A Sea Cadet unit is a meeting place for boys and girls aged 12–18 years of age (10–18 for those Unit’s with a Junior Section). Units are modelled on facets of life within the Royal Navy and many Unit interiors resemble the inside of a Ship or Naval Shore Establishment.

A typical meeting (known as a ‘Parade Night’) will consist of a mixture of ceremony and training in a wide variety of subjects – not all of which might be considered nautical in nature. As you might expect, activities on the water (sailing, rowing, canoeing and power boating) play an important part in the Sea Cadet syllabus, but so do Mountaineering, Climbing, First Aid and Marine Engineering!

The full range of activities can be found in the Sea Cadet publication ‘Training Instructions’ or T.I’s for short. This document details all aspects of training within the Unit and is available for you to read at the Unit.

Whatever your interests, you're likely to find activities and training to suit. In fact, the only restriction faced by many Units’ is the availability of an interested adult willing to give up their time to develop a particular subject.

Units are staffed by willing volunteers just like yourself, many of whom came to the Unit with little or no practical experience but have progressed thanks to the welcome, assistance and numerous training opportunities also available to adults.

Alternatively, of course, you might want to help the Unit in a non-training role by assisting the Unit Management Committee (UMC) in its function within the Unit. The UMC is responsible for providing the funding and equipment essential to maintain a healthy Unit.

Each Unit is a self-supporting local Youth Organisation and, when so approved by the relevant Charity Authorities, an independent registered charity.

Full composition details of the Unit is available in the publication ‘Sea Cadet Regulations’ or ‘SCRs’ for short, available in the Unit. New volunteers need to familiarise themselves with this publication.