June 2006 see picture library here
In a dramatic half term trip two St Albans Sea Cadets visited two foreign countries and battled force 8 gales aboard the 29 metre tallship TS Royalist. Tuesdie Berrystone, 15, of Beaumont School said, "It was the best week I've ever had. I made new friends, did new things and visited new places! It was brilliant."
They joined the ship after an easy train journey to Ramsgate. On arrival they met the other 19 crew members and 8 staff and were assigned bunks and divided into watch teams. Then there were familirisation and safely briefings and practice climbing the rigging and using the winches. The tide was not right till noon the next day when they finally sailed for Dunkirk. It was a great sailing breeze of force 3/4 and they were moored in France just 5 hours later. They were given shore leave and found a chip shop before returning for bed.
The next morning they again had to wait for the tide, and went and discovered the town proper, enjoying the delights of French pastries. They set sail at 11am and were soon in a very cold and windy sea, bowling up the coast to Zeebrugee, in Belgium. They arrived at 7pm and really enjoyed the hot marina showers. There wasn't a great deal to see in the port, apart from a huge visiting Russian Submarine berthed nearby, and looking a lot bigger and more sinister than the ones in the movies!
On Tuesday the plan was to sail to Calais after a 6am start. It was blowing a force 7 and the cadets thought they had woken up on the set of "The Perfect Storm". The ship is 29 metres long but that didn't stop the bows and fore deck completely disappearing in the surf as they crashed through one particularly big wave.
St Albans Sea Cadet Tom Oakley, 14, of Verulam School had to climb the rigging in this to adjust sails. "It was no hassle climbing up and working on the sails," Tom reported, "but when I came down again I was really sick, so had a bacon sandwich and was sick again!" As the weather took it's toll on the crew and the wind increased to force 8 the skipper decided to divert back into Dunkirk. They arrived at 1 pm and all were soon feeling well again, and delighted to discover a McDonalds and kebab bar. All thoughts of seasickness soon dispelled as they munched into fast food!
The next day they were again constrained by the tide and set off at 1 pm and motor sailed to Southend where they anchored at 3am. Poor Tom was then on night anchor watch from 4 till 8am, when the others rose refreshed!
They motored up the Thames, to their final destination the shore establishment HMS President by Tower Bridge. As they approached the exceedingly high Dartford QEII Bridge, the instructors got into a flap declaring they'd miss-calculated the tide and sent two cadets right up the top of the masts, with fenders, in case the bridge was too close! The other cadets soon realised it was all a joke, and there was great mirth as the "fending party" returned to deck, rather red faced! The cadets were allowed in the rigging, and enjoyed some amazing views of London from their exclusive vantage points.
In total they sailed 245 nautical miles and Tuesdie and Tom were both won Sea Cadet Offshore awards. Plus Tuesdie managed to keep her make-up perfect all week but did never quite manage to use the hair straighteners!
There's no time to be bored with St Albans Sea Cadets, see www.seacadetfun.com . It offers many fun opportunities and is open to boys and girls for 10 to 17 years and very inexpensive. The unit always welcomes new faces, just turn up at 7pm on a Tuesday or Friday night, at the unit, which is just behind Westminster Lodge swimming pool. Why not give it a try and make new friends and learn new skills, you've nothing to lose!