46 NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2008
Sam kind of
No-one can match
Bad weather
wonderful
guarantees
THE RN and RM combat
the Commandos
go-slow row
shooting team headed to the
deep south for their annual
ROYAL Marines Lt Orlando
interational shoot-off, Exercise
Rogers and Capt Ben Gaffney
Uncle Sam.
didn’t break the Atlantic rowing
Little Rock in Arkansas was
record sadly.
the venue for the event – but
As Navy News went to press,
before the two four-man teams
the duo’s boat Go Commando
headed to the USA, they spent
AFTER a break of some was still at sea, 52 days into its
a week at Bisley readying 12 years, the Services are
attempt to reach Antigua.
themselves, writes Cpl T Potts.
getting back into sailing’s
The two officers had hoped to
That meant dry firing, live
match racing.
break the record for rowing the
firing and a spot of physical
great ocean, covering the 3,000
fitness (the fact that two out of
With each of the Services now
miles from La Gomera in the
five of the team were matelots
owning at least one Laser SB3, the
Canaries in 37 days.
apparently meant some cross-
Royal Naval Sailing Association
In fact, no-one broke the
country runs were required to
(RNSA) decided that it was about
record on this year’s race; the first
prepare them for the ‘march
time that the they were put to
boat didn’t cross the finishing line
and shoot’ element of Uncle
good use re-introducing the art of
until Day 49 of the contest.
Sam).
match racing to Forces sailors.
That was largely due to
Before flying out to the US,
As a result the Joint Services
less-than-favourable weather
the team had a sponsors’
Match Racing Championships
conditions, which for team Go
dinner night at the Artist
were staged in Portsmouth.
Commando reached their nadir
Rifles’ clubhouse – followed
Eight teams, each from a
over the festive season.
by a demonstration shoot with
different Naval Command or Army
“For us, these ten days seemed
several ‘Gucci’ Heckler and
Corps, and a healthy mixture of
like some kind of never-ending
Koch weapons: rifles, pistols
dinghy and yacht sailors, arrived
ready to battle it out on a benign
story – as if we were suspended
and sub-machine guns. The
Solent.
in time,” said Orlando.
phrase ‘kids in a sweet shop’
The fi rst day was used for
“We both made daily
springs to mind.
training to allow everyone to
calculations of average speed,
The journey to Little Rock
hone their boat handling skills in
average weekly speed to best
was probably the longest day
something bigger than Laser 2000,
predict our arrival in Antigua.
ever – but if it wasn’t then
the standard services dinghy, and
“We came to terms with the
another record was apparently
much smaller than the smallest
fact that effort on the oars was
broken: most food consumed in
Services yachts.
not proportional to speed, and
a given period.
Alan Baser of the RYA, the
as there was nothing we could
There was, of course, dry
event umpire, greeted competitors
do but pray to Poseidon and the
firing, Beretta and rifle training,
on the second day and gave a very
weather man, we accepted our
a check zero, run-down and
well received brief on the rules
progress thus.”
match practices, plus shooting
and intricacies of match racing.
Depending on weather and
at distances of 400-600 metres.
With his salient points in mind the
current, the marines covered
Sufficiently fed and worked
● The commandos race through the water on their way to the Joint Services Match title
teams headed for the water ready
between 16 miles each day and
up, the teams were fired up for
for the two league round robin last day were decided leaving the With a race win apiece the Joint learning experience from the
342 (they must have had three
the second week of Uncle Sam
stage. marines the favourites but with Services Champions were to be beginning is an understatement,”
Weetabix for breakfast... or
– the competition phase.
With both pace and consistency plenty of talent in the mix ready to decided by the last race of the said RNSA Rear Commodore
perhaps the GPS was playing
Unfortunately, it got off to
the Royal Marines team, skippered push them all the way. day. Dinghies, Cdr Wayne Shirley.
up – Ed) – although typically
a bad start; the first two ETR
by C/Sgt Grahame Forshaw, On the last day after some robust As is so often the case in match “We have learned a great deal
with good conditions, they were
matches did not count towards
showed the greatest promise in action but no damage, all but the racing, everything was decided already on the organisation of the
clocking up around 60 miles
the result.
Nevertheless, after a dozen
League One, whilst the error prone fi nal two teams were eliminated. in a rather rumbustious pre-start event and lessons for next time.
every 24 hours.
or so individual and team
antics of the teams in League Two As expected, the Marines had sequence and it was the Royal “The event has massive potential
After 52 days in the water, the
events for both the A and
left a three-way tie for the top kept their cool and made it through Marines who came out on top and has already given eight teams a
two Royals were just 250 miles
B squads, the B team took
spot. to the three-race fi nal against before sailing a clean race to take great introduction to match racing
short of their goal.
one first place and the A one
After some careful calculations the Royal Corps of Signals team the title. – we will defi nitely be running this
And despite being in their 24ft
third place. Most satisfyingly,
the teams for the fi nal on the skippered by Col Alex Tucker. “To say that this has been a again next year.”
boat considerably longer than
however, the Brits collectively
hoped, the duo managed to keep
smashed the best time in a
spirits up.
physical match on the final day.
Aside from watching fish and
Uncle Sam closed with an
sharks – and being a source of
awards banquet where there
Hoop-er performances on the court
wonderment for passengers on a
was “some posh nosh” as
passing cruise ship – the Royals
A MOST encouraging fi xtures weekend at left on the clock with a fi ne three-pointer from (HMNB Clyde) and POPT(RI) Stacy Watt
well as a rather good speech
have stayed sober by means only
HMS Drake saw the Royal Navy’s Senior captain ET(ME) Justin Campbell (HMS (HMS Collingwood).
by a former military aide to
Royals know: dipping into the
basketball squad win all three matches against Sultan) – the fi nal result being 91-89. Further progress was made against Plymouth
President Reagan.
green berets’ big book of jokes
some strong Devonian and Cornish opposition, Although Campbell had the fi nal say, several University and Callington Fury, losing 54-72
And with that the shootists
and playing charades... naked.
writes Cdr Rob Knill, RNRM Basketball others contributed to an exceptional all-round and 53-90 respectively.
prepared to return to Blighty...
You can read the pair’s diary at
Association chairman. team effort over perhaps the most successful Signifi cant performances were put in
but not before they’d squeezed
www.rowcommando.com
Tough training soon transferred to the court fi xtures weekend in recent times throughout a tough series of games, especially
in a trip to Memphis and
with a very competitive fi rst game against In particular, ET(ME)s Myron Campbell by the likes of WS Luke ‘Manners’ Manly
Graceland. Thank you very
Plymouth University that saw the Royal Navy and Blair Charles, PO(MEA) Scott Chapman (HMS Bulwark) and Andy Tavender (HMS
much...
complete a very controlled 81-68 victory. (also all HMS Sultan), ET(ME) John Enniful Chatham) and ET(ME) Ben Whitacker (HMS
Victory at
Testing their fi tness levels later in the same (HMS Ark Royal) and Mne James Woodcock Sultan) who as captain took a great deal on his
Novices grab
day with a smooth performance against local (RMB Stonehouse) stood out. Things certainly shoulders and showed strong leadership.
Plymouth league side Kitto Kings (running out bode well for the remainder of the season at the All in all, this was a tremendously positive
home for
87-56 winners), this was ideal preparation for senior level. weekend of tough ball and the squad now looks
boxing titles
a terrifi c last game of the weekend against the Coming together for the fi rst time this season, forward to even stronger competition in HMS
very strong Founders Cup outfi t Wadebridge the junior squad also exceeded all expectations Collingwood on February 29 to March 2, at
Pompey
Storm. when pitted against well-drilled opposition which the ladies squad will also run out against
THREE RN personnel hold A real challenge for the Senior Service and are already showing much promise for the two local sides.
THERE haven’t been too many
novice boxing titles after victory side, this highly-charged match had all the remainder of the season as well as the Inter- Further details about RN basketball from
of those this season thanks to
in the national fi nals at London’s qualities required for a good game of basketball Services in late April. Cdr Knill at DE&S Andover on 94391 7641.
Pompey’s rather hit-and-miss
York Hall. – strength, fi tness, skill, team work and fi nesse. They ran local league side Liskeard Falcons For the senior squad contact Cdr Sam Baker
(more miss – Pompey fan Deputy
AB Ross Murray (51kg) Class With no more than two or three points very close in their fi rst match only to be pipped sambaker@fl agshiptraining.co.uk or 02392
Ed) home form.
B, Mne Joe Harvey (91kg) Class between the two sides throughout the whole at the fi nal whistle 49-51, which impressed 339236. For the juniors, contact POPT Watt
But now there’s a Victory
B and Mne John Winters (91kg game, the match was won with just a second the new coaching team of Nigel Cheesman 93825 3712 or stacy@wattnots.co.uk
every match day at Fratton
plus) Class B all returned from
Park.
‘the smoke’ with trophies. For
The Premiership football
John it was the second title in six
months, having already lifted the
Class A trophy.
Bees stinging in Bahrain
team have named their largest
hospitality suite after HMS
Victory – and will help RN
At the RN level, HMS
and RM personnel and their
Collingwood hosts the RN Inter-
children.
Unit Cup on February 21 with PERHAPS with a name like A couple of thousand Sadly, we don’t have moves from Bahrain’s well drilled
The Victory Lounge
the Fareham base determined to Manchester, it’s not surprising miles later, the 2nd XI a report from that three-quarter line.
– complete with an engraving
hold on to the trophy it won 12 that this ship is passionate about trotted out (thanks to a encounter; we do have one Both sides were trading some
of Nelson’s flagship – was
months ago. football. mix-up) against Bahrain’s from Manchester’s next hard tackling, one recipient of note
unveiled by the club and
There will be ten bouts on the The destroyer has mustered two 1st XI (gulp). Despite run-out against Bahrain was WO2(WEA) ‘Jan’ Leeming,
Victory’s CO Lt Cdr John
night (plus possibly a couple of football teams for its seven-month fielding a slightly – who had already who found himself eating dust
Scivier as Pompey announced
female bouts and youngsters from deployment with the USS Harry S younger side, the dispatched HMS and getting tackled by Bahrain’s
closer ties between the team
Gosport Borough Boxing Club to Truman (a ship’s company well in destroyer men were Argyll. honorary member and outside
and the RN.
begin the evening). Doors to the excess of 200 helps with numbers, no march for the The sailors opened centre – Gemma, a student from
The club will give four tickets
SARC open at 1830. of course). locals and went down the scoring with a England.
to every home game to the RN
The previous two nights, The 1st XI have, perhaps as 7-0. converted try from The game was played in a very
& RM Children’s Fund – which
Collingwood’s SARC also hosts befits their name and status, fared Luckily for the ship, LS(CIS) ‘Pony’ good, competitive spirit, and with helps the sons and daughters
the preliminary rounds. slightly better to date than the honour was restored by Moore. Gemma on the fi eld for Bahrain, of serving and ex-serving
Tickets for fight night are second team. the first team who put on Having scored fi rst, the Bees sent on ladies CS player, sailors and green berets with
available from POPT Mark Both sides were in action in a scintillating performance, the team were buoyed, but LPT Lou Clarke, the ship’s clubz financial support, including
Brocklesby or LPT Daz Hoare on Catania, Sicily, where the 1st XI particularly in the first half, this early pressure merely fi red (and also Egg and Spoon Race foundation places at Reeds
93825 2625. narrowly overcame Italian Navy banging in four goals against the up Bahrain who quickly realised Champ, U5s 1987). School in Cobham, Surrey.
side Maristaeli (it would, we’re Bahrainis for just one in reply. the sailors had not turned up for a The Medical Offi cer advised Pompey are also providing
SUBMISSIONS for the sports
told have been 3-1, not 2-1, but Not content with fielding two practice match. that only fi ve minutes would be 100 tickets for each home
pages of Navy News’ March
for a ‘howler’ by LS(CIS) ‘Not so football teams, the Busy Bee also They they responded by upping suitable, but due to clubz’s poor fixture to the RN to distribute
edition must be received by
marvellous’ Nelson). has a healthy rugby union squad their tempo by a huge margin – and timekeeping, she managed to stay to personnel – and sailors
Thursday February 14.
The 2nd XI took on a US team under CPO Miller. Manchester spent the remainder on for 20 minutes. from foreign warships visiting
You can send your articles
from their naval base at Sigonella The senior rate has reinvigorated of the half on the back foot. All in all it was an excellent Portsmouth.
via NavyStar to Navy News,
and despite giving 100 per cent the sport and refreshed links with When the Bees swarmed effort and the result (30-10 to “The RN and Portsmouth
via external e-mail to edit@
effort (particularly impressive from top side Sale Sharks. forward, they could not break Bahrain) didn’t matter... and FC are integral parts of what
navynews.co.uk, or you can
a side with five players around the On the pitch, the Bees destroyed through the home side’s defence, WO2 Leeming won a new trophy makes the city of Portsmouth
call us on 023 9229 4228.
40-year-old mark), the Bees went the American Eagles (NAS and were severely punished after a – ‘ex-fi eldgunner tackled by a girl what it is today,” said Lt Cdr
down 4-1. Sigonella) in Sicily. few missed tackles and some slick award’. Scivier.
046_NN_Feb.indd 1 22/1/08 11:33:08
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