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Britania Royal Naval College PIckeT BoATS T


HE picket boats stationed at Britannia Royal Naval College’s Sandquay Marina were built in the 1970s and during their early life, cadets took them as far as France and the Channel Islands. Today the eight vessels don’t


journey much further than the River Dart and Lyme Bay – until recently when they were chosen to escort the royal barge during the Queen’s massive Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames.


Alongside the lavishly decorated


Spirit of Chartwell barge, with its royal entourage fronting a waterborne cavalcade of more than 1,000 boats, was an escort of BRNC picket boats manned by officers who had just completed their basic training in Dartmouth. Driving one of the pickets was


BRNC’s River Instructor, Petty Officer Matthew Payne, who teaches trainee officer cadets to be proficient drivers of not only the College’s picket boats, but also its fleet of whalers and RIBs. Prior to the London pageant, PO Payne and his team of naval officer sailors were out on the Dart practising their formation sailing ready for the big day, with the local pleasure boats playing the part of the Queen’s barge for the navy escort. PO Payne said: ‘Practising on the


Dart was brilliant and the Dartmouth River Boat Company was fantastic in letting us train alongside their boats. ‘The pageant was very exciting but


I didn’t really feel involved in it at the time as I was so busy concentrating on keeping my position that I didn’t pay any attention to the millions of people lining the side of the Thames. ‘I pretty much had tunnel vision, keeping the boat on the right course. It was very difficult to hold the perfect position, angle and station to the Queen’s barge which was slightly behind us.


‘I don’t think the penny dropped until afterwards when we secured to a gas barge, had something to eat and watched the event on TV. It was a huge honour.’ BRNC underpins the careers of all naval officers, including the royal princes, Charles, Andrew and


“Practising on the Dart was brilliant and the Dartmouth River Boat Company were fantastic in letting us practise alongside their boats.”


William, who all trained on the College’s picket boats. PO Payne said: ‘The picket boats were built for the College, for a training role. The pickets and the whalers are the workforce of the College’s maritime delivery. ‘They’re always in use and they


are very sturdy and robust, with good fenders – as cadets have been known to have prangs or hit pontoons. ‘In the past, the picket boats have been as far as Paris and the Channel Islands and they also took part in the Trafalgar 200 celebrations in Portsmouth in 2005. ‘We have eight picket boats and the oldest is 42-years-old. Because


of their age they are suffering from osmosis, but we have an excellent support facility here with the defence contractor British Aerospace Systems, which provides engineering and maintenance support for the vessels.’ PO Payne said he expects BRNC’s picket boat fleet to be replaced in the next few years. ‘There is a defence budget put aside for that. ‘The aim will be to use them more


further afield and perhaps take part in weekend divisional operational exercises to the Channel Islands when there are good weather windows.’ The 11 tonne, 13.7 metre long picket boats are made of glass reinforced plastic with a Nelson design hull and supporting wooden structures. BRNC cadets are trained to handle


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