Current

Welcome to the second edition of your online magazine! Click on one of the links below to read all about the Gibraltar Cup, learn what it’s like to row across the Atlantic and much more

One of the year’s most anticipated superhero movies is about to hit the big screen…
Movie
From burns and scalds to sprains and strains, we put your First Aid knowledge to the test
Quiz
We speak to Julia Immonen about her record-breaking row across the Atlantic
Rowing
Discover how you can get involved in HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations
Jubilee
An RMC shares pictures and personal accounts from the Gibraltar Cup weekend
Gibraltar
Read all about life in the Royal Navy according to Lt Hugh Harris RN, CO at HMS Ranger
Interview
This issue’s short film is all about dinghy sailing and powerboating – take a look
Focus on...
The Sea Cadets has launched a brand-new online store – click here to start shopping
New Shop

Current

The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow join forces to protect the Earth in Marvel's Avengers Assemble. Released on 26 April, the movie stars Robert Downey Jr, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans

Iron Man AKA Tony Stark

Backstory: This billionaire playboy philanthropist has had plenty of experience taking on the bad guys… and winning. Clad in his Iron Man armour, he has helped protect the Earth from a variety of enemies. But now he must learn to work as part of a team to help save the world.
Secret weapon: His impressive full-body suit of armour!

Hawkeye AKA Clint Barton

Backstory: Clint Barton – code name Hawkeye – is the world’s greatest marksman and one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most elite agents. Using his recurve bow, he fires a vast array of customised trick arrows with mind-boggling precision.
Secret weapon: His amazing combat skills are bettered only by his trusty bow!

The Hulk AKA Bruce Banner

Backstory: After receiving an accidental overdose of gamma radiation, mild-mannered scientist Dr Bruce Banner has been left with a curious affliction. When he gets angry, Banner transforms into an uncontrollable, green-skinned monster known as the Hulk.
Secret weapon: The incredible strength of his alter ego, the Hulk!

Black Widow AKA Natasha Romanoff

Backstory: Black Widow is one of international peacekeeping organisation S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top agents – and for good reason. She’s a highly trained spy and assassin with a vast repertoire of martial arts skills at her disposal. When all else fails, she calls on her extensive arsenal of specialised weapons to get the job done.
Secret weapon: Her awesome martial arts skills and high-tech weaponry!

Thor AKA The God of Thunder

Backstory: Thor, an arrogant prince from Asgard, was banished to Earth after his irresponsible behaviour threatened the peace and harmony of his realm. While on Earth, the mighty warrior learned the virtue of humility before successfully defending his friends from the threat of his jealous brother, Loki.
Secret weapon: Mjolnir, a magical hammer with legendary power!

Captain America AKA Steve Rogers

Backstory: An ordinary man who was transformed into a highly skilled fighting machine following a top-secret Super-Soldier programme, Captain America’s daring exploits during WWII were the stuff of legend. However, during his final mission he crashed into the Arctic and spent decades frozen in the icy abyss.
Secret weapon: His indestructible shield!

Quiz

Vinnie Jones stars in the British Heart Foundation’s Hands-only CPR campaign. Click here to watch the advert or visit www.bhf.org.uk/
handsonlyCPR
for more

When would you use 'hands-only' CPR? How would you treat a suspected sprain or strain? Put your First Aid knowledge to the test in our interactive quiz...
You can share your results on Facebook too!

Quiz compiled by Lt Cdr (SCC) Mark Steggall (HQSO)

START

Rowing, or pulling as it’s known in the SCC, is a major activity for cadets – and following our recent partnership with British Rowing, the national body for the sport in the UK, it’s growing stronger all the time…

Just getting to the starting line was a big achievement. Getting £130,000 of sponsorship, putting the team together and coordinating everything was so exhausting I thought: “Just get me on the boat for a rest!” Then I got on the boat and, of course, there was no rest!

On day two, the auto-helm, or our automatic steering, broke in the middle of the night. We were out in 30 knots of wind, 30 or 40 foot waves, all being seasick and had to contend with this vital piece of equipment breaking. It finally died a death on day six and we had to steer with our feet.

I’d never sailed before – and neither had three of the other girls. I’d learnt to flat-water row and trained for about a year. Completing the challenge was a massive achievement.

The most terrifying thing was going out into these 30, 40, 50-foot waves… honestly, they were just so scary I used to cry. But in the end, we got used to them and felt like we were on top of the world.

We didn’t see any other boats or wildlife until day 33. I was hand-pumping water, gazing out into the sea, when I saw a dolphin. Suddenly there were five swimming around the boat. It was the only time we stopped rowing – they were so beautiful.

On day 15 our water-maker caught fire and blew up after the hatch leaked. We had to hand-pump water for the remaining 30 days so we were one person down for the rest of the trip. Basically, in the first 15 days everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

We did two hours on, two hours off continuously. You never actually slept for more than 90 minutes at a time. You’d dread hearing “10 minutes”, which is what we used to scream to wake one another up. The sound of that still makes me cringe today!

Getting into Barbados was just amazing: the feeling of triumph over adversity, the sense of achievement, a mixture of relief, exhaustion, adrenaline… it was pure euphoria.

The thing that kept me going all the way across was the cause. I would see the [A21 Campaign and ECPAT UK] charity logos on the oars and that would keep me going. I’ve met victims of trafficking and heard their stories: anytime I was hurting, I would remember them and my pain would pale into insignificance.

We are just a bunch of ordinary girls who did this extraordinary thing because we were so passionate about the cause. We hope to inspire young people to see that they really can do anything – if we can do it, they can do it.

Current speaks to Julia Immonen, member of the five-woman Row For Freedom team who recently completed the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, the world’s toughest ocean-rowing race, to raise money to help stop human trafficking

Rowing

Title reading Jubilee

HM The Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee this year and, as Patron of the Sea Cadets, we are honoured to be involved in the event. Here’s a rundown of what you can expect in June

A calendar showing June 3rd 2012

The Sea Cadets will lead the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
on 3 June. Fifty-five Trinity 500 boats carrying the flags of all the
Commonwealth countries will sail in diamond formation ahead of
The Queen’s barge, Gloriana.

A calendar showing June 4th 2012

On the evening of 4 June, Sea Cadets are set to take part in
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Beacons, where 2,012 beacons
will be lit by communities across the UK and beyond.

For more information about the Diamond Jubilee events,
speak to your CO or visit www.thediamondjubilee.org

Current

Royal Marines Cadet Harriet Sampson of Bristol Adventure looks back on her team’s exciting first attempt to win the Gibraltar Cup at CTCRM Lympstone

We started training four or five months before we found out we were the unit’s Gib Cup team. It was hard work and we didn’t get much free time, but it was good fun. Everyone was really pleased when we made it through and we were extremely proud of ourselves.
We arrived at Lympstone at 3pm on the Friday and had a kit check, weapons test and general knowledge paper. At about midnight we were sent to our accommodation to go to bed. Unfortunately, another team arrived at 3am and woke us up!
Saturday was the toughest part. We were up again at 5am and the weather was warm. We were running in our combat jackets and everyone quickly became tired. After a full day, we made it back by 4pm and set up our bivvies.
At 8pm we went out on night patrol. It was really dark and we walked through a lot of bog. We returned by 11pm, then woke up again at 4.30am – it was raining and our kit was soaked!
On Sunday we completed the bottom field assault course, which was really tiring but fun. Then we went back to our accommodation to shower and change before the winners’ presentation. Eastbourne won and we placed second with Bedford coming a close third.
Everyone was hoping to win and it was annoying we didn’t, but for our first attempt it was a really great achievement. Lots of people don’t get the chance to do the things we do. This week we’re training for our area drill competition – but first a good night’s sleep!

Interview

We speak to Lt Hugh Harris RN, Officer in Charge Sussex University Royal Naval Unit and CO at HMS Ranger – which offers practical training to undergraduates – about life in the RN

Being deployed to the Falkland Islands on HMS Liverpool and seeing lots and lots of penguins has been one of the highlights of my career. And, of course, taking charge of HMS Ranger!

I get constant job satisfaction and thoroughly enjoy what I do. There is a clear career path mapped out for you and there are good opportunities for promotion if you do well. Plus I get to work with some fantastic people and have made some great friends along the way!

I would, without hesitation, recommend a career in the RN. The variety it offers along with all the opportunities (professional, sporting, social and adventurous) would be hard to find elsewhere.

The SCC is a fantastic organisation that offers a huge amount to its cadets. In very many ways the URNU and the SCC offer the same things and, as testament to that, a large number of my unit members are ex-cadets themselves.

One of the most challenging moments was passing my navigators’ course. Taking a Type 23 frigate at night, at speed through a piece of water not much wider than the ship was an experience!

The opportunity to travel is one of the most exciting aspects of a career in the RN. I’ve been to most of the Northern European countries, Russia, Norway, the USA, Brazil, the Falklands, Uruguay, South Africa, Angola, Ghana, Sierra Leone… the list could go on.

I interview prospective members for my unit and you can tell instantly if someone has been a cadet. They are confident, talkative and most importantly they smile!

I don’t think any cadet should underestimate the experiences that they get from the SCC. They will help you so much in later life in ways you would never expect.

The word Focus on . . .

In our spring issue, we head to the Cadet Training Centre in Weymouth to see cadets take part in dinghy sailing and powerboating courses

A person in a kayak
"

All our boating qualifications are accredited by the UK’s leading bodies, like the RYA, so cadets can get something valuable out of the experience – they get to take something away with them at the end

"
Lt Cdr (SCC) Dave Bradford GCGI RNR
Current #02
Movie
Quiz
Rowing
Jubilee
Gibraltar
Interview
Focus on