TS TIGER, Leicester Sea Cadets, is a unit which forms part of the Sea Cadet Corps, a youth organisation for young people aged 9 – 18 years, based on the traditions and customs of the Royal Navy. Cadets are trained in disciplines on and off the water such as first aid, catering and water sports, whilst being supported by qualified volunteer instructors. They have the opportunity to learn new skills, gain recognised qualifications and develop their leadership and teamwork.
On Saturday 3rd August 2024 at 0900hrs, 9 cadets from TS TIGER joined 7 other cadets and young adult volunteers on their D of E qualifying rowing expedition. Out of those 9 from TS TIGER, 7 cadets were on their silver qualifier and 2 on gold. The participants prepared their boats and loaded their kit, had a briefing and set off on their journey in four Trinity 500 rowing boats along the River Soar and Grand Union Canal. After a drizzly start, the weather soon perked up and made for good rowing conditions. This day saw them pass through 6 locks on their way to Broome Island Campsite just North of Mountsorrel, where they worked together to pitch their tents and cooked their evening meals. The cadets enjoyed a selection of ration pack style meals which they cooked on Trangia stoves having learnt about stove safety during their training. As part of the expedition conditions the participants were required to be self-sufficient, carrying all their kit and food with them on their boats for the duration of the expedition. The teams followed their maps and route cards which they had completed during their practise expeditions earlier in the year.
On day 2 the teams woke up at 0600hrs, packed up their kit after a good breakfast and continued North along the River Soar passing through Barrow Deep Lock and into Loughborough. The teams were working well together, taking it in turns to coxswain the boat and making sure everyone helped with the locks. They were surprised by a lot of fishermen along the way who they made note to giver a wider berth on the way back. After lunch in Loughborough, the teams retraced their steps to Broome Island for night 2, arriving at around 1800hrs, pitching their tents again and cooking their dinner. On this night the silver teams planned their presentation towards their expedition aim and they entertained themselves with a ball recovered from the river on their journey.
Day 3 began slightly later and it was clear that the teams were getting tired. For the silver teams, this was their last day so they motivated themselves with thoughts of a hot shower and a comfy bed whilst heading back to the unit. The current and wind were against them on this day, which made it more difficult to make progress. They arrived back at the unit at 1700hrs having helped each other through 6 locks along the way. The silver teams derigged their boats and emptied their kit before giving their presentation to the Assessor and returning home. The gold teams cleaned their boats, put their tents up to dry and cooked their final evening meal before working on their own presentation aim.
On day 4, the final day of the gold expedition, the team rowed south from the unit in Belgrave, further into the city. There was a lot of river traffic and they struggled with overgrown areas making it difficult to get their oars out properly to row. They were surprised at how different the surroundings were to the previous three days with much more litter, graffiti and damage to the infrastructure. They made it through 5 locks to Aylestone Mill lock before stopping for lunch and returning through the 5 locks again to finish back at the unit. They arrived back at 1530hrs and cleaned the boats down, unpacking all the team kit bags which contained items such as first aid kits, emergency shelters and lock keys. They then gave an extremely entertaining presentation to the assessor about their journey with lots of acting.
The cadets had a great time on the whole and worked really well in their teams to navigate challenges and keep up morale in their boats, especially when it rained, things were broken or when people were getting tired and short-tempered. They took turns completing the jobs and supported members of the team who needed help with tasks, making sure everyone was involved and doing their best. They also helped other water users with the locks and enjoyed chatting to curious members of the public about their expedition. The expedition provided a valuable experience for the young people to develop their teamwork and communication skills, become more independent and learn more about leadership. Some of the silver cadets have now completed their award and wish to progress to the gold award when they are old enough, and some of the gold candidates are looking forward to receiving their invitation to the gold award celebration event in the near future after 18 months of hard work.
Volunteers from TS TIGER supported the expedition as supervisors, duty drivers and medics, alongside a volunteer from Tamworth Sea Cadets who took on the role of the assessor. The volunteers really enjoy seeing the cadets complete the expeditions and watching them achieve their final awards after such a lot of hard work. For some of the cadets, this was an opportunity that they wouldn’t have been fortunate enough to have without the kind contribution from the Ulysses Trust to support their expedition. We would like to thank the Ulysses Trust for supporting our expedition and for giving our unit the opportunity to partake in this adventure.
Quote from LC R:
“I had lots of fun on our recent D of E expedition. I was able to develop leadership and communication skills, as well as problem-solving and working as a team. It has really benefited me to have an opportunity like this. Thank you so much to the Ulysses Trust for donating us money that helped support our expedition and make it a great success.”
