48 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2007
NNext monthext month
‘The most
God-forsaken
spectacle’
– the Royal
Navy at
Third Ypres
● An athletic dive for the ball as HMS Neptune and Seahawk compete for the Navy Cup at Burnaby Road. See page 46 for the story
Picture: LA(Phot) Gregg Macready, FRPU Whale Island
‘Real strides’
Navy’s cross purpose
– the sailors
and Royal
A
SEXTET of RN swimmers
be underestimated.
powered their way to
“More people have climbed Everest than
Marines
victory in the fi rst Inter-
swum the Channel.
“There may have been many questioning
Services Channel relay race. our sanity but when this event occurs in the
training
The team arrived at Cap Gris Nez near future, most of the same team members will
Calais more than half an hour ahead of be vying for places.”
Iraq’s Navy
their nearest rivals, the Army, after taking The Army took second place, the RAF
it in turns to spend an hour at a time in the third with the Army Air Corps bringing up
cool waters between England and France. the rear.
The race began in the darkness at Not content with swimming the Channel,
Shakespeare Beach outside Dover with the Lt Buck married RAF team captain Simon
RAF, Army and Army Air Corps lined up Buchan ten days after the swim; the couple
against the Senior Service team. CPO(MA) honeymooned in New Zealand... where
Mark Franklin (MDHU Portsmouth) was they just happened to compete in an open
the first RN swimmer into the water; water race.
he would be followed eventually by OM Returning to more regular water-borne
Gemma Howells (RNAS Yeovilton), Lt activities, three RN water polo players were
Steve Berry (Collingwood), Sarah Buck selected for the Combined Services team
(BRNC), Lt Caroline Smart (Sultan), and for the triangular CS-Police-Civil Service
Lt Cdr Alister Witt (HMS Excellent). contest at RAF Cranwell, as were eight
The water was choppier and colder (a swimmers.
Net gains
paltry 14˚C) than it had been at the height The civvies were dispatched 16-11, but
of summer for a cross-Channel.
● Lt Steve Berry powers his way through the Channel in his second leg of the relay
the police proved tougher opponents.
– a ‘fi ne’
“The start of the race was like a scene MA Mark Edmonds (Cdo Logs Regt
from a jailbreak,” said Lt Cdr Witt. “There
shipping lanes provided a few close as-the-crow-flies distance between Britain
Medical Squadron), Mne Rob French
were four swimmers dressed only in trunks
moments when larger container vessels and France.
summer for
(42 Cdo) and the experienced Lt Keith
on a beach illuminated by individual
breezed past,” Lt Cdr Witt said. “Thanking It fell to OM Howells (pictured below
Considine (RN/RAF Cranwell) turned out
spotlights.”
our lucky stars that they missed, we then about to leap into the water) to swim the final
The Crabs set the pace initially, but the
had to put up with their wash for the next leg to victory.
marina Continued on page 47
the Fishery
RN took the lead during the second leg
few minutes.” The team then celebrated for three
of the challenge – and the other Services
Contending with shipping wasn’t the minutes at Gris Nez before heading back to
Protection spent the rest of the race fighting for the
worst part of the race. No, the worst Blighty by boat (French Customs allowed
runners-up spots.
part was that first hour-long swim in the them to stay no longer).
Squadron
By the time the swimmers closed in on
darkness, diving into a black, rough sea. “There wasn’t one member of the team
the French coast, the teams were diverging
“That was by far the worst part of the that was able to pull themselves out of the
to take account of the tides; the RN headed
crossing – when you touch things or things water after their second spell in the water
east, their rivals headed west.
touch you in the middle of the Channel in – each person had given their all to try to
It proved a wise decision, although the
the dark, you can do nothing more than secure victory,” said Lt Cdr Witt.
Senior Service swimmers enjoyed a few
keep on swimming until your hour is over,” “Having completed the crossing, I think
close shaves as the support boat looked
said Lt Cdr Witt. we confirmed that we were probably mad,
out not merely for commercial ships but
The team touched French soil, or rather but if asked whether we’d do it again, I
also gannets, apparently known to dive on
French rocks, after 11h 6m in the water. think most of us would say ‘yes’.”
swimmers (attracted by the splashing and
Thanks to tides the sextet had actually Lt Berry, a veteran of the last RN
thrashing, we’re told).
covered 30 miles, not the 21-mile Channel relay in 1996, added: “It’s
“The navigation of the
just an awesome event which cannot
‘Almost a
civilising
effect’
– 15 years of
women at sea
in the RN
100%
NEW LIFESTYLE. NEW ZEALAND. NAVY
See page 37 for information on the exciting new opportunities available now.
Published by Navy News, HMS Nelson, Portsmouth and printed by St Ives (Andover) plc.
0048_NN_Sept.indd 148_NN_Sept.indd 1 221/8/07 10:32:461/8/07 10:32:46
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