RAF Bridlington
In October or November 1963 the BFTS course I was on at Syerston went to RAF Bridlington to do real dinghy training. We first went to RAF Leconfield where after a ground brief we were picked up by a Whirlwind on the airfield. We then were bussed to Bridlington where the sea was crashing over the harbour wall. There is no chance they'll takes us out in that we said. Wrong! Out we went and very uncomfortable it was in the Air Sea Rescue launch (or whatever it was called).
They threw us off with a single seat dinghy each in a long line. After about half an hour a Whirlwind appeared and started picking us up. Before it got to me and some others it disappeared. It had a gearbox problem we were told later and it landed on the beach. It then started to snow and I began to think this wasn't a lot of fun.
Another Whirlwind appeared after what seemed like hours and picked us up. As each entered the aircraft cabin the crew man gave us a drink of Navy rum out of a medicine bottle. That certainly warmed us up.
My overriding memory of the whole affair was that sitting in a one man dinghy in waves causes your kidneys to ache due to continually bangig into the tubes behind. It was warm though.
ACW