Sixteen sea cadets and one officer from Training Ship Springs of the South African Sea Cadets joined their fellow sea cadets from around the country to attend this year’s annual SA Navy Camp during the first week of the 2019 December school holidays.
Although the SA Navy has no actual association with the SA Sea Cadets, this Arm of Service of the SA National Defence Force are in reality huge supporters of the youth development organisation, and annually host this camp, where senior sea cadets are brought together in a virtual training ship, and receive exposure to and training in various naval aspects of a modern navy.
This year the five-day camp was held at SAS Simonsberg in Simonstown.
The training camp focused on life-jacket training, basic communication training, leadership courses, sailing, pulling (rowing) and several other seamanship skills.
Leaving the comfort of their own homes and local training ship, all the cadets – both boys and girls – were placed into various division in the virtual training ship TS Stone Frigate, there to be allocated to different tasks according to their ranks and skill sets.
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As in any naval establishment, discipline was very high, but the cadets did enjoy being “punished” with extra physical training (PT) for small breaches of the rules.
One of the highlights of the camp was when some of the cadets got to have a trip around the harbour in a Namacurra-class Harbour Patrol Boat [visit https://www.defenceweb.co.za/resources/factfiles/fact-file-namacurra-class-harbour-patrol-boats/ ], a visit to one of the SA Navy tugboats, and a guided tour of the SAS Mendi, one of the SA Navy Frigates [visit https://www.navy.mil.za/equipment/valour.htm ].
No navy training experience would be complete without morning inspection, and the cadets spent many frustrating hours having their beds tipped over until they could make a perfect bed, complete with 45 degree sheet tucks.
The food they were given in the mess though more than made up for any hardships – with the cadets saying their rations were as good as at any restaurant.
The worst part of the whole trip was the travelling down to Simonstown, having to suffer 22 and 29 hour trips respectively, getting there and back by bus.
But with typical teenage resilience, most cadets promptly fell asleep for most of the journey, especially the return trip.
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All young adults, between the ages of 13 and 17, are invited to join the Sea Cadets and experience “Serious Fun”, impacting on their lives in a positive way by developing confidence, leadership, team player skills, positive habits, adaptable thinking and motivation.
TS Springs meet every Saturday at the Springs Central Scout Hall in Colliery Road, Lodeyko.
Further enquires can be made to Lt Commander Chris Hand on 076 226 6646 or at oc@tssprings.co.za
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