03/11/2026
RMCs Offshore Report Channel Islands
Report by Cdt Williams Dover and Deal Sea & Royal Marines Cadets (RMC)
As a Royal Marines Cadet, I have been fortunate enough to have access to the many amazing opportunities that the cadets has to offer. I am particularly lucky to have been onboard the sea cadets’ offshore vessels, particularly the yachts. This year, I went on my third voyage with the offshore fleet, sailing between the Channel Islands onboard TS Sir Stelios, a Rustler 42 training yacht, alongside her sister yacht, TS City of London.
Having flown into Guernsey, I was shuttled to the yachts located in St Peter Port, the largest town on the island. Having met the crew for the week; which comprised of 5 other cadets and two adult instructors; we headed to the nearby Victorian Pools before an early night for the week ahead.
The morning was spent learning our way around the yacht before our first passage of the week. Having left the marina, we set our waypoints for St Helier in Jersey. The voyage was a long and uncomfortable one, with strong wind and tall waves directly astern making for an unstable and bumpy experience. Though I have spent a significant amount of time on the sea, this passage proved to me that seasickness hits everyone (yes, I did clean up the deck afterwards). Despite this slight setback, it was still nice to see a large pod of dolphins, as well as land on the other side! Having come alongside, we spent the evening on shore leave, stocking up on Jersey milk and taking full advantage of the Channel Islands’ only KFC (and yes, it did disappoint).
The second day was not to be so leisurely, with a 6AM wakeup call resulting in a few less-than-energetic looking faces. Even so, however, we stuck to schedule, and were out of St Helier harbour shortly after 7:30, beating the falling tide.It was to be the longest passage of the week, between Jerseyand the small Island of Alderney; a 6-hour sail away. Compared to the day before, the weather was dramatically different, with far flatter waters. There was, however, also a significant lack of wind. This meant that the day would be spent primarily ‘motor-sailing’, where we use our engine alongside the sails to keep on moving, something which is particularly important due to the strong tidal currents of the area. This also allowed me to put my day skipper knowledge to good use, ordering the hoisting of a motoring cone under Rule 25(e) of IRPCS (International Regulation for the Prevention of Collision at Sea).
It is a known fact that yachting is rarely plain sailing(excuse the pun), as was to be proven during this passage. Having been sailing for almost 3 hours, we noticed our battery voltage was continuously decreasing, something which is often considered bad news for a yacht running so much electrical equipment, including our chart plotters. This was particularly bad as were to be without shore power that evening, as we were on a mooring buoy just off the coast. Having arrived at Alderney, therefore, we rafted up against the other yacht on a mooring buoy as a precaution and headed ashore for some time to explore. Worst of all, the power issueprevented us from charging our phones before shore leave, what a travesty! Having explored the peculiar landscape of the island, we returned to the yacht via the water taxi for a night of gentle rocking by the waves, and some astoundingly clear skies!
Wednesday was a late start, giving us time to head ashore for a little more time on the island, meaning we took full advantage of Alderney’s stunning beach landscapes. We also visited Jean’s stores, Alderney’s only supermarket, where we bought essentials including Haribos, Pringles and Celebrations (vital for a long yacht trip, of course). The reason for our late start was the tide, as our aim was to catch the famous Alderney Race, a fast and rocky tidal passage. Having left the safe haven of Brays Bay, we were straight into the action, with a moderate breeze against the tide forming some lively chop. While progress felt slow, the navs said otherwise, with our 5 knots of Speed Through Water (STW) being turned into a staggering 19 knots of Speed Over Ground (SOG) due to the immense tidal currents travelling with us (For reference, that’s a tidal current almost 3 times faster than the River Thames at its fastest point). This meant that a 20-mile passage which would have otherwise taken at least 4 hours ended up taking just 1 hour 15 minutes, giving us plenty of time to practice Man Overboard (MOB) drills before approaching the harbour of Beaucette. Whilst we had originally planned to anchor off the island of Sark, our power issues (which we diagnosed as a broken alternator) meant operating the anchor was sadly no longer possible. The approach to Beaucette was, it turns out, to be one of the riskiest moments of the week, as the harbour had a very tight entrance, with rocky walls just a metre or two away from either side of the yacht. Furthermore,it was shallow, which proved particularly nerve-wracking for me on the bow, as the clear waters meant I could see the sharp rocks passing just centimetres below the deep keel. Thankfully, the risk was worth it, as the harbour was undoubtedly the prettiest of the week; a real reward for the entire career towards the end of a busy week.
Thursday was sadly to be the last day of sailing, with only a short passage between Beaucette and the neighbouring St Peter Port, where we had started the week. However, the passage was by no means an easy one, with shallow waters, narrow channels and submerged rocks making it very precarious for a 42-foot yacht. It was, therefore, pretty surprising when Neale (the skipper), handed me the wheel to complete the passage. This not only put my skills learnt during the week to the test, but every skill I have ever learnt as a sailor, using lookouts on the bow and messengers on the midships to report hazards and obstacles back to me and the first mate in the cockpit. Having swerved more submerged pot-buoys than I could count, we arrived at the welcoming walls of St Peter Port. We then conducted a deep clean of the entire vessel, before heading back to the Victorian Pools, followed by a meal at a local restaurant and some time to look around the town. We then spent one last night on the yacht and took some time in the morning to say our goodbyes before heading to Guernsey airport for the flight home.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time onboard TS Sir Stelios, particularly because of the fantastic Skipper Neale, and brilliant First Mate Henry. It was also a pleasure to spend the week with such an amazing group of cadets, both on my yacht and the other, and we are all still in contact despite following the voyage. I learnt many new skills and have gained some valuable wisdom, particularly in how to deal with seasickness, but hopefully that won’t happen again! The sea cadets offshore programme is truly an exceptional experience, and I am extremely grateful to have had access to it as a Royal Marines Cadet.
Well done and thank you Cdt Williams.
