A FRIENDLY GAME of beach ball at Brandons Beach capped off a week-long visit for sea cadets visiting from Hove and Adur in Britain and an affiliate group from New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
The 15 visiting cadets, along with at least 25 members of the Barbados Cadet Corps, enjoyed the fun activities which included kayaking and some competitive sports yesterday.
Commanding officer of Hove and Adur Sub-Lieutenant Candyce Kelshall said the week-long exchange was designed to allow the sea cadets to experience Barbadian training. She said as a Trinidadian she loved the idea of people from Britain coming to the Caribbean, not to teach, but to learn.
“I like the idea of people learning from Bajans; they have a way they do things. Everything is efficient, planned, and orderly; there is a Plan B and a Plan C.
“Many times even in the UK we do not operate that way. We tend to adapt and move on, so it was a nice opportunity to learn a different way of doing things,” Kelshall said.
During the visit, the cadets engaged in marine and naval activities which included safety at sea, man overboard drills, rules of the road, how to navigate at sea, swimming, kayaking, and first aid training. They also were also exposed to local culture such as the Oistins Fish Fry, yachting and a safari tour.
Lieutenant Commander Carl Farley with responsibility for the special units of the cadet corps said apart from giving the cadets the Barbadian learning experience, the long-term goal was to have a deep and long-lasting relationship between the units.
He said a memorandum of understanding was expected to be developed for further exchange visits.
The group returns to Britain today. (LK)
