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Home » Stories » Black Watch Battalion ACF Faramir Sailing Trip

Black Watch Battalion ACF Faramir Sailing Trip

Cadets develop their skills and confidence post-lockdown.

27 April 2022

Black Watch Battalion ACF enjoyed a successful week of sailing and adventure aboard the Faramir. ⛵

The group sailing trip (initially planned for 2020) finally went ahead in October 2021 thanks to the persistence of Battalion staff doing some amazing work behind the scenes!

For some of the Cadets this was their very first time away from home, and for the majority the most social contact they’d had since the start of the pandemic.

Building friendships while discovering new skills and experiences.

Fundraising was almost non-existent due to the recent pandemic, but with the support of The Battalion, grants, and donations we were able to get the trip down to £100 for every participant – making the trip an experience that every Cadet could afford.

The group sailed not only during the day but also throughout the night. Over 48 hours of sailing around the British coast was achieved, including a trip to the Isle of Wight, docking both in a harbour area and on open water.

Black Watch Battalion Cadets learning navigation — Black Watch Battilion Cadets learning navigation skills aboard the Faramir ship.

Cadets were shown around the deck

and became crew members for the week!

Cadets learnt a wide range of skills during their time together aboard the Faramir. Such as…

Black Watch Battalion cadets learn new skills.

Over the course of the week aboard the boat the crew developed as a team, growing in confidence, teamwork, and leadership abilities. To quote the words of Lt Adams ” It was incredible to see the independence and camaraderie develop between a great group of Cadets who had met just a week prior on the bus!”

The trip served a few very important development goals for the young cadets of The Black Watch Battalion ACF. All Cadets enjoyed themselves, learnt new skills, and were finally awarded either a crew qualification or competent crew by the end of the week.