English Channel beckons Petty Officer First Class Sebastian Bodine
By Nelson Daily Staff
When winter finally decides to depart, so will cadet Petty Officer First Class Sebastian Bodine.
The Nelson 81 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Hampton Gray cadet will be travelling to the United Kingdom to live aboard a training ship and be an integral part of the crew for 12 days at the end of April.
“The Cadet Program has given me a lot of opportunities and has also afforded me a lot of intrinsic rewards, such as becoming a leader within my corps and helping to train younger cadets,” Bodine said.
“I’m really involved in the community and the Cadet Program has nurtured the citizenship aspect of my life.”
Bodine and several other cadets from across Canada will sail on the Training Ship Royalist, which is owned and operated by the Marine Society and Sea Cadets of the United Kingdom.
The Royalist is a square-rigged sailing ship 32-meters in length.
The ship will sail off the south coast of the English Channel of the United Kingdom for a 12-day voyage.
During the sail, Sebastian will be part of all the ship activities including lookout, safety, navigation, being at the helm, rigging sails, and part of the 24-hour duty watch rotations.
Physical fitness will continue to be important as they will even be climbing masts, using the required safety gear.
This unique experience is open to Sea Cadets. The Cadet Program is open to all youth between the ages of 12-18 years old where they focus on leadership, citizenship and physical fitness while stimulating an interest in the activities of the sea, land and air elements of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The skills learned by cadets are applied at school and in their future careers. You can learn more about the Cadet Program at www.cadets.ca.
