National Seamanship 2nd Class Course HMS Raleigh
February 2006
While many young folk have been vegitating in front of tv and breaking their new year resolutions it's been all hands on deck at St Albans Sea Cadets. One cadet went to Plymouth for a week long Seamanship examination course, which he passed. Twenty four travelled to Lincolnshire for a weekend area Drill Competition. Finally three more spent a week RYA dinghy trainning, again passing exams.
Tom Oakley, of Verulam School, went on a Seamanship Second Class course at HMS Raleigh, Plymouth. The course is all about ropework. From simple bends and hitches to complex splices. How to moor a vessel and lifting with block and tackle. It's designed to enable Cadets, to acquire the knowledge and self confidence to become a useful crew member and to help them with the many water-borne activities that are available to Cadets .
This is Tom's diary of his week, "On Monday we were up at six, and were back from breakfast by seven. We then spent the morning learning about types of rope and their uses, and we then went on to bends and hitches. In the afternoon we made a back splice. In the evening we had a one hour swim session in the pool. The next day we were doing tackles and purchases and got tested on everything we had learnt. In the evening we went to the gym for a game of rounders."
"Wednesday we had a lie in (until 6.30) then more practical winch work. We also had to prepare our a presentation. In the afternoon we did two more complex splices. That night we went for a long run then played some games in the gym. On Thursday we did a presentation on how to build sheer legs, and did our final exam. In the evening we had another swim. On Friday we were told our results – fortunately we all passed – and packed up all our kit. One six hour train journey later and I was home in Sandridge, only to be off again for the area drill competion after just two hours!"