OYT Training Weekend - Day 2

Sunday 11^th February 2024

0930 hrs

Accident and Incident Avoidance and Management for Watchleaders and Bosuns
I was looking forward to this talk with great interest, but the talk was clearly mis-titled. The speaker had lots to say about things in general where I was looking for a more detailed look at issues with Prolific and the trust’s safety management system.

1400 hrs

Chart corrections, Life rafts and lifejackets, and a Safeguarding update
An afternoon made up of three sections, chart corrections and the new electronic way that the Hydrographic Office sends out chart updates.

A session on checking and packing lifejackets, and the demonstration of inflating a liferaft from Ocean Safety. It is always fun to see a liferaft inflate.

The final session was on Safeguarding and the changes that have happened over the last year.

2100 hrs

Arrived back in Devon. Drove the coast road, heavy traffic.

All times are UTC.

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Sunrise: 0725 hrs Sunset: 1731 hrs

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Weather: The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 23:30 (UTC) on Sat 10 Feb 2024 for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Sun 11 Feb 2024 to 00:00 (UTC) on Mon 12 Feb 2024 .

Dover, Wight

Cyclonic becoming west, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in Wight. Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in north Dover and rough in west Wight. Showers. Good, occasionally moderate

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 11/02/2024

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OYT Training Weekend - Day 1

Saturday 10^th February 2024

0500 hrs

Jumped in the car for the early morning drive to Gosport and the annual OYT training weekend. Always a good time to catch up with Sea Staff and get up to date with things. Thankfully, my First Aid at Sea was still in date so that was not my top proprity.

0830 hrs

Arrived at Gosport Cruising Club to sign in and start the day then spotted one of the Navy's aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) at Portsmouth

0930 hrs

Introduction to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

One of many talks I have attended on the subject, but with particular emphasis on Refugees. Fascinating to hear somebody talk with real life experience and not what you read in the press.

1400 hrs

Mental Wellbeing

A mental health talk with a difference, how to look after yourself rather than what to look out for in others.

1900 hrs

Mark, the CEO, gave his summary of last year. His always a very engaging speaker and a joy to listen to.

Most people stayed for dinner and drinks at the bar where we caught up with each other's news, swapped stories and looked forward to the new sailing season.

All times are UTC.

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Sunrise: 0736 hrs Sunset: 1721 hrs

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Weather: The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 23:30 (UTC) on Fri 9 Feb 2024 for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Sat 10 Feb 2024 to 00:00 (UTC) on Sun 11 Feb 2024 .

Wight, Portland, Plymouth

Southwest 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later, occasionally gale 8 later in Plymouth. Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in Wight, becoming very rough or high later in Plymouth. Showers. Good, occasionally moderate.

© Met Office Synoptic Chart 10/02/2024

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OYT Training Weekend

Saturday

As a member of Ocean Youth Trust Sea Staff I always try to attend their training weekend near Southampton.

Not only does it allow us to do some specific RYA training and specific topics related to the charity and Prolific, but means Sea Staff can meet up socially and remember trips and look forward to the summer season.

After an early start and a three hour drive through thick fog I arrived at the training venue and was able to park the car nearby.

Saturday's excitement was to renew my RYA First Aid at Sea Certificate, something that needs to be done every three years. And given COVID I was interested to see how we were to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Not long after we got started I met the new 'blow up' Resusci Annie, a few giggles went round the classroom.

Resusci Annie

As we ploughed through the material during the afternoon it occurred to me that I have held a first aid certificate, in some form or another, for 50 years!

The second thought that struck me was that the RYA First Aid at Sea book has very little to do with doing first aid at sea! While the content is great it is written for an audience that has easy access to emergency services!

Sunday

A very different day with a series of lectures and activities on OYT and Prolific specifics.

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RYA Sea Survival

Saturday 12 ^th November 2022

I had been looking to do my RYA Sea Survival course for some time, but for some strange reason it is not offered by many sea schools in the Devon and Cornwall area.

One of the Sea Staff at the Ocean Youth Trust runs his own RYA Training Centres in Dorset and I decided to support him and jumped in the car on a cold November morning to drive to Dorset for the course.

After several hours driving the car GPS announced that we had arrived, but this did not look right.  A residential street and no sign of a swimming pool nearby.  I double checked the email that Dom had sent and realised my early morning navigation error - I had transposed two of the figures in the post code and was still 15 miles from the course! 

On finally arriving in the classroom some 45 minutes late I apologised and blamed 'a bit of a cock up on the navigation front' in true Jimmy, from The Rise and Fall of Reggie Perrin, style.

The morning was spent looking at the theory of how to stay alive if it hits the fan. 

The afternoon was spent in the pool doing a number of drills that took me back to my Royal Lifesaving Society Bronze Medallion and Silver Cross days as a teenager, with the added delight of playing sardines in an inflatable life raft. 

The big takeaway from this was do everything you can not to get in a life raft.

A very enjoyable day and do wish that more RYA Training Centres offered the course as it is one of the most useful courses I've done.

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