Dee Caffari on military duty ahead of Armed Forces Day

British yachtswoman, Dee Caffari, will today be donning more formal attire as she takes up her position as Honorary Commander RNR and guest of honour at HMS Sultan Ceremonial Divisions. Caffari, who was furnished with the position of Honorary Commander RNR last year, will be inspecting the troops passing out and handing out a number of long service and good conduct medals. As a guest of Commodore Slawson, Caffari will be taking the salute and inspecting three naval platoons who have completed various engineering courses and an Army platoon from the Royal Logistics Corps.

This the first opportunity for Caffari to wear her brand new military uniform and speaking ahead of the ceremony she said:

“I am a little nervous as there is a set protocol to a passing out ceremony and I don’t want to let the troops down. That said, I am also very honoured to have been selected as the VIP attending today and have even been practising my salute in anticipation.”

After the ceremony, Caffari will be transferred by RIB to begin training with the tri service initiative, Toe in the Water, ahead of their entry into the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race on Saturday 30th June. The 50 nautical mile sailing race around the Isle of Wight coincides with Armed Forces Day and the charity has two entries, Toe in the Water and Toe in the Water Too, lining up among the 1640 boats taking part in the event. In recognition of Armed Forces Day, both Toe in the Water boats will have a full military crew on board, including crew volunteers and injured servicemen going through rehabilitation at Headley Court.

The Toe in the Water crews are aiming to finish the race at around midday and plan a stop in East Cowes to enable the injured guys to help paint the world’s largest Union Jack on the shed doors at Venture Quays.

Caffari commented: “As an Ambassador for Toe in the Water I love every opportunity I get to sail with these inspirational characters. The Round the Island race is a huge event in the British sailing calendar and the guys will really get a buzz out of being part of it with the aim, of course, being to race hard.”

Caffari will be rounding off her busy weekend by joining the Cultural Olympiad festivities at Gun Wharf Quays in Portsmouth on Sunday 1st July where she will be on board the Boat Project’s yacht Collective Spirit as it sails out of Portsmouth on its voyage to Littlehampton.

The Boat Project is a living archive of people's stories and lives, a 30ft vessel made from donated wooden items. From February to July 2011 the public donated their wood to the project but not just any old wood. Pencil or piano – exotic as Zebrawood or as familiar as pine every piece had a story behind it. Donations arrived in their thousands, from the highly personal to pieces of national importance. All of these donations have now been used to build a state-of-the-art seafaring yacht named Collective Spirit.

At the closing event of the Portsmouth Festivities that evening, Caffari will also be giving a talk at Portsmouth Grammar school. For more information go to www.portsmouthfestivities.co.uk

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