After some debate between military and non-military personnel, we settled that today was D-1, and tomorrow shall be D-Day. Anyone who has toured before will know that D-1/packing has the potential to derail very quickly if we are not on top of it from the start…
With a daunting task of getting 22 team members packed, the baggage team assembled in the North London shortly after 9am armed with industrial weighing scales, baggage labels and clipboards. To aid with pre-weigh ins, sets of handheld scales were calibrated ahead of our Operation Overlord, managed by Baggage Master Rick and his team of assistants. There was a final distribution of team kit, including the previously mentioned (compulsory) tour branded speedos, plot books and ties. A final check that all our papers were in order revealed that only minor amounts of searching/fetching were required to complete the set.
By midday, around 3/4 of the personal baggage had been weighed, measured, and recorded – leaving us time for a well deserved lunch break. For some, the weight of the locks on their rifle cases proved critical – cue subsequent shedding of excess fat. It became clear that everyone is managing differing priorities for their time on tour, with this diarist noting that the Adj/Armourer had left adequate room for his stash of tea bags…
By 3pm, all bags had been sorted and lined up, including contingency options by checking that Ellie could fit into one of the team bags (she does). With the final “oh, can I just squeeze this kitchen sink in” and Vice Captain declaring “let’s just get to Guyana shall we…”, the team declared victory and decamped to Hogleas for dinner of venison stroganoff prepared by Al and helpers.
Over dinner, conversation turned to the tour, with the Captain resulting to using Artificial Intelligence to determine who is expected to be the best shot in the Caribbean. It returned the name of Alex Sadler – although given that he attached his return flight team labels to his bag, he may find it tricky without his shooting kit…
At exactly 8pm on the dot (and as scheduled), the team departed Bisley bound for Gatwick, ready for an overnight stay and an early check in tomorrow morning. Tour badges were handed out by the management on the coach, and we were officially underway! At the hotel, room sharing was in line with Antigua plans, allowing everyone to acclimatise. Fingers crossed that our good start continues as we gather at 0625 tomorrow for the Big Push…
