NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 2008 43
Areas A great
clash at day with
ExCel SS Great
national Britain
regatta
CADETS from Cardiff, along
with PO Allison Ward and Trainee
Instructor Sue Griffiths, have
TEAMS from the North of
visited SS Great Britain in Bristol.
England and Scotland travelled
Their trip to Bristol was
south to take on the might of the
something of an adventure in
other regions in the Sea Cadets
its own right, including trains,
National Combined Regatta.
river ferries and a ride in one of
And although the results
the Welsh capital’s new ‘bendy
did not necessarily go their
buses’.
way throughout, the 63-strong
Once in Bristol’s Historic
northern team worked hard to
Dockyard the cadets explored
make their mark at ExCel, the
the ship from the keel upwards,
conference and exhibition centre
comparing first-class and steerage
in London which is earmarked
cabins and peering into the hold.
as a venue at the 2012 Olympics
The ship includes a number of
Games.
vignettes of everyday life aboard
The winning teams were
the steamship in her heyday,
(Northern team in bold italic):
International camp is
including the birth of a baby, a
Boat pulling:
surgeon conducting an operation,
marina
Open Boys: Eastern
first-class passengers relaxing in
(Northampton), Peterhead
the lounges and soldiers tending
4th;
to their horses on their way to the
Junior Boys: North West
Crimean War.
(Wallasey), Dalbeattie/
During a talk on Victorian
Greenock 5th;
etiquette, cadets demonstrated
Open Girls: Southern (Salisbury),
‘outstanding success’
their skills by folding table napkins
Greenock 2nd;
into the Bishop’s Mitre and Rose,
Junior Girls: South West (Port
much to the delight of the steward
Talbot), Peterhead 7th;
conducting the talk.
Yole: Southern (Romsey/
The Welsh cadets also met
Littlehampton), East Kilbride
Isambard Kingdom Brunel himself
5th;
– well, that’s who he claimed he
Overall: Southern, Northern 6th.
was, anyway – and the great man
Boathandling:
AN international cadet
answered their questions about
marina
Pulling: North West (Fleetwood),
camp has been hailed as an
the ship which he designed, his life
Stonehaven 3rd;
and the fashions of the day.
Sailing:
“outstanding success” by
North West (Maryport),
SS Great Britain was a
Stonehaven 6th;
the President of the Royal
technological marvel when she
Power: South West (Birmingham Naval Association, S/M
was launched in Bristol in 1843.
Stirling), Peterhead 2nd;
John McAnally.
The 300ft-long ship, which
Overall: North West/South West,
displaced over 3,000 tons, was
The European Naval Cadet
Northern 4th.
built with an iron hull and screw
Canoeing:
summer camp was hosted propeller, and was powered by a
marina
Open Boys: Northern Ireland,
by the UK at Pier Cellars, a huge 1,000hp steam engine.
Northern 2nd;
Naval facility near Torpoint,
Her maiden voyage to the US
Open Girls: South West, Northern under the International
smashed the existing transatlantic
6th; Maritime Confederation
speed record, and by the time she
Junior Boys: South West,
(IMC) umbrella.
was abandoned in the Falklands in
Northern 3rd;
1937 she had clocked up almost
The event, which is hosted by
Junior Girls: South West,
a million miles, many of them on
members of the IMC in rotation,
Northern 4th;
the long voyages between the UK
usually takes the form of a sailing
Overall: South West, Northern
and Australia.
camp, but this year the RNA,
7th.
She was salvaged in 1970 and
the link organisation in the UK,
Overall Regatta Winners:
brought back from the South
marina
decided to attempt something a
South West, Northern 7th.
Atlantic to Bristol.
little more ambitious.
Bell Davies Race Winners:marina
Almost 40 cadets, aged 15-19,
Northern Area (Cdr Colin
from Austria, Germany, France,
Redstone, Lt Ethel Wilson, S/
Belgium, Italy, Ireland and the
Laura is a
Lt Adam Ranklin, Trainee
UK – represented by Sandbach
Instructor Adam Simpson,
School CCF and Portrush unit
Civilian Instructors Elaine
– were given a series of challenges
trailblazer
Anderson and Jen Hines).
both on and off the water.
EX-LC Laura Church, of the
There was the expected; sailing
Chelmsford unit, has written her
Certifi cate
an 11m Daler yacht, crewing a
name into the Corps history books
12m powerboat and surfing.
by becoming the first winner of the
They took dinghies and RiBs
● Cadets from the European sailing camp try out surfi ng (the wave has gone now, lads) and canoeing
presented
as far as Plymouth breakwater,
(above) Pictures: Nigel Huxtable Engineering Achievement Cup.
while there was also canoeing in
The trophy was presented to the
in England?” was a common a dull moment. airports to Paddington station.
marine engineering specialisation
MEMBERS of TS Portland Kingsand Bay. question, as there was only one “There were a large number of “The camp would not have
were on duty to receive a special But there was the unexpected as
by Lt Cdr (SCC) Don Briggs
dry day during the camp. leaders, all CCF, RN and ex-RN, been possible without the active
certificate from the Royal British well – rock climbing on Dartmoor, But the sun shone on VIP and they were a wonderful crowd – co-operation of the RN, which we
RNR on his retirement.
Legion. treetop confidence walks and a visitors day, when there was a natural leaders and brilliant at it,” got in spades,” said S/M McAnally.
Laura won the cup, to be
Cadets from the Winsford, visit to the distinctive biomes of chance to walk along the coast said S/M McAnally. He added that the facility – Pier
awarded annually to the Sea
Middlewich and Northwich unit the Eden Project. to Rame Head and later watch The IMC aims to promote Cellars was originally a pilchard
Cadets achieving the best grades
looked on as the chairman of the Visits to Dartmouth and to a spectacular display on the first and maintain maritime traditions, fishing port before being taken up
in the BTEC First Diploma in
Winsford branch of the RBL, Mr Devonport, where the cadets night of the Plymouth international safety requirements at sea and to by the Navy – was an ideal venue
Engineering (Maintenance) at
O’Brian, handed a Certificate of toured HMS Portland and a firework competition. stimulate in youngsters an interest for such a camp.
HMS Gannet, during her work
Affiliation to unit Commanding modern submarine, covered the S/M McAnally said the groups in maritime careers. “The idea was to make it
towards a BTEC last year.
Officer PO John Trangmar. RN dimension, and in the evenings were picked from across the And it fell to the RNA to different, and I think that’s what
Laura, who is now on a work
Those who attended included there were inter-team sports, films nations, whereas in the past they organise the camp, from creating I liked most,” said RNA General
experience programme as an
AC Turner, OC Steele, Lt Lloyd and a chance to chat. have been made up of national the comprehensive programme Secretary S/M Paddy McClurg.
engineer in Devonport, achieved
RNR, PO Long, AC Steele and The weather could have been blocs, and the wide range of of events to personally escorting “I have a feeling they might ask a distinction for her efforts at
AC Maddocks. better – “does it rain every day activities ensured there was never groups across London from us to do it again…” Gannet.
Masters of the sea (and harbour, river and lake)
OFFSHORE, coastal, estuarine, inland friends and to sample life on a Royal Navy ship, The main camps were supplemented by
– give the cadets of Northampton and albeit one which never leaves the jetty. sailing weekends at the regional boating facility
Wellingborough unit a patch of water and For the unit summer camp at HMS at Thrapston, where cadets were also able to
they will successfully sail across it. Caledonia there was a party of 13, who went improve their windsurfing techniques.
LC Josh Falconer and AC William Marrable boating out of Port Edgar under the shadow of Shoreside activities were just as prominent
spent a week at sea with the offshore yacht the Forth Bridges. for some.
TS Leopold Muller, based in Walton-on-the- More experienced cadets went on a day Two of the oldest cadets, POC Chris Ihme
Naze. sailing trip to achieve their RYA Day sailing and LC Kerry Wilson, attended a course at
Apart from having a fantastic time and module – the first time that the ‘boaty’ HMS Nelson to complete their three-year
visiting several ports, the pair achieved RYA Northampton cadets had completed a day training plan towards achieving their PTI First
Offshore Competent Crew awards and sail and they have really been bitten by the Class qualification.
navigational skills training. bug. This is the first time in 18 years that cadets
Cadets had the choice of two different So great was the impact that a number of have achieved this award in the Eastern Area,
summer camps this year. cadets are already planning to return to the and this achievement was the last before Chris
A group of 11 travelled to Portsmouth for Firth of Forth for their Duke of Edinburgh joined the Royal Navy last month.
a week on board HMS Bristol as part of the Silver expedition next May. Chris, Navy Board Cadet for 2008, said:
Eastern Area camp, taking part in waterborne Others in the group tried their hand at “The PT was hard work, but all the effort was
and land-based activities alike – everything boating at sea – very different to their time on worth it and put me in a fit condition to join
from power boating and pulling to first aid and the River Nene back home. the Royal Navy.”
polishing up their cooking and stewarding skills. As a result they added coastal endorsements And Wellingborough cadets still managed
● Northampton and Wellingborough cadets afl oat on the Firth of They were joined from cadets from overseas, to their qualifications in powerboating and to find time over a busy summer to move into
Forth giving them a great opportunity to make new dinghy sailing. their new HQ at Rushden.
0042-044_NN_oct.indd 242-044_NN_oct.indd 2 118/9/08 16:26:548/9/08 16:26:54
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