Northsail 2003
Sail out of your comfort zone

View of the crew below from the first set of spreaders on the mast after being hauled up in the harness. Most of the crew had a turn at being hauled up the mast while sailing towards Whitehaven beach. Even with the support of the harness and rope, it was tricky trying to get a grip to push oneself up on the slippery metal mast. Photo by LACW Veronica McKenna.

A not-so bright start for Northsail 03 as Alexander sails out Sydney Harbour with a foggy Harbour Bridge in the background for leg one to Coffs Harbour. Photo by MAJ Dominic Moorhouse.

Most of the crew settled on track under motor sail, on another fairly still but warm sunny day on leg five from Mackay to Townsville. Photo by LACW Veronica McKenna.

Air Force News reporter Michael Weaver gives a first-hand account of the adventurous training expedition Northsail 2003.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did ...
So throw off the bowlines
Sail away from the safe harbour
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
– Author unknown, but reused by Northsail 2003 crew member Pauline Stephenson.

For those who have yet to experience Northsail, the following two paragraphs pretty well sum it all up.

Northsail is an adventurous training expedition organised by the Australian Defence Force Sailing Association (ADFSA), involving two Navy 11-metre yachts (Lady Penrhyn and Alexander) sailing from Sydney to Townsville and return over a period of 45 days. The journey is split into 10 legs, with a new crew for each leg, featuring Navy, Army, Air Force and civilian personnel crewing together.

The purpose is to provide adventurous and personal development training for Defence personnel in a demanding environment. It builds participants’ self-confidence, leadership and team skills.

Those who have been on Northsail will relate a little better to the following from Chief Petty Officer Michael Jenner, a crew member on leg two from Coffs Harbour to Manly, Brisbane.

“The build up to this scary night was a long day of listening to another crew member saying ‘Oh no, this is a big one’ every five minutes, then getting hit by a wall of water from behind about once an hour when he was right. The fear was put into perspective by one crew member who believed when he heard the flapping of the genoa caused by the halyard coming away that there was a helicopter overhead to rescue us.”

This was also the leg I was on. I say “was” because I didn’t quite make it to this “scary night” where Lady Penrhyn reached 13 knots of boat speed in 50-knot winds and a four to five-metre swell.

The constant wind and building swell to that point had unsettled me to such an extent that I couldn’t move off the bunk below deck and a decision was made to land me at Ballina on the NSW north coast.

Our skipper, Lieutenant Commander Paul Jones, later said: “Apparently leg two of Northsail ’03 lives in the annals of Northsail lore – facing the conditions we did and prevailing – with no injuries or damage to boot! Other crews have faced similar-sized seas, even gusts in excess of 40 knots. With squalls of 50 knots, we had the worst conditions yet faced”.

But such adversity often breeds success, with all crew members on that leg saying the best part was bringing Lady Penrhyn into port in Brisbane.

“As the sun rose and our destination was in sight I will never forget the feeling of sheer relief nor the feeling of excitement that came over me while I was at the helm bringing the Lady Penrhyn in to the Manly Marina,” said Cameron Stuart, a Defence civilian with the business management section of the Joint Logistics Unit (SQ) in Brisbane.

“I walked away knowing that I had confronted a few fears. It was a fantastic experience to have sailed as one of eight total strangers that came together under very trying circumstances. I felt privileged to have been a part of the team,” he said.

A complete contrast is the experience of the crews on leg five from Mackay to Townsville. Their worst scenario was the heads (toilets for non-seafaring types) breaking down, on not only Lady Penrhyn but Alexander as well.

The Lady Penrhyn crew arrived at Hamilton Island Marina on the annual mardi gras night, with those who ventured out being entertained by a street parade complete with jazz band, a fireworks display, music, dancing and free alcohol (for those cheeky enough to ask for it).

They also had the luxury of snorkelling and island-hopping around the Whitsundays.

Kathryn Shawcross, an operations clerk from the Joint Logistics Unit (SQ) at Bulimba crewed Alexander on that leg and sums up the Northsail experience pretty well.

“I recommend Northsail to anyone who is looking for adventure with a difference,” she said.

“You get to live with seven other people in a confined space; there is no such thing as privacy. You get to cook on a moving stove and best of all you can get wet and smelly for about five days.

“Everyone had to pull their weight and work. I loved every minute of it. We’re pretty lucky to be working for a company that offers its employees this kind of opportunity.”

• Many thanks to those people who contributed photos and words for this page.
  

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