# Tectona - Former Sail Training Vessel Plymouth School of Navigation



## loylobby

Any old Plymouth School of Navigation (School Of Maritime Studies) cadets who sailed on the mighty Tectona as part of their training modules might find this of interest. 

http://www.tectona.org.uk/

I sailed on her a few times and thoroughly enjoyed the experience (after getting over the initial sea sickness)


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## mike scanlan

*Tectona*

I also sailed on the Tectona ! It would have been about 1980 whilst I was doing 'Phase 1'. I was working for Ellerman City Liners at the time.


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## Steve Sherwood

*I sailed on Tectona during the great drought of 1976*

There was hardly any wind the week we were on Tectona, during the long, hot and dry summer of '76, so we had to motor most of the time to places such as Dartmouth and Fowey. I remember that on the first night we anchored off Kingsand, having drifted intrepidly across Plymouth Sound during the afternoon, dropped the dinghy, then most went to the pub. There were 12 deck cadets aboard and we had to do an hour's anchor watch each between 6pm and 6am. I think I drew 2-3am or 3-4; some awful time in the middle of the night anyway. Graham Carter was the skipper, he was also our lecturer in ship construction and sailing at the School of Maritime Studies. Happy days!


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## simonpjd

I sailed on the Tectona in 1977 I think. I was sick as a dog on her. While on her we did the old liferaft survival thing where I was the 'casualty' as I couldn't swim. This didn't stop me from being hurled overboard and I will admit I was s*** scared. However once on the raft I was one of the few who wasn't sick - perhaps because I was just so relieved to have made it on to her and safety.
We sailed to Dartmouth and Salcombe and Guernsey. Great fun when it wasn't too rough. Oh no here come dinner just thinking about it.
I was with Ellermans at the time - passed 2nd Mates in 1977 and Mates (Class 2) in 1981. Left the MN in 1984 but have now started doing cruise holidays and simply love being back at sea.


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## billy moore

*1965*

hi,i was lucky enough to sail several times on the tectona in 1965,captain motte was the captain in charge of seamanship at the school but he didn't skipper the tectona,captain gibson had that job.
great fun,a j guy,p soady were my shipmates at the time.


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## PETER BALLAN

billy moore said:


> hi,i was lucky enough to sail several times on the tectona in 1965,captain motte was the captain in charge of seamanship at the school but he didn't skipper the tectona,captain gibson had that job.
> great fun,a j guy,p soady were my shipmates at the time.


I was on the 'Tectona' in '59. Roger Motte was just teaching then, and failed to teach me ANYTHING ! Gibbo was the slightly nervous skipper on the Tec, and a delightful bloke he was too ! he could also play a mean classical geetar ! Always nice to manage to tie up again in dear old Mutton Cove, and have a quick *** in the old green corrugated boat house there. Gibson said I was hopeless at some things but could do a bloody good reef knot ! Nowt's changed ! Left over right and under, right over left and under ! Ta dahhhh !

There was Capt. Thomas, ex RFA who was the new 'Warden' at Greenbank hostel, after the previous warden, a much loved character, whose name was Capt. Johnson, died. Another character was Capt. Hughes, a coke bottle bespectacled principle of the tech, assisted by Roy Battrick. 
Does anybody remember Ted Lindsay-Smith of the 1958-59 year ? He now lives in Arizona ! And Oscar Breach, Jacko, Johnny Whitehouse, Paul Pearson, and the night of the fireworks going off smoking out the 'tween deck of the hostel ! and the delightful cook, Molly Meadows. ? ? ?http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/images/icons/icon7.gif


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## PETER BALLAN

Steve Sherwood said:


> There was hardly any wind the week we were on Tectona, during the long, hot and dry summer of '76, so we had to motor most of the time to places such as Dartmouth and Fowey. I remember that on the first night we anchored off Kingsand, having drifted intrepidly across Plymouth Sound during the afternoon, dropped the dinghy, then most went to the pub. There were 12 deck cadets aboard and we had to do an hour's anchor watch each between 6pm and 6am. I think I drew 2-3am or 3-4; some awful time in the middle of the night anyway. Graham Carter was the skipper, he was also our lecturer in ship construction and sailing at the School of Maritime Studies. Happy days!


Graham Carter !!!!!!!!!! was this the same guy wot used to come from Rochester, Kent, well spoken, very English accent, languid attitude and had sailed down around the Antarctic on some survey 
ship ?


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## Macoshark

My memories of the Tectona are from 1969 / 1970 and involve liferaft drill, being hurled of the deck in full No 8's and clambering into a liferaft only to be shunted around by dear old Chiefy in a Z Craft who was determined to make us suffer (as he'd found out that we had carefully preserved our smokes and matches in plastic bags before we jumped overboard)... and also a days cruise we did out to sea where the seas were a little rough to put it mildly... what memories!


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