A SENIOR cadet from Budmouth College’s Combined Cadet Force has achieved her Competent Crew Award by sailing across the Bay of Biscay.

Cadet RSM Dervla Ireland, studying at Budmouth Sixth Form, was one member of a crew comprising ten cadets and four adults who set off on an attempt to sail the Bay of Biscay.

The crossing is famed for its stormy Atlantic seas and with many yachting novices on board, it was set to be difficult.

The challenge started from La Coruna in Spain and finished at Brest in France.

Dervla said: “It was a fantastic yet challenging experience, requiring each of us to work as a team in order to successfully reach port.

“This became especially hard when half of the crew went down with sea sickness”.

The yacht was the Adventure 67 which had already undertaken many successful training voyages including several Atlantic crossings.

On arrival the cadets were first taught the basic drills of rigging the sails, navigating, ropework and safety drills.

To achieve their competency award, it was vital that all of the crew could complete every task – for example the helming and navigating of the boat.

The crew were split into two sections, blue and red watch and these teams then worked together throughout the voyage.

After becoming accustomed to the skills required, the crew set off on a short 20 nautical mile trip to learn how to sail the boat.

This was all completed successfully and so on the fourth day, the main expedition began.

Several sections of the journey required night sailing, so the watches would alternate every four hours to ensure some sleep was had.

Dervla said: “The Bay of Biscay has many wonderful sights, including pods of dolphins and historical coastal landmarks, which all added to the enjoyment of the trip.

“Eight days and 700 nautical miles later we arrived in Brest, having conquered rough conditions and some very difficult pilotage.”

The sailing course is just one of many available to students at Budmouth.

Cadets have also undertaken courses in flying, diving, electronics, gliding and adventure training.

Such experiences allow the young people to develop their skills and leadership potential as well as providing valuable experiences to enhance their future careers.