The Boathouses

The Royal Thai Naval Academy is located along the Chao Praya River, and there are many beautiful places in the Academy. My group will introduce one good place at the RTNA, which is the Boathouses.
The Boathouses were built in 1978 and are located at the Chao Praya riverside in the north of the RTNA. There are 4 boathouses and the club’s office. They look like a train so that water run off when it is raining. After we used the boathouses for a long time, in 2006 we improved this place when the Academy celebrated its 100th anniversary. The new boathouse is a very big building and comfortable for keeping boats. We got new equipment for water sports, such as the speedboats.
The Naval Cadet Yacht Club has many kinds of sailing boats such as the MRX keel boat, Laser class, Fireball class, Enterprise class, Optimist class and Supper mod class (The super mod is the boat His Majesty the King Rama IX designed.). There are 25 sailors and 3 technicians. We have many water sports activities. My club will practice water sports in the evening. We want to race in competitions in Thailand, such as the Phuket King’s Cup and Hua Hin Regatta. The officer who takes care of this place is Lt. Thara Kaewaroon, who has been in charge for a long time. He will help us with everything he can. This place is used for naval cadets to train with a motorboat. About the motor boat, we will drill hard with Sub-Lt. Noppa Reanbubha. We learn something about ropes and lines. The line is useful to use on warships therefore we use a line to bring a ship up alongside. We get drills and practice by Lt. Thara Kaewaroon .This training is very important for a naval cadet, because we are going to be a naval officer and work on a warship, so we need a lot of ship handing. In the final week, we must test everything about seamanship. If you fail a seamanship test, you will have to repeat.
We think that it is useful and very important for naval cadets to learn about seamanship. Sometimes we use the boats to relax in holidays with our friends. It makes us happy when we go to there, so we love this place very much.

References
Keawaroon, Lieutenant Thara. and Reanbubpha, Sub-Lieutenant Noppha. Personal interview, 25 August 2008
Sakultem, Naval Cadet Pornprom. “Let’s sail.” Samsamor Magazine. 1995: 74-75.
The Boathouses. October 2004. RTNA. 27 October 2008.
<http://www.rtna.ac.th/english/sightseeingRTNA/Theboathouses/Theboathouses.html>
The Royal Thai Naval yacht club. September 2007. RTNA. 27 October 2008
<http://www.rtna.ac.th/english/CadetActivities/Yacht/Yacht.html>
Wikipedia. 27 October 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing

All Rise - Blue

Interview

Last week, We interviewed an officer in the Royal Thai Navy who is a teacher of seamanship for all naval cadets. He has knowledge about seamanship because he taught this subject for long time. He likes to say “Don't pass” every week in the subject. I think that he has high discipline with the naval cadets.

Questions about seamanship training.
Q: What is the purpose of the seamanship training building?
A: To practice naval cadets to do all duties on the ship very well.
Q: What is the advantage which naval cadets can get from the boathouse?
A: I think the cadet will get more seamanship skills and more leadership to work on warships. Because they train very hard every week the cadets will be able to practice the duties of the warship.
Q: What does the boathouse consist of?
A: 4 boathouses and 1 office. This year we got a new building which can keep more boats and more equipment  like Speedboats ,Sail boats, canoes and equipment to drill seamanship, lines and ropes.

About sailing.
Q: What makes a sailing race attractive?
A: Because I love the sea and want to spend my time with real nature so when I began to race I could feel the sea and the fresh air. That was very cool! But while you race, you still have to think about the fastest direction all the time to sail your ship to the finish line to win the competition,  so it becomes a very exciting sport.
Q: What did you learn from the sailing race?
A: First of all it was teamwork because you couldn't sail your boat by yourself. We had to work in a team and helped each other so it would make you and your friends understand each other more than the past. There is also a chance to use your own ability to create the direction. Finally, you would get new sea experiences that would help you in your future career.
Q: What kind of ship do you think is perfectly matched for the Naval Cadets?
A: I think every kind of ship is fine for Naval Cadets but OK class should be the best one because it is not too big and very easy to control.

Classes of Boats

O K Class

King Bhumibol once sailed across the Thai gulf from Sattahip to Hua Hin in this boat. Some people like to sail this boat, because it doesn't sink easily.

Laser Class

This class is suitable for new players to practice, because it’s easy to control even in a strong wind.

Super mod Class

It was designed and made by King Bhumibol. Its body is large but its sail is small. It’s hard to control.

MRX Keel Boat Class

This class is the biggest. There are seven people on this boat. The boat is moved by engine and wind. The Naval Cadet Yacht Club uses it to race in the Hua Hin Regatta and King’s Cup every year.

Speed Boats

There are three speedboats in this boathouse. We use them for transporting the plays from the shore to the sea. 

Boathouses

The office of the management.

All boats are kept in this boathouse. Sometimes it is used for training seamanship (rowing), learning about ropes and lines) and learning about knots.

Ropes and Lines

Rowing Boats