Aim The Aim of EXERCISE GOLDEN EAGLE (DRAGON) is to mark the 50th anniversary of the Army Air Corps by sailing a Challenge 67 yacht around the world, arriving back in the UK on 1st September 2007. The yacht will be crewed by AAC personnel and those associated with Army Aviation.
Project Officer The Project Officer is Capt Philip Brown AAC.
Address: Project Officer Ex Golden Eagle Headquarters Squadron 1 Regiment Army Air Corps British Forces Post Office 47 MoD London
Concept The voyage will take 11-months and has been broken down into 10-Legs; each Leg sponsored by an AAC unit or Aviation HQ. Outline details are given in the table below:
Leg
Route
Dates
Unit/HQ
1
Gosport-Gran Canaria
02-31 Oct 06
HQ DAAvn
2
Gran Canaria-Rio de Janeiro
01-30 Nov 06
7 AAC (V)
3
Rio-Cape Town
01-31 Dec 06
4 AAC
4
Cape Town-Fremantle
01 Jan-9 Feb 07
5 AAC
5
Fremantle-Wellington
10 Feb-14 Mar 07
2 AAC
6
Wellington-Tahiti
15 Mar-14 Apr 07
3 AAC
7
Tahiti-Panama
15 Apr-31 May 07
9 AAC
8
Panama-Miami
01 Jun-30 Jun 07
HQ JHC
9
Miami-Boston
1 Jul-21 Jul 07
3 AAC
10
Boston-Gosport
22 Jul-01 Sep 07
1 AAC
Crew The Challenge 67 yachts are MOD owned and operated by the Joint Services Adventure Sail Training Centre (JSASTC) at Gosport. JSASTC will appoint an experienced Challenge 67 skipper for each Leg. The remaining 13 crew will be formed by the sponsoring unit and must consist of an RYA Yachtmaster (offshore), an RYA Coastal Skipper and two RYA Day Skippers. The remaining crew can be novices. Participants do not necessarily have to being serving at the sponsoring unit in order to secure a place on a particular Leg and should contact the unit Leg Leader to express an interest in joining that crew. Leg Leaders have been advised to ensure that all participants have completed an RYA Sea Survival Course prior to departure.
Administration An overarching JSATFA has been submitted to HQ 5 Div by the Exercise Project Officer and clearances are currently being sought by respective organisations. Funding will be coordinated centrally and estimates for CILOR have been provided. Div grants have been applied for and the Regimental Colonel has given kind permission for the exercise to be underwritten by the AAC Fund. Personal contributions will be required and must comprise a minimum of a third of the total cost of the exercise.
Flights Flights are being coordinated centrally by the Project Officer. On recommendation from JSASTC, Travel Counsellors plc have been selected to book the flights and have been instructed to achieve the maximum possible discount whilst retaining as much flexibility as possible. Travel Counsellors specialise in crew changeovers for merchant shipping companies and are ideally suited to our requirements. Flights will be booked approximately 11 ½ months in advance in order to secure maximum discount, however, names on tickets can be changed within days of the flight departure.
Contact us Perhaps you are interested in participating in this exciting adventure or have experience of ocean sailing that may be helpful to the exercise planners? Do you have any questions about the exercise or any observations? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please contact the Project Officer or unit Leg Leaders.
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Welcome to the AAC Offshore Sailing Team.
