News

On 26th July 2013, Seaham Sea Cadets learned that a £4.8 million contract has been awarded to build the Sea Cadets new 21st century flagship which will take thousands of cadets on an offshore voyage.

The new ship will replace the current ship, TS Royalist, now over 40 years old and increasingly expensive to maintain. A flagship voyage is the pinnacle of the Sea Cadet experience and one which the charity wants to ensure future generations of Sea Cadets can benefit from. TS Royalist launched in 1971 taking over 30,000 cadets to sea in her lifetime.

The new and innovative design offers greater use of space, with better all-round sailing ability and performance. Faster and easier to handle than Royalist, the new ship is also more economical to run. This makes it ideal for offering young people offshore sailing, helping them to learn greater seamanship and sailing skills. The ship is expected to be in service for 40 years and we have no doubt that some of our Seaham Sea Cadets will have the opportunity to enjoy it in the future.

Gary Appleby joined the Sea Cadets when he was 14 years old and went on to qualify as a Marine Engineer in the Royal Navy,  serving on  HM ships Bulwark, Hermes, Kent, Falmouth and Challenger. Gary re-joined Sea Cadets from 1991 – 1996 during which time, he helped to re write the Legacy Training Syllabus. In 2007, Gary became a civilian instructor and was promoted to sub-lieutenant and in June 2013, he reignited his Sea Cadet journey as the Officer in Charge with Seaham Sea Cadets.

You will often find Gary out on the water as his greatest passion is sailing, he holds prestigious qualifications as an RYA dinghy instructor and RYA coastal skipper and says his most memorable moment was competing in the challenging Fastnet Race in 1989. Gary was also a co-author of the Sea Cadets Sail Boat Handling Competition.

Gary said; “One of my aims for Seaham Sea Cadets is to encourage our young cadets to undertake more water based activities, achieve qualifications and participate in more competitions.  Seaham Sea Cadets did extremely well in our first attempt in the  District Boat Handling Competition – we will strive to improve. As an ex Sea Cadet myself, I appreciate the importance of team work, learning new skills and our cadets at Seaham are given the best possible head start in life, no matter what they chose to  do later on”.

 Seaham Sea Cadets extend a very warm welcome to our new Officer in Charge

A Change of Command parade was held on 5th July 2013, to formally say goodbye to Captain Mark Windsor RN and welcome the new Captain Sea Cadets, Captain Johnathan Holloway RN.  Captain Windsor who has been in post since 2010, was presented with a copy of the Thames Diamond Jubilee River Pageant print by artist James Milroy, an event which Captain Windsor played a signifcant and inspirational role in, enabling Sea Cadets to earn the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award, he also received a photobook of pictures from his career as Captain Sea Cadets.

Everyone at Seaham Sea Cadets extends a very warm welcome to Captain Holloway.

Congratulations to those in the Sea Cadets who received wonderful recognition for their commitment and dedication to the charity today as their names were added to the Queen's Birthday Honours list 2013. It's an incredible achievement and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting the charity.

Seaham Sea Cadets are always looking for volunteers who are prepared to roll up their sleeves, get involved and potentially make a huge positive difference to the lives of so many young people from our region. For more information about the roles on offer, please contact the Chair of Seaham Sea Cadets on info@seahamseacadets.com