4 minute read
Ex BALEARIC WATCH
Scribe: 2Lt Ben Chandler
Castell De Cabrera Sunset
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After an early alarm at 0445 on the 20th of April 2022, it was time for seven personnel from 13 Fd Coy, 6 ACS REME, to meet at the parade square for our transport to Bristol Airport to begin Ex BALEARIC WATCH. After a smooth transition through checkin and security, it soon became apparent that we hadn’t even left the country and some of the individuals were already introduced to new experiences as they were about to embark an aeroplane for the first time in their lives.
Once arriving in Palma De Mallorca, we took a taxi to S’Arenal where we were met by the Skipper and our beautiful new home for two weeks – Spirit of St George II. After an introduction to the yacht accompanied with a safety brief from the Skipper, we headed out to purchase food for the week and began discussing the various options for our time on the yacht. Whether to head West around Port Adriano and along the coast to Se Dragonera or to head East towards Rapita and Portopetro. It was a unanimous decision to head East as it best avoided a storm and then opened an opportunity to spend a night in the beautiful nature reserve Cabrera Island.
Setting off after breakfast on Thursday 21st April, we began our first leg of the two weeks heading to Rapita and it only took ten minutes for the first individuals to discover their bodies didn’t enjoy being at sea. Five hours later, we arrived in Rapita where we were met with strong undercurrents making the berthing process challenging; but a good interest piece to demonstrate the various ways of securing a yacht in such waters. The next few days saw us sailing to Portpetro where we had to spend a few evenings to wait out a storm. During this, we explored the local town and a small cove in which we could swim and snorkel. Once the storm had blown over, we began a long sail upwind through bigger seas to get to Cabrera, a small Island South of Mallorca which is protected and only
Sailing to Cabrera The two crews before the meal out
accessible by boat. The sail there was tricky, exciting and a good demonstration of what the sea can quickly turn into and how best to manage it in a yacht. Once we arrived in Cabrera, the water was much calmer, and we were able to tie onto a mooring buoy for the night. We inflated the tender and made our way ashore to head up to the castle to watch the sun set over the island and into the sea. The next day was the final leg of the first week, back to S’Arenal, with blue skies and small winds, it was an idyllic sail back. After close down of the yacht ready for hand-over/take-over with the next crew from 13 Fd Coy, we headed into town for all 14 personnel to meet and have a team meal out. The crews changed over, and we conducted the first day administration similar to the first week – safety briefs, CILOR shops, and a route plan for the week. This time, there were no indications of storms but instead blue skies and gentle winds with 25-30C of sun. We decided we wanted to conduct some night sailing and headed South on a 13-hour sail towards San Antonio in Ibiza. With some exciting moments throughout the night from bio-luminescent jellyfish and dolphins to course-correction and 200m cargo-ships. After a safe arrival in San Antonio, we headed to the beach and spent the evening on a beach in the local town. The following day, we sailed Southwest and circumnavigated the island of Ibiza taking us into Botafoc Marina, on the South-Eastern side of the island. On this day, we had a good chance to swim in the middle of the sea, rigging a rope swing and ascend the mast at the sea. After an evening on the boat watching yet another beautiful sunset, we set off to spend the day in a hidden cove as we fished, swum, and prepared for another night sail back to Mallorca. Much like the first night sail, the return leg was ideal weather where we sailed alongside dolphins and through bright pink jellyfish that lit up the dark sea. Projected storms meant we spent two nights in Palma De Mallorca for the end of our trip, so we could spend a day in the local area on land instead of struggling to sail through potentially dangerous seas and close down the boat to prepare for 13 Fd Coys return to Tidworth on Wednesday 4th May.
Overall, this trip is best summarised by several senior soldiers who regularly said this Expedition was one of the best things the Army has offered them and that it demonstrated to the junior soldiers, what the Army can offer you. It is particularly important to thank and to note that none of this would have been possible without the support from the REME Charity and the Sandhurst Trust.
