Sea Cadet program returns to Kingston after two-year absence

After a two year absence, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets have made a return to Kingston this summer.

While this year’s program is significantly smaller than in years past, some instructors are pleasantly surprised that the training is able to take place in any capacity.

The cadets are currently undergoing summer training in order to attain their CANSAIL sailing levels and SCOP (Small Craft Operator Program) qualifications. The cadets, aged 12 to 19, come from across Canada to attain their qualifications. The training is done through Trenton’s Cadet Training Centre, which operates a satellite sailing site at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston.

The absence of in-person training over the last two years has put stress on the program’s format, which sees older cadets taking on leadership roles even while they continue to expand their own skill sets through the program. While there has been some degree of virtual learning available, the program becomes limited without any in-person training.

In the two year absence, a number of the cadets who would have been expected to take on those leadership roles have aged out of the program, and Lieutenant Thomas Flake of SAIL Coach said that there just hasn’t been any opportunity to replace the practical experience lost to COVID-19 closures.

“There’s definitely that leadership gap,” Flake said. “We had a lot of the senior cadets age out, we’ve had nothing to supplement that knowledge and experience… But I think, yeah, we’re meeting the challenge. Especially these staff cadets, they’re stepping up, they’re learning as well, yes they are staff, but they are still cadets, so it is still a training experience for them.”

He added that a lower number of instructors involved has given them a bit of a learning experience too.

“We’re all definitely multitasking but it’s well within our realm,” he stated.

With so many other activities making their long-awaited return this year, cadets’ programs in Kingston and throughout the country have scaled back out of necessity. Normally a program like this would include somewhere around 600 cadets and over 120 instructors, but this year there are just 27 cadets enrolled. The benefit of that, however, is that instructors have been able to get to know cadets a little more, and dedicate a bit more time to them all one-on-one.

Sublieutenant Ted Dunphy, Coach of the Small Craft Operator Program (SCOP), said that, despite the changes, both cadets and instructors are thrilled to be back.

“It’s much more concentrated, so we’re dealing with the same cadets much more often,” Dunphy said.

“But I think, at least so far, it’s run really well, the kids are having a great time. I think a lot of them are just happy to be back and I know for certain I am.”

When the program was given the green light, instructors were put in the position of having to design what the course would look like in relatively short order. While that was not an easy process and there have been expected bumps along the way, this year’s somewhat painful experience was necessary in order to rebuild a foundation for the program to grow on for the coming years, staff explained.

Civilian Instructor Sail Coach Rebecca Patterson was a course cadet in 2019, the last summer that saw cadets active before COVID shutdowns. Now, after having no choice but to skip her time as a staff cadet, she has jumped right into the role of instructor.

Patterson said that, while things have moved very fast coming into this summer and it has certainly been difficult, it will help ease the process for coming years and allow the program to rebuild stronger.

“We have a very large age range in this group. Some of them are going to be old enough next year to do the staffing roles, so once they’re qualified on these levels, we can get them those instructor levels and then we can start building,” Patterson said.

“Since we have this nice basis of staff cadets that are good and qualified and ready, they’ll be able to come back and do that and be the more senior people to help teach the new ones that come in.”

By the end of this program, cadets will walk away with CANSAIL levels 1 and 2, be introduced to CANSAIL level 3, and will have obtained SCOP levels 1 to 3.

The program continues next week on the RMC campus, and a graduation ceremony for cadets will be held on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 19, 2022.

Owen Fullerton is a reporter with the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI).