An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 31 Values I saw all the DF core values of respect, loyalty, selflessness, physical and moral courage, and integrity, on display when things got difficult. Due to the diesel leak and violent con- ditions, the team could not even keep water down; yet ev- eryone dug deep. We bailed the diesel out of the bilge with a rag and bucket while the boat was slamming into 35kts of wind. The routine was to fill a bucket, empty it over the side, vomit, go back down and fill another bucket. Every member of the crew was a leader that day, and everyone stayed on the rail. Even at 3am, team members who had not eaten in 30 hours and were continually being drenched to the core with ice-cold Atlantic waves, were volunteering to rotate to the bow. Some say there are no atheists in a foxhole. I don't think there was one on the boat that night either. While this kind of offshore sailing may sound grim, even dangerous, it is precisely why we do adventure training in the military; to test leaders at all levels. When the wind eventually eased it did the worst possible thing; dying completely to leave the competitors in tortur- ous drifting conditions off the North Coast, where tides would frequently send you backwards. During this particu- larly trying time our electronic instruments died completely from the hammering we had received. Thankfully, Capt Buwalda effectively rebuilt the system in about four hours of relentless work, and we eventually escaped the North Coast with a great spin down the East Coast in 20kts. About 15 miles from the finish line we encountered more drifting conditions and a nail-biting finish after five days of nonstop racing and practically no sleep. Beaufort Cup The DF are involved with helping run the Beaufort Cup and one of the leading contributors is Cdr Brian Mathews, Commodore DF Sailing. This was the second iteration of the event and it was fantastic, involving 16 teams, comprising 160 competitors, including 30 DF sailors. There were teams from the US Marines, UK armed forces and Irish emergency services and included among the competitors were a number of national champions and Olympians. Eight of the 16 boats were highly competitive J109s. The short offshore Fastnet Rock Race is a scenic 24-hour drag race down and back. We sailed a solid night race and our naviga- tor, Comdt Ian Travers, made a good decision to split from the pack and go offshore for breeze, taking the lead in the final miles. The rest of the week was a tough battle, particularly the last race when we were over the line in the final double-points race. Yet again, true teamwork came into its own. Huge performances were put in by the whole team, notably Ens Marcus Ryan, sailing a flawless race to get us back into the fifth position we needed to secure overall victory. We are donating €5,000 of our winnings to Our Lady's Children's Hospital, and as a mark of respect to the fantastic competition put up by the second-placed RNLI crew, we are also donating €5,000 to their charity, Baltimore RNLI. Comdt Barry Byrne, Capt Mick Liddy (retd), Cdr Brian Mathews (Commodore, DF Sailing), Ens Marcus Ryan, Lt Alexander Rumball, Sgt Paddy McGrath, Lt Col Wayne Tyrell, and Capt Wietse Buwalda. Photo: David Branigan/Oceansport Comdt Barry Byrne, Ens Marcus Ryan, Comdt Ian Travers (retd), Teddy Byrne, Malcolm Moir, Louis Malloy, Lt Richie O'Hagan, Sgt Paddy McGrath, Lt Col Wayne Tyrell, and Cpl Brian Phelan (retd). THE TEAMS FOR THE TWO EVENTS WERE:

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