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.
Day 1: On Monday 3rd August 2026 10 cadets and 2 adult volunteers from TS TIGER arrived at Ipswich Beacon Marina via minibus at 1100hrs to join Thalatta, a Thames Sailing Barge built in 1906. We met Cyril, Ian and Anna who were our crew for the week, then had our briefing and lunch, got our lifejackets on and set off! We then made our way through Ipswich lock and along to Butterman’s Bay, where we picked up a mooring and raised the small dinghy’s using the davits. We then lowered the bowsprit and raise the topsail and foresail. We had a northeasterly wind, force 2-3 with good visibility. We passed Felixstowe, Harwish, Shotley and anchored in Copperas Bay. We played some games and watched the sunset over the Royal Schools Hospital. For dinner we had pork, vegetables and sauce. Then cheesecake for pudding. The hero of the day was LCpl Will for his positive attitude and efforts.
Day 2: We started the day at 0730hrs after a night in hammocks with a hearty breakfast. The cadets then raised the anchor, and we motored out of Copperas Bay before setting the foresail, topsail, mainsail, jib and mizzen – a very impressive sight! It was a hot, sunny day with a Southeasterly wind, force 2 -3. We anchored in Aldeburgh and took the small boats ashore for a short while. We enjoyed ice cream and exploring a few little shops. For dinner we had chicken and vegetables, followed by strawberries and ice cream. Everyone took turns helming the barge and we saw two deer on our travels. Lydia made toffee (tea and coffee accidentally mixed together), which seemed to become a theme for the week. Some of the cadets started to feel a bit seasick, especially when down below, but some ginger biscuits soon cheered them up. The hero of the day was Cpl Ewan for always volunteering for jobs and getting involved in everything.
Day 3: We started the day with another full English breakfast and motored to Orford, where we went ashore. It was another sunny day, but the wind had picked up to force 5 – 6 and South-westerly. We visited Orford Castle, had an ice cream and a drink in the café. Then we returned to the barge to practise some ropework, ready for the competition later in the week. We then lifted the anchor and motored to the Lowergul, where we played some games and had a fishfinger dinner. We had a shower competition, for least amount of hot water used. 1st place OC Lydia, 2nd place CFC Sylvia, 3rd place CDT Jorgie. LCpl Will lost to Cyril at chess and some of us enjoyed a beautiful sunset. The heroes of the day were CFC Sylvia and CDT Jorgie who dd a great job on the helm.
Day 4: We woke again at 0730hrs after another night in the hammocks and we went ashore to conduct a plastics litter pick. We then sailed from Lowergul using the mainsail, foresail, mizzen and jib to Hamford Waters/Walton Backwaters. The wind was variable Force 1 – 5, but the sunshine stayed out and visibility was great. We tacked lots of times, winching in and out the leeboards and moving the sails across. Ewan discovered why the mizzen is called so. After we anchored, we went ashore and had a paddle on the beach. We had a quirkiest shell competition before playing some games. We had spaghetti bolognese for dinner and an amazing crumble for pudding. We saw a few seals and spent some time looking at the chart, figuring out where we’d been this week and how many miles we had covered. The hero of the day was Bethany for giving things a try and improving her confidence.
Day 5: We enjoyed our final fry up of the week before going out in the small boats for some seal spotting – we saw hundreds! We came back onboard, lifted the anchor and motored back to Ipswich. We picked up a mooring on the way to stow the main sheet and lift the bow sprit. We had a tidy up, scrubbed the decks and cleaned down below. We went back through the lock and into the marina, mooring up to go home. We had a chat round the table about our favourite parts of the week and we said our goodbyes to the amazing crew. We were sad to be going home and had an amazing week. Until next year!
Throughout the voyage the cadets demonstrated some amazing teamwork, leadership and communication skills. They worked well in teams to contribute to all aspects of the ship’s operation including cooking, cleaning, helming and sail setting. They had an amazing week and morale was high throughout. They loved creating bonds with cadets they didn’t really know before this voyage and they worked on becoming less dependent on technology. This voyage provided an amazing opportunity to experience life at sea, learn about the environment and practise skills they have only seen in theory so far.
Volunteers from TS TIGER supported the voyage as supervisors, ensuring the cadets were well looked after and completing their duties efficiently. The volunteers really enjoyed seeing the cadets complete this voyage and watching them grow in confidence throughout the week. There was such a sense of pride throughout the week and absolute enjoyment on the faces of the cadets. For all the cadets on this voyage, this was an opportunity that they wouldn’t have been fortunate enough to have without the kind contribution from the Ulysses Trust. We would like to thank the Ulysses Trust for supporting our voyage and for giving our unit the opportunity to partake in this adventure.
