Page 30 - Cadet Review Autumn 2021
P. 30

                                  SEA CADETS ROWING INSTRUCTORS COURSE
By PO Regan Fletcher
Arriving at Doncaster Sea Cadets on a sunny morning to hopefully pass a Rowing Instructor course having not rowed or been on the water at
all in 18 months I was a healthy mix of excited and nervous. I have always enjoyed rowing and wanted to be loyal to my unit and district to be able to give back something and encourage the next generation of cadets to enjoy rowing too.
Day one started quickly, once we had gone over the safety and introductions, we launched our Trinity 500, and we were off on the water... It was amazing! Just like riding a bike, rowing came back naturally to me. To be sat in the middle of a canal only powered by your oar and your crew is always a strange feeling, there is a great sense of freedom in it.
The rest of the day continued at the same pace, despite going through almost the whole syllabus;
it was over before it had sunk in what we had just done. It was very high intensity but thanks to a great crew and instructor, the nerves I had before were alleviated. Despite not being on a Trinity since before lockdown after the day’s activities I felt ready for the assessments on the next day.
Day two was a lot slower, the confidence I
had developed the day before was replaced with self-doubt, it took a lot of honesty and integrity to admit that on the day, but I glad I did. All the crew had a lot of respect and eased my worrying, we were
I gave the best briefing of my life, we got out in the water with grace, and we were facing wind perfectly!
not only all sea cadets, but we were a crew and we wanted each other to succeed.
Soon we had the Trinity back on the water and our assessor was ready to start, knowing I wasn’t the only nervous one I volunteered to go first. I was committed to my crew and wanted to help ease their nervousness as they had done with me earlier in the day.
My first lesson wasn’t good, so it was no surprise to me that the assessor asked me for another lesson. This took a lot of courage as I had to teach a lesson, with no planning for the subject: Man overboard.
This lesson was going great, I gave the best briefing of my life, we got out in the water with grace, and we were facing wind perfectly! We came right up to the Man Overboard, right alongside and right past it; I had missed the buoy! I was devastated and ready to give up, but I used all the self-discipline I had to go around and try again. After a successful second attempt and a debrief which not only highlighted the strengths and weakness of the crew but explained why my first attempt failed, I am glad to say not only did I pass but the whole crew passed!
I am incredibly grateful to the crew for being so helpful and supportive, the instructor for promoting great practices and equipping us for success, and to Doncaster Sea Cadets for being so welcoming and allowing us to use their boats and water. I cannot wait to pass on the knowledge I have from years of boating and from this great course to my cadets back at the unit and beyond.
   30 CADET REVIEW AUTUMN 2021



















































































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