Ok, so I thought I would start with a little about my history so you have an idea where I'm coming from. Though please bare with me as it's my first post I am pretty new on this whole writing thing. Ok anyway, where to begin. Now with my family history you could say it is where my roots are and you could say it isn't, my father was in the RAF and I had a uncle in the Army (Maritime Section), although one of my uncles joined the Royal Navy and his son is also serving though my mum and her brothers never went into anything like that, so its half and half. Though where in my interest for the sea was started was when I was 10, my best friend at the time was part of the Sea Cadets and asked if I wanted to go with him. I became curious to what this was all about, so I asked my mum if I could go with him, to my disappointment she refused, so the nagging started from there, it took weeks of asking, you know what parents are like nag enough and you usually win. Anyway I went with my friend the first night I could and well I have been stuck there ever since and experienced a whole list of different things from going to the USA to meeting my partner to teaching kids to sail.
If you are unsure on what the Sea Cadets are it is a youth organisation for kids between 10 and 17 to go along and they learn a whole list of skills like rope work, cook stewards, engineering and much more, along with boating skills like kayaking and sailing being two favourites. I am now an adult instructor and when I can I will teach the kids the skills I learnt as a cadet. I loved being a cadet, I went right through the system and glad I did so. If you where wondering where my mate had gone, he left after our leading hands course it wasn't for him. My parents admitted many years later that they are glad they let me go along as I have gained so much out of it and directed me to where I am now. So with that you are now probably thinking why I didn't join the Royal Navy, that seems to be the obvious choice. I was tempted, I went to the office in Glasgow spoke to a leading hand about joining, I was with my partner as well, as she wanted to join. Though I crapped out it in the end, after the video he asked me so do you want to fill out the application now then, ehhhhhhhhh I thought and thought and when I got over the quick shock I said I think I will come back to it. I wasn't ready I was at college at the time, I wasn't fit and well to busy enjoying myself so that was that I left it there. I was at college at the time doing outdoor pursuits it was my second year, I loved it it was my type of thing after all, since that's all the stuff I had learned with the cadets, I got a lot from the 2 years.
I then made a silly move I think, I went back to college to try and get my A levels. I had left school at 15 for college, I wasn't interested in sitting in school, so when my mates continued with school I was off sailing or skiing or something like that.Then I decided I might need them I lasted 3 months maybe not even that, I then got onto the trail of the merchant navy, but getting into it is a whole different story so I shall leave it for another post, which I may do in 5 minutes once I fetch myself a drink. Though I think that's it really. There are a few stories I could write from this time but right now I will leave it brief and can come back to those at a later date, hope you aren't asleep yet.
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