100 Regiment RA recently completed the penultimate leg of Exercise MEDITERRANEAN UBIQUE aboard St Barbara V, with 104 Regiment completing the final leg. This brought to a close a demanding deployment that took our flagship yacht deep into the Mediterranean from March to September, and that gave around 90 serving gunners the opportunity to experience high-quality offshore sailing. Watch the video below and click the first link to read a fuller report of 100 Regiment’s adventure.

For the penultimate final leg, 100 Regiment took on the challenge of bringing St Barbara V from Vilamoura in southern Portugal, and sailing north along the Atlantic coast of Portugal and Spain to A Coruña. Eleven personnel took part over the two weeks, covering an impressive 574 nautical miles, including three overnight passages and 30 hours of night sailing. Click here to read a fuller report of the adventure.

It proved a suitably adventurous penultimate leg. The crews faced large Atlantic swells, demanding night watches, seasickness and the additional challenge of navigating to minimise the risk of orca interactions. An exhaust leak during the 174-mile passage from Lagos to Cascais also required some resourceful running repairs before the yacht could continue north. Stops included Lagos, Cascais, Nazaré, Porto, Muros and Corme before St Barbara V finally reached A Coruña. Click on the first link to read a fuller report of the adventure.

As with the other legs of Exercise MEDITERRANEAN UBIQUE, the voyage gave both novice and experienced sailors the chance to develop their seamanship, leadership, resilience and teamwork, while building valuable offshore miles and night-sailing experience. A fitting conclusion to a hugely successful six-month deployment for St Barbara V and the RAYC.

Click on the first link to read a fuller report of 100 Regiments’s adventure, or the second link to read 100 Regiment’s formal exercise report.