Yacht Delivery From 15-30 March, three club members worked as part of the 10-person crew to deliver the British Forces sail training yacht – DASHER – from the Canary Islands to Gibraltar, with a short one-day stopover at the Madeira Islands (Porto Santo). Club members where Dan McAuley, Ron Dimock, and Larry Dickie. DASHER is a Camper-Nicholson 55, displacing 26 tons. One of eight Nic-55’s originally molded in the 1970’s specifically for the British Forces, these yachts are often noted at the best built fiberglass yachts ever produced – evident by the harsh pounding they take year after year in the North Atlantic. This was an incredibly difficult delivery, with winds on the nose for the entire delivery. The yacht was never out of the third reef, with winds sustained at 40 knots. Frequent squalls and gusts saw winds push to 50 knots. To get a glimpse of conditions aboard, click on the links here to view three short (under 2 minutes each) POV clips taken by Larry. While recent comments on these video clips range from ‘how exciting; exhilarating; what a great opportunity’; it is important to remember the crew spent 24/7 living, eating, and sleeping, in these very harsh and continually wet conditions. http://youtu.be/ZtLVWsXKi8s (sailing in 50 knots winds) http://youtu.be/CAhXNUbzsU0 (dinner time in Force 8) http://youtu.be/axrEwEbaYGA (departing Madeiras; reefing)