Poole Harbour is still, not a single ripple ruins the razor sharp reflections; three short blasts on a boat’s horn breaks the silence as a luxury Sunseeker super yacht goes astern; the Brittany ferry to the French city of Cherbourg – the Barfleur - effortlessly glides away from its linkspan to chase the pilot boat towards the harbour entrance and the open sea beyond – her passengers eagerly grasping the ships rails to enjoy the unique elevated view of such an enormous expanse of water - the second largest natural harbour in the world; an orange harbour tour boat slides sideways in to its chosen departure place alongside historic Poole Quay, to await custom; a Brazilian flag limply flutters outside a first floor restaurant specialising in that country’s gastronomy, characterised by meats – Picanha or Maminha!
Poole would not exist without its harbour, cosmopolitan connections, and skilled mariners. Two of today’s young mariners work in Poole Quay’s award-winning Boat Haven, from where we are making our observations. They have gained many of their skills through a continuing contribution to and membership of Poole’s 60-strong Sea Cadet Unit, which is more than 80 years old.
Leading Cadet James and PO Cadet Kori are prominent on the pontoons of the Boat Haven and elsewhere in the harbour as they welcome visiting craft from all over the globe up to a length of sixty metres in the Haven and larger elsewhere. Kori, who has powerboat handling and seamanship qualifications gained with the Sea Cadets, says, “I am used to greeting super yachts and their crews as well as craft as big as the historic paddle steamer Waverley. One of my favourites, though, is TS Royalist.”
The Sea Cadet’s 31.98 metre flagship, the brig TS Royalist, is in the Boat Haven on the morning of our visit preparing for sea and her twenty-four cadets on this tall ship are excitedly relishing casting off to sail west, along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast to Weymouth. They are gazing aloft searching expectantly for a breeze or wind to fill her 540 square metres of sails.
Royalist’s function is to provide sail training, being part of the Sea Cadet’s offshore fleet, offering six-day cruises around the UK coast as well as crossing the English Channel. She boasts eight crew and can accommodate up to twenty-six cadets.
Kori reminisces, “I have sailed as a crew member on Royalist twice. On one of those occasions we were entered in the Tall Ships race between Den Helder in the Netherlands and Hartlepool. I had a fantastic time. Such an experience was perfect for building my confidence, relationships, personal skills and understanding teamwork. Royalist is brilliant for learning how to handle larger boats, as apart from her sails she has twin propellers as well as a bow thruster.”
A sister Sea Cadet training ship, TS Jack Petchey, has also coincided in Poole over the same weekend that we visited and on board her there is much sounding of boatswain’s calls as the busy formal cadet day starts. They snap to attention and face towards the stern as the ensign is raised precisely as 8 o’clock strikes, as confirmed by the nearby 19th century Parish Church of St James. She will soon cast off and head east, towards Lymington and the inviting Solent.
The mission of The Marine Society and the Sea Cadets – a national charity - is to develop confidence and skills as well as to provide qualifications – something that is attractive to, and an asset for future employers. In 2024 Poole’s Sea Cadets studied successfully for more than six hundred maritime-orientated qualifications – more than ten each.
Royalist is a frequent visitor to Poole and not everyone on board realises that two of the Haven staff have continuing Poole Sea Cadet experience. On this crisp Poole morning our two are already hard at work in the Haven. Leading Cadet James works part-time for the Port of Poole and this early in the morning he is already conducting a thorough safety check of all the mooring facilities; he reports back with a fully positive report.
How has Poole Sea Cadets helped James with his work in the Yacht Haven? “My first arrival and departure of a super yacht was an amazing experience,” he says,” and allowed me to put my skills to the test, under not a little pressure. Learning all those knots along with seamanship skills and power boat handling all came in useful then and on a daily basis.”
Joining us for a final photograph with James is Kori, who by virtue of age has now ceased being a Poole Sea Cadet per se but who has returned as a uniformed volunteer – his numerous skills have therefore not been lost. Kori works for the Port of Poole full-time, and he arrived earlier this morning on his cherished, if not entirely silent, motorbike.
Finally, remember that pilot boat, heading out of the harbour with the Barfleur cross-channel ferry? She was almost certainly being conned by CPO Alex, a former Poole Sea Cadet and now an Instructor with the Unit.
