Six for the Sea Cadets

摘要

British youth charity Sea Cadets Corps has taken delivery of six keelboat newbuilds, donated by Sir Stelios HajiToannou, founder of Stelmar and easyjet. The boats will be rotated around the UK, providing keelboat training to cadets - and in particular, helping them to obtain Royal Yachting Association (RYA) qualifications.Speaking during the handover ceremony in June, Sea Cadets commented: "These boats are expected to provide a minimum of 12 years of service for the benefit of over 1,000 cadets per year."Originally founded in 1856 as the Naval Lads' Brigade, the Sea Cadets currently relies on 9,000 volunteers to pass on essential nautical skills and training to young people aged between 10-18. The charity has 15,000 cadets on its books and receives support from the Royal Navy, the private sector and public donations. Martin Coles, Sea Cadets chief executive, explains: "Many of our young people come from inner-city communities or disadvantaged areas and would never have imagined being able to access sail training... for many of our cadets, these keelboats mark the beginning of a life that would not otherwise have been available to them."