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Cadets

Dundonald Sea Cadets Belfast

As a Sea Cadet you will test your talents and stamina and develop new skills to give you a head start in life. You will also get the chance to make new friends and have fun.

You can join us as a cadet if you are 10-18. Visit the main Sea Cadet site to see a full range of what's on offer.

YOU CAN ADD INFO ABOUT WHAT YOUR UNIT OFFERS TO CADETS HERE

Junior Cadets 10-12

This is about having fun and making friends. You'll take part in lots of events and activities like sailing, canoeing and abseiling, plus learn about first aid and communications.

Sea Cadets 12-18

Get to grips with subjects both on water and land as part of basic training, all on a nautical theme. You can take part in courses and competitions ranging from rock climbing and shooting to music, power boating and sailing. These can give you a head start in life and boost your confidence, plus it's good fun.

What did you do this summer?

This is what some people done at Dundonald Sea Cadets done!

This summer I went on TS Royalist. TS Royalist is a 25m square rigged brig. She has 10 sails and can accommodate 24 cadets. On the Royalist we sailed from Greenock to Oban, covering a distance of over 150 Nautical Miles. Our first day consisted of a sail up the Kyles of Bute, down the west coast of Arran, and into Campbeltown. On our second day we sailed up to the island of Islay, where we spent the night in Port Ellen. Our third day consisted of a sail around the paps of Jura, down the coast and into the island of Colonsay. We spent two nights at Colonsay. Our final voyage was into Oban, where we held a function night for various dignatires. On the Royalist I learnt a huge variety of things. I improved greatly in seamanship. I learned how to plot a course and even got a chance to helm (drive) the vessel. My week on TS Royalist was definitely the best of my life, I would recommend it to anybody.

OC Sipho Wanliss

 

This summer on the John Jerwood we travelled from Penzance to Falmouth. All of us had watch times for two hours for each team. On the first day the sea was very rough and the ship was bouncing over the waves. After a while we reached the harbour of Falmouth, where we put out the fenders and tied up for the night. Once the ship was secure, we were granted a bit of shore leave.

We were woken the next morning at 0700, and left for the Scilly Isles. This trip took about 5 hours. When I was on watch I got to take the helm but fortunately it was a nice calm day. We spent the night at the Scilly Isles, and headed for Dartmouth the next morning. Our final leg of the trip was from Dartmouth to Plymouth. On the last day we all got our offshore handling badges.

CDT Stephen Armstrong

 

 

What did you do this summer?

This is what some people done at Dundonald Sea Cadets done!

This summer I went to a place in Scotland called Garelochead for summer camp. We got shown our billets, unpacked, and started our activities. I went on adventure training for two days, where we went on a hike and learned about maps and camping. I think I improved on some other skills I have learned in cadets.

For the next two days I went kayaking, where I did some training for my 2 star course. They taught me some new skills like dry capsizing, and Eskimo manoeuvres, and also improved on old skills like sweep stroke, back stroke and draw stroke. On the last day we went up to the field and soaked each other with water, even the staff! It was great fun and I made some new friends who I’d love to see next year.

OC Michael Smyth

While I was on the John Jerwood I had one of the best times of my life, the first day we settled down, unpacked and got to know one and other. We set off and went to the Scilly Isles to stop and have shore leave, then we went back along the coast and all the way up to Plymouth.

We got steering the ship and got doing all the ropes and washing up. It was an excellent experience and I learnt some new skills, but above all I made some friends I’ll never forget.

OC Michael Smyth

At the end of August I had the opportunity of going on a full bore shooting course at MOD Caledonia (Scotland) with a mixture of Sea and Royal Marine Cadets. Over the course of the week our class learnt how to strip, clean and re-assemble the L98 A2 cadet GP rifle. We also had to pass our weapon handling tests before we were allowed to go on the range. On the day were allowed to go shooting, we use the base’s firing range and each cadet fired 65 rounds over a 12 hour day. Our accommodation was excellent and the food was brilliant. Over this course I have learnt new skills and met new friends. All in all it was a brilliant experience which I loved, and I intend to go back again in future to hone my shooting skills.

OC Tom Creaney

On the John Jerwood I had one of the best times of my life. I got to steer the ship and we had to navigate to different harbours, including the Scilly Isles and Penzance. I made some really good friends and I had to do some work, but it’s so much fun working to make the ship go where you want it to go. We had shore leave every night, which means we go ashore for 3-4 hours. The food was very nice. During the week I achieved my offshore hand level 1 at a high standard. I would strongly recommend it to anyone.

CDT Gareth Hampton

For a number of weeks I went to sail training at Carrickfergus unit. We launched boats called toppers, which are slightly smaller, for kids 7-15 years old. They have one sail, a rudder, tiller and centreboard. Another boat we sailed was called a bosun. It is like a wayfarer. It is bigger than a topper, with two sails. Last but not least is the laser pico- only slightly bigger than a topper, again with two sails.

Now down to the sailing-  we mostly sailed inside the harbour on windy days, but on less windy days we went ourside the harbour. We have mostly done courses and normal sailing so far. That’s my review of sailing.

JSC Laura Hampton