46 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2008
Bravo, Jonny
● Sacha Bamford receives the Top FIn trophy from Lt (SCC) George
Bayley RNR
Sacha is Top Fin
● Jonny and his Corribee yacht (right) sail from Skye (above)
A GROUP of cadets and staff Students – who must be a BSAC
TEENAGER Jonny Moore He is using the voyage to raise
members have successfully sports diver or equivalent, be a
was bitten by the sailing bug
funds for his unit – full details
completed an RN acquaint diving member of the BSAC and have
when he joined the Kendal
of how to donate through the
course at Horsea Island – and it an in-date sports diver medical unit in Cumbria.
Justgiving website are available at
turned out to be a particularly to join the course – have to work And the 16-year-old petty officer
www.jonnymooresailing.com
memorable week for OC Sacha hard to attain their First Class is putting his training to the test by
The chairman of the Kendal
Bamford, of the Bollington and diver badge and eight points. making a single-handed journey
unit, Alan Brough, said that
Macclesfield unit. And none worked harder than
round the coast of Britain.
Jonny’s fellow cadets and staff at
The intensive course is based Sacha, who was awarded the
Jonny started his epic 2,000-
TS Royalist were all very proud of
on that taken by Service divers, trophy as Top Fin – best student
mile journey in June, after taking
what he is attempting to achieve.
with participants diving in full on the course – by Lt (SCC)
his GCSE exams, and hopes to
Jonny believes he is the youngest
face masks and attached to the George Bayley RNR, HQ Staff
be back at Holyhead, where he
person to attempt the trip, and
surface by a lifeline. Officer (Diving).
started, some time this month. hopes it will be a useful personal
As Navy News went to press, stepping stone as he considers
Jonny was making his way down that his future lies in short-handed
the east coast of England. offshore sailing.
Fourth time lucky
Liner visit
CADETS from the Southampton
and Cowes units have been
for Lochaber group
welcomed aboard the new Holland
America cruise liner Eurodam.
The cadets were given lunch
and a presentation about career
opportunities with the company.
AFTER months of waiting and “So the chance to see what Navy, I was also keen that they This was followed by a tour of
three failed attempts, a group goes on inside them and to should have a fun time. the ship by ex-Sea Cadet Chief
of sea cadets from Fort William meet the people who actually “They have all worked so Officer Mark Rowden, which
finally made it into the skies put their lives on the line as hard over the past year, which included the engine room and
over their home town in one part of their everyday work was culminated in us winning our bridge.
of the Royal Navy’s busiest fantastic. first Pennant in 29 years, and The 86,700-ton ship, which can
aircraft. “As well as letting the cadets they really deserved some carry 2,104 passengers, entered
Originally programmed find out about part of the Royal payback!”
service in July.
for last autumn, the visit by
● Members of the Newburn unit TS Tyne helped a Service
charity raise almost £800 by packing bags for shoppers at a local
members of the Lochaber unit
supermarket. The event, held at the Gosforth branch of Asda, was
had to be cancelled because the
organised by the area co-ordinator for SOS – Support Our Soldiers
Search and Rescue Sea King
– which sends parcels to front-line troops, to wounded men and
helicopter from HMS Gannet
women back in the UK, and helps support families. The cadets
was grounded as engineers
(pictured above with SOS co-ordinator Kim Blythe, left) worked hard
worked on it.
throughout the Saturday, helping raise £787.13, and as far as anyone
Two rescheduled flights had
knows, no eggs were broken!
to be scrapped because of bad
weather.
But this summer finally saw
enough good weather (we
didn’t notice it – Ed) to go aloft
in the venerable Sea King Mk
5, taking off from the rescue
helipad at the Corpach BSW
sawmill site.
With few visits by RN ships
to Fort William, it is down to
the Fleet Air Arm to fly the flag
in the area, and it their SAR
aircraft which are often to be
seen on rescue or ambulance
duties over the mountains and
islands of western Scotland.
Despite the helicopter being
called out to hunt for a missing
walker, a number of cadets
● Huyton unit have repeated their record-breaking feat of last
were treated to a flight round
summer by putting three pulling teams into the national fi nals. Three
the area, including the lower
of the four teams entered into the Liverpool district competition
slopes of Ben Nevis, as well as
(above) won – the fourth entry came second – so the open boys,
over the town of Fort William
open girls and junior girls progressed to the North West Region
itself.
event, where they again carried all before them to book their places
As well as being a tremendous
in the national fi nals, in London this month.
opportunity to see round the
aircraft, it was also a rare
opportunity for aircrew and
cadets to meet.
Aircraft captain Lt Cdr Martin
Lanni said: “It is great to be able
to come to Fort William and
● From left, PO Daz Craig, Lt Cdr Martin Lanni, Lt Tony Sherwin and Lt Lars Brazier from HMS Gannet
meet at first hand the Lochaber
with the Oban Sea Cadets
Sea Cadets and show them
round the aircraft.
“It is not often that we get the
chance to meet a sea cadet unit
Oban cadets takes fl ight
in their own back garden and
tell them about our work.” OBAN cadets from TS Pharos took to the air islands, rivers, forests, lochs and glens, presented 359
AC Jordan Cattenach, from with the RN Search and Rescue team from HMS call outs last year alone.
Onich, said: “It was really fun. Gannet. The team rescued 349 people, making it the
It was great to see Ben Nevis The unit, based at Prestwick in Scotland, not only UK’s busiest SAR unit, and the team have already
from a different angle.” undertakes rescues at sea – their responsibilities responded to 185 call-outs during the first seven
S/Lt Derrick Warner, CO include mountain rescue (Ben Nevis is on their patch), months of 2008.
of the Lochaber unit, said: “I road traffic accidents and emergency evacuations for Flying a Sea King Mk 5 helicopter, the four-strong
cannot say how delighted I am a range of situations. crew treated the cadets to a 30-minute flight over
that we have had this visit from HMS Gannet covers a very large and challenging Oban and up the Sound of Kerrera.
● Members of Brentwood School CCF spent a day at HMS
HMS Gannet. area stretching from Scotland’s west coast to the This particular Sea King is something of a veteran
Collingwood to see how the Royal Navy operates. The 14 cadets
“They will see these aircraft North of England, covering some of the UK’s most – over 30 years old, it was on active service during
and two members of staff from the Navy section got the chance to
flying over the town and its treacherous stretches of water, as well as some of its the Falklands War.
operate the bridge trainer (pictured). OiC John McCann said it had
surrounding countryside in all most hazardous terrain. It was a truly spectacular and breathtaking flight
been a great experience for the youngsters
weathers. The unique combination of rugged mountains, and one they are unlikely to forget.
0045-047_NN_sep.indd 245-047_NN_sep.indd 2 220/8/08 14:24:430/8/08 14:24:43
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