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On 13th September, hundreds gathered at St Katherine Dock to witness the naming and commissioning of our new yacht 'TS Sir Stelios', kindly provided by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.
 
Businessman and philanthropist Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, best known for the easyJet low-cost airline as well as his 'easy' family of brands, was joined by cadets at the ceremony to name the new green and blue ship. He said, "I am honoured and delighted that my philanthropic foundation has been given the opportunity to help out young people who go to sea.  I wish the Training Ship Sir Stelios and all her future crews a fair wind and God speed for bright and successful times to come."
 
The Rustler 42 yacht - so named because it is 42 feet long - will enable more cadets to take part in transformational voyages at sea and enjoy the thrill and challenges of sailing first hand. Through a range of bursaries Sea Cadets endeavours to offer all it's cadets, regardless of their background, to embark on this trip of a lifetime.
 
Martin Coles, CEO said, "We are not simply celebrating a beautiful new yacht or the opportunity for cadets to go sailing. We are celebrating the addition of this new yacht as a platform or vehicle through which we are able to offer young people the Sea Cadet Experience.
 
"It is this experience that delivers the real purpose of our charity, helping young people at the most challenging times in their lives as they travel that tortuous journey from child to adult in an often overwhelming world. “Adventure that launches young people for life today."
 
Captain Sea Cadets Captain Phil Russell also attended the ceremony, and said, "The difference you see in these young people after they've been away at sea is really remarkable. Being out of their comfort zone and realising how capable they are is such a great experience, and you see the confidence shining out of them when they return."
 
We would like to thank the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, and of course Sir Stelios himself,  for believing in Sea Cadets and helping us to continue to deliver the Sea Cadets experience to young people all over the country.

The government has announced £5 million in funding for uniformed youth groups to enable more disadvantaged young people to succeed

The increased investment from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will be overseen by Youth United Foundation, a member organisation for uniformed youth groups, of which Sea Cadets are a member.

We are proud of our association with Youth United Foundation. We both share a commitment to reach vulnerable young people and provide them with opportunities to participate in weekly activities, designed to improve their wellbeing and develop important life skills.

Through a combination of water-based adventure, vocational qualifications and the development of community spirit, we empower young people, enabling them to succeed irrespective of their circumstances.

"We measure our success by the number of parents or guardians who can recognise a positive impact of Sea Cadets on their young people, communities feeling rewarded by the presence of Sea Cadets and the cadets themselves feeling empowered and connected."

There are more than 14,000 Sea cadets found in 400 communities around the country, guided by 9,000 volunteers. We have plans to grow the number of cadets by another 1,000 by 2021, with a commitment to ensuring we reach all young people, regardless of their background.

Coles adds: ‘We will continue to support the work we are doing in areas where there is the most need and are always looking for new initiatives to expand our support wherever to ensure that young people of all backgrounds are able to succeed.’

Hard on the heels of our boat work week, nine of our cadets travelled to the Royal Navy Air Station at Yeovilton for a day with the Fleet Air Arm including a flight in a Grob trainer, photographed. At the same time three of our cadets were aboard T. S. Royalist sailing her from St Malo to Weymouth and, if this was not enough, Leading Cadet Sian has also qualified as a drill instructor!  What other youth organisation can offer such a variety of adventurous and worthwhile activities?

I have recently returned from the International Exchange to Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The exchange was almost two weeks long and it was an amazing experience for myself and the nine other UK cadets that attended. We stayed at a Naval Base with cadets from 7 other countries including Sweden, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United States of America, Hong Kong and South Africa. Meeting cadets from around the world was one of the best parts of this exchange; learning all about their lifestyles, and the similarities and differences between the cadet organisations were extremely interesting and an eye-opening experience.

This exchange was many of our first trips to America and for one of the UK cadets, it was her first time on a plane. Having known that we were attending this trip for six months beforehand we were all extremely excited and were counting down the days before our plane took off!

We visited many cities throughout our time in the US ranging from the harbour town of Newport, the historic site of Boston and the Big Apple, New York City. These visits were definitely highlights of the exchange. The trip touring Boston was particularly memorable as all the cadets took part in a scavenger hunt finding different sites along the Freedom Trail. Our two day trip to New York, occurring over Independence Day, was so much fun as we all felt like we were walking through a movie set due to the sites that we saw.

Our two weeks in America was jam-packed and we didn’t stop. Along with visiting the tourist sites that the East Coast has to offer, we visited the US coastguard academy, kayaked down a beautiful river and even received a tour of an active nuclear submarine.

The International Exchange Programme has now been running for 20 years and to celebrate this anniversary everyone attend a beautiful BBQ on base one evening. We played games and toasted marshmallows as the sun set over the bridge in Newport.

To end our amazing trip, every cadet and staff member attend the Farewell Dinner at the Newport Officers Club where a fantastic spread of food was provided for us as well as music to dance to.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience in America and did not want it to end! I want to say thank you to all the staff in America and the United Kingdom for making possible and I hope I will be back in the US soon!

Cpl Chloe - United Kingdom