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New motor cruiser ready for duty!
29 April 2008
Thames Fueller, a 31’ Mitchell Mk lll motor cruiser, is ready for active service as part of the TS Rebel fleet.
Owned by The Rebel Trust and operated by the TS REBEL Cadet Sea School which is based at Walton on the Naze in Essex, the cruiser will be available to cadets and staff in May, following compliance with the Code of Practice for Small Commercial Vessels.
Thames Fueller will be used for training activities up to 20 miles from a safe haven, day or night, providing offshore power training for Sea Cadets and their adult volunteers. Royal Yachting Association courses from the basic Helmsman through to Yachtmaster Offshore will also be available. It’s expected that up to 100 course places will be available this season.
The running costs of the vessel are being met by the Worshipful Company of Fuellers, Marine Society and Sea Cadets, and The Rebel Trust.
The vessel has a single Vetus Deutz 64TD 150hp diesel engine and a 120 gallon fuel tank provides a potential range of 500 miles (with 50% safety reserve) without refuelling. The cruising speed is 8 knots with a maximum of 11 knots. She is also equipped with a bow thruster, electronic charts system and self steering. A warm air heating system throughout the vessel enables training to continue into the winter months.
Chartwork specialisation a success in London Area
06 February 2008
2007 saw the roll-out of the chartwork specialisation, and courses have been run by appointed chartwork instructors at Unit, District and Area level throughout London.
With a large pool of suitably qualified/experienced instructors, London Area experienced a good uptake for adult qualifying courses. Nick Moulton, ASO Navigation, has recorded 69 cadets qualifying to 3rd class; 7 cadets qualifying to 2nd class; and 16 cadets qualifying to 1st class navigation. Chartwork is a classroom subject that cadets seem to really enjoy and it's popularity is expected to continue through 2008.
Motor cruiser joins TS Rebel fleet
31 January 2008
TS Rebel has added a motor cruiser to its existing fleet of offshore and racing yachts and power boats. The 31” Mitchell Mk 111 Cruiser was purchased by The Rebel Trust in December and is undergoing compliance work prior to her expected launch in April this year.
The vessel has been renamed Thames Fueller, recognising generous support and an expected close relationship with the City Livery Company the Worshipful Company of Fuellers and their affiliated school – Stockwell Park High School.
As it gears up with this extension to its training facilities, TS Rebel has also announced it has entered into an agreement with a local commercial training center, North Sea Yachting, which will involve the sharing of training resources and instructors to support their respective training programmes. Chris Edmunds, chairman of TS Rebel commented “This agreement will provide an opportunity for us to access high levels of existing expertise in the motor cruising field quickly that would otherwise take us years to gain ourselves.” He added “In effect it means that we will be up and running with a training programme as soon as the vessel has been launched and passed compliance inspections.”
The Sea Cadets’ Offshore Commander Jerry Bearne, said “It is expected that TS Rebel, with its latest acquisition, will have a role to play in support of the national strategy we have for our offshore power vessels, the current TS John Jerwood and the recently announced TS Jack Petchey, in helping to provide qualifications training for adult relief staff for those vessels”.
Thames Fueller is powered by a single Vetus-Deutz DT64 marine diesel engine. It has a Vetus bow thruster and is equipped with radar, self steering and electronic chart plotter. The expected training complement will be 1 instructor to 4 students. Its area for training operations will be along the Essex and Suffolk coasts and in the Thames Estuary.
Vacancies for Volunteers
08 November 2007
TS REBEL is a coastal training station providing offshore, keelboat, powerboat and RYA shorebased training for cadets. It is also an Independent Operating Authority for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
It expects to offer 350 course places annually with the students achieving 200+ qualifications and 60+ DoE Section Completions. It is currently working with a fleet of 7 vessels and 19 qualified volunteer instructors.
In order to maximise use of its resources now and for the future it is looking to expand its instructor/staff base.
Sea cadets go for gold
August 18 2007
Six Essex sea cadets and junior staff have become the first to get their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award as part of a new Sea Cadet DoE sail training operation.
The cadets spent four days aboard TS Leopold Muller, a 35 ft Westerly Oceanquest yacht, sailing independently around the Suffolk and Essex coasts in strong winds that gusted to gale force. They also spent time investigating the historic coastal defences of the region and conducted a survey on the types of shipping using the area.
‘It was an intense learning experience but we had a really good time,’ said PPO Laura Holby from the Walton on the Naze Sea Cadet Unit who was part of the team.
Anthony Mayhew, DoE assessor from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Thames Coastguard added: ‘This team of young people did a terrific job in very trying weather conditions. Their attention to matters of safety was particularly commendable and they are a credit to themselves and the Sea Cadets.’
Resources and safety cover were provided by Sea Cadet London Area’s specialist coastal training centre TS REBEL.
New racing yacht for TS Rebel
20 July 2007
TS Rebel, the East coast Sea Cadet offshore sail and power training centre, has taken delivery of a new racing yacht which will give cadets the opportunity to test their skills against some of the best sailors on the East coast.
The boat, ‘Smokey Too’ is a Hustler SJ30 racing yacht designed by Stephen Jones and built by Oyster Marine. It cost around £17,000 and was funded by The Rebel Trust, the registered charity that has provided the financial support for the development of the TS Rebel training centre for more than 20 years.
‘Smokey Too’ will compete in a number of high profile racing events on the East Coast including the Haven Series, Sail East and the Dabchicks, Felixstowe and Crouch Regattas. Her crew will include volunteer instructors from TS Rebel and cadets from the Sea Cadet’s London Area Yacht Racing Squad.
“The squad is made up of cadets who have demonstrated high standards of sailing expertise on our offshore and keelboat sailing courses and who have the potential to progress quickly,’ says Lt Commander Nick Moulton, Commanding Officer of TS Rebel. “The racing element of the training ensures cadets have the opportunity to develop advanced sailing skills while providing a character building environment so that they can develop the confidence to become sea going skippers in their own right.”