Twenty-six sea cadets from across the UK will take to the international stage this summer to take part in this year’s Tall Ships Races, forming one of the youngest crewing elements in the entire fleet.
Sailing aboard TS Royalist, the Sea Cadets’ flagship training vessel, the cadets will join a fleet of international ships in Northern Europe, with port stops including Harlingen, Antwerp and Stavanger, where hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to visit the ships. With an average age of just 17, the youngest cadet turning 15 years old just days ahead of their race leg.
Built in 2015 and based in Gosport, TS Royalist is a modern sailing brig designed specifically for youth sail training. Carrying up to 24 cadets, the vessel provides a demanding, hands-on environment where young people develop seamanship, resilience and teamwork.
The Tall Ships Races, organised by Sail Training International, celebrate their 70th anniversary this year. Since 1956, the event has enabled more than 20,000 young people to gain confidence, practical skills and international friendships through sail training.
The voyage also marks a milestone for Sea Cadets, with 2026 representing 60 years since the charity first entered the Tall Ships Races in 1966, an experience that helped inspire the creation of its fleet of five offshore vessels.
Cadet Corporal Evan, from Maidenhead Royal Marines Cadets, who will be taking part, says the experience is about far more than sailing:
“It’s about leadership, teamwork and being part of something bigger than yourself. Everyone brings their own skills, but you have to come together as one crew.”
The Tall Ships Races place young people in a highly immersive real-world environment where teamwork and communication are essential and decisions have real consequences.
“You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails,” Evan added. “Sea Cadets teaches you to stay calm, control your response and lead under pressure.”
The Sea Cadets’ crew stands out not only for representing the UK, but for their age and energy, with most international participants being aged between 18-25.
Alongside those sailing on Royalist, a further group of nine sea cadets will join an international crew on Portuguese tall ship Vera Cruz, reflecting the global collaboration at the heart of the races.
For a generation shaped by the pandemic and digital learning, the Tall Ships experience offers a powerful hands-on environment where living and working together at sea becomes the sole function.
“There’s something powerful about learning in the real world, not behind a screen,” said Evan. “You’re working together, solving problems in real time, and that builds confidence in a way nothing else can.”
From its origins in 1966, when a borrowed brig, Centurion, sparked the creation of Sea Cadets’ offshore programme, to today’s modern sail training aboard TS Royalist, the charity continues to develop young people through challenge and adventure at sea.
As the racing fleet gathers in ports across Europe, Sea Cadets will not only compete but act as ambassadors, showcasing the leadership and potential of young people from across the UK to an international audience.
