Six boats have been donated, all of which will be rotated around the country to deliver keelboat training amongst the 15,000 Sea Cadets across the UK. Guests on the day were invited to experience a taste of the programme which the Sea Cadets youth charity will be able to deliver thanks to the generous support of Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

The training made possible through these RS21 keelboats will focus on the delivery of RYA qualifications and league competitions across at least eight boat stations nationally. These boats are expected to provide a minimum of 12 years of service for the benefit of over 1,000 cadets per year.

Sea Cadets charity Chief Executive, Martin Coles said “we are extremely grateful to Sir Stelios for the fantastic opportunity these keelboats will provide our cadets. Many of our young people come from inner city communities or disadvantaged areas and would never have imagined being able to access sail training in such fantastic vessels, maybe even inspiring a future career in the maritime sector. So for many of our cadets, these keelboats mark the beginning of a life that would not otherwise have been available to them.”