How many hours in a day!!??

Been here two weeks now and my feet haven't touched the ground! The pace is so fast it's little wonder that five people have dropped out already. This is the first chance I've had to grab a few minutes to send some e-mails and write this update..................

I arrived at Totnes railway station on the 2nd of January as instructed and gathered with all the other Cadets to wait for College transport. On arriving at the College we were disembarked onto the parade ground (see picture in First Post) and told to form up three deep. We were then marched to our accomodation block where two huge bags of kit were waiting for each of us. We were treated as military personnel from minute one and, although I had expected a hectic first few weeks, the term 'militarisation' just doesn't even come close. Up before 6am most mornings, and certainly never later than half past (even on a Sunday), with formal instruction finishing at 6pm. Evening 'rounds' (inspection of accomodation, kit etc by seniors) is normally at 8-8.30pm and the time between is barely enough to prepare everything. After rounds there is usually more kit, written work, presentations etc to prepare for the next day, or more lectures/briefs to attend. If we get to bed before 11.30 we're doing well.

The timetable is a mixture of physical training; sports, parade drill, hiking around in the mud with heavy Bergens, learning how to work as a team carrying casualties and all our kit (uphill usually!), classroom work; maritime navigation skills, meteorology, leadership, presentations, naval history, and seamanship; driving motor whalers, learning about ropes and knots, tides, wind etc.......................

It's not all work work work though, there are opportunities to take up great new sports too and I've already enrolled with the Climbing and the Sailing clubs. Last Wednesday afternoon I helped crew one of the College's sail training craft, PEGASUS (Contessa 38 - one of only 8 made apparently), and had the privilege of piloting her all the way back into the estuary and up the river to her mooring buoy at Sandquay using the techniques we'd learned earlier in the week on the motor whalers.

There is already a great camaraderie developing between everyone in my Division (called Tireless) and it's amazing how quickly a sense of teamwork is established. I think I will make some lifelong friends in my six months here. I've posted a picture below to give an idea of what our mess, nicknamed 'The mini-Zoo' (as there is an even larger mess called 'The Zoo'), looks like. Ignore the half-naked ginger guy, his name is Ian, he's from Milngavie, and he's WAFU (that's Fleet Air Arm to laymen!).

Oh, and I almost forgot...........................we had the Prime Minister here on Thurdsay!!

Unfortunately I didn't get to meet him personally as some of the other Cadets did, but he gave us all a wave when he passed the Junior Gunroom. See link on the right for pics.