By: Blonde Two

It was interesting to note as all the NightNavOff team members gathered at Foxtor Cafe on Saturday afternoon, that I wasn’t the only one who had been having butterflies all day.  It was also interesting to note that we all gathered at Foxtor Cafe by some weird process of osmosis as nobody had actually said that we were going to do so.  As we sat over cake (good cake) and coffee, my apprehension mounted.  I kept (as must surely happen to all event organisers) finding different things to worry about – my skills, everyone else’s enjoyment, the fact that it wasn’t dark yet … all sorts of things, most of which were, by that time, out of my control.

We arrived at the RV a rather embarrassing five minutes late – no round of applause this time but true to form, there were our Dartmoor Rescue friends (in an unofficial but quite stern capacity) standing, looking at their watches.  After introductions, there was a short time of people shuffling.  Being a few boys down, we decided to share the two brave chaps who had turned up between the girls.  Blonde One and I were together (where else would we be!?!) and adopted the lovely Rob as an honorary Blonde for the evening.  Each team had two girls, one boy, two Dartmoor Rescue assessors and one dog.  Our dog proved to be a most excellent team member but I will tell you about that on another post.

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The arrangements were thus – we were to be given grid references (eight figures rather than the six figure ones we are used to using) and shadowed by our assessors who would be using GPS (if you remember, we were only allowed map, compass and watch) with which to track our accuracy.  One team would take the clockwise course and one the anticlockwise.  Marks would be given for accuracy and teamwork.  It was all very thrilling but nerves soon settled once Team Blonde had agreed a course of action and set off onto a by now dimpsy Dartmoor (you will be pleased to note that it did eventually get dark – the game was on …