Recruit Darren Bohanna joined Royal Naval Reserve unit HMS EAGLET in Liverpool in 2016 and he has already represented the Royal Navy at Canoe Polo and Kayak Freestyle.
35-year-old Darren, who works for the National Grid in his civilian career, had previously been an Air Cadet and has been canoeing since he was 15.
“I joined the Maritime Reserves because I saw an advert on TV and thought I’d like to do that!
“When I had just joined, I was told that there were opportunities to play more than 40 sports with the Royal Navy. Alongside our Core Maritime Skills (CMS) training we can participate in any number of sports. The ‘Navy Fit’ ethos appealed to me and I enquired about Canoe Polo and then made it into the team.”
Darren has already been selected to represent the Tri-Services team playing in Hull this June.
When asked what advice he would give to cadets thinking about the Maritime Reserves as a possible career path, AB Bohanna said: “Being in the cadets as a teenager gave me a head start with drill and discipline which can also help in sports. In the Maritime Reserves, sports are open to men and women, so the opportunities to travel, meet new people and learn new skills is fantastic. I’m basically being paid to play sports that I love; it doesn’t get better than that!”
Alongside his civilian job, his Maritime Reserve training, and representing the Royal Navy at Canoeing, Darren is also an Adult Instructor at 90 (Speke) Squadron Air Cadets.
HMS EAGLET is the Naval Reserve unit based at Naval Regional Command Headquarters in East Brunswick Dock, Merseyside. For more information call 0151 707 3326 or visit http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organisation/maritime-reserves/royal-naval-reserve/units/eaglet
