"Haberdashers' was a lovely school, liberal yet disciplined; free-thinking - but they inspired you."
	Doug Watkinson, Script writer for TV detective series including Poirot and Midsomer Murders.

CCF Royal Navy Cadets in Salcombe

On Thursday 1st July Mr Cucknell and Miss McKenzie took 12 Year 10 Navy cadets to experience 3 days of intensive sailing on board the Egremont, a retired Mersey Ferry moored in the estuary at Salcombe in Devon.  For most of the cadets, sailing in tidal waters was a new experience and they threw themselves into the challenge with much enthusiasm, making real progress in their sailing abilities each day.  Further difficulty was added to this task by the obstacle course of moored boats in the estuary through which the cadets had to navigate in order to reach clear water.

With a strong breeze getting up on the final day and small waves beginning to form in the estuary, the cadets had their first go at sailing their Picos with their jib sheets up.  The safety boats were kept busy as the cadets struggled to keep their boats upright (the ease of capsizing in unfamiliar conditions having been demonstrated to them earlier by Mr Cucknell and Miss McKenzie in their RS Feva), but the boys demonstrated how much they had learnt over the last three days by coping extremely well with the increased wind speed. 

Top moments included Max Sinclair being dragged at full speed behind the Pico helmed by Joey Chong after having fallen out during a particularly vigorous gibe and Tom Baines (one of our most experienced sailors) somehow managing to capsize while being towed behind the safety boat.  The cadets returned to school as more confident and capable sailors and with many a story to tell.