Rolex Fastnet Race in an historic yacht, HMSTC Dasher.'

The Royal Air Force boat undertaking Exercise Transglobe is HMSTV Discoverer (or ‘Disco’ as she has been nicknamed), and her skipper is Becky Walford. Becky flew out early to Sydney in order to start the lengthy repairs the boat needed after the Southern Ocean crossings from Cape Town to Perth and then from Perth to Sydney. The remaining RAF crew members flew out from Heathrow on 17 December with their Team Captain, Flight Lieutenant Pete Cooper, who is based at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire. Other Disco crew members include Flight Lieutenant Tamsin Ryall, a Search and Rescue helicopter pilot from Chivenor in Devon; Sergeant Kez Parker, a Search and Rescue winchman instructing at Royal Air Force Valley in Anglesey and Wing Commander Nick Carter, from the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Unit Headley Court. Morwenna, who is the least experienced member of the crew, is also based at Royal Air Force Valley in Anglesey, where she works in the Headquarters of the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service.

Whichever Transglobe team wins, the crews will have fulfilled their ambition to take part in this world famous race and will have fantastic memories.

Standings after five legs

After consideration of the damage incurred in the Southern Ocean on Leg 4 and the completion of the relatively benign Leg 5, the overall standings are:

1st RAF with 12 points
2nd Army with 16 points
3rd RN with 19 points