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9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2002 - Page 0041

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Regiment 9th/12th Lancers
Year 2002
Transcription REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) 39
' - - l m -
Can / Keep the outfit? / th/hK the he/met rea//y surts me
As usual an element of competition developed between the two
vessels. The underhand and dastardly tactics employed to try
and outwit each team were shocking and too shameless by far for
this noble publication. Especially when the Commanding
Officer himself relieved one raft of all its air, with rapids being
rather tricky to negotiate when floating along on a floppy, rub-
berized mat. Suffice it to say that the battles raged fast and thick
throughout the weekend and many boarding parties met with
watery and bone chilling consequences. There were moments of
RHQ left stranded by the fearsome torrents
rage, and moments of regret, moments of terror, and as always
moments of daring gallantry.
The experience was unanimously enjoyed, and the officers
returned to Suffield strongly bonded through the experience of
shared hazards. White water rafting offers a great opportunity
to absorb the grand landscape of the Canadian waterways, and
can be recommended to anyone with a sense of adventure and a
taste for menacing risks. Additionally, there can be no finer
cure for hangovers.
North to Alaska
As I stood on the shore of the Arctic Ocean looking north
towards the permanent icepack, a movement caught my
eye. Thirty metres away to my right, something was making its
way slowly and purposefully through the icy waters. Above the
waterline, 1 observed a small black shape roughly the size of a
golf ball. Below the waterline, the dark object gave way to a
lighter colour. At a glance, it appeared to be just another sea
bird that had joined the many that lined the shore. As I fol-
lowed its progress, it turned towards me and stopped. The top
of a huge white head slowly rose out of the water and, in an
instant, I realised that I was being eyeballed by a particularly
large polar bear. Had it chosen to attack at that moment, it
would have been on me within six bounds. I shot a quick look
over my shoulder and noticed that my Eskimo guide had also
observed the threat. “Get back in the vehicle, now”, he demand-
ed in an even but forceful tone. I raised my camera, fired off a
quick shot and climbed back into the 4 x 4. As we reversed, the
bear retreated and vanished below the water. My guide and I
then moved off to a nearby whale carcass in the hope ofviewing
The po/ar hear eyes /uhch
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