After decades of helping the island’s young people through the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corp, Dwayne Trott has handed over command.

While Mr Trott formally handed the sword of command to Michael Frith this weekend, he said he remained proud of the work that he had done and was confident Mr Frith would continue to move the BSCC forward.

“I’ve always been committed and passionate about working with young folks,” he said.

“Michael shows that same sort of passion. For lack of a better word, he eats, sleeps and drinks sea cadets, outside of work and family.”

Mr Trott said he first joined the BSCC as a cadet in 1973, but not entirely of his own volition. “I was just around the house on Friday nights, making a nuisance of myself,” he recalled. “My father said he saw about the sea cadets and said that’s something he thought I would be interested in because I love the water.

“He told me to go check it out and, of course, I didn’t. One night he came home, opened the car door, told me to get in, and took me down there.”

He said he quickly developed a fondness for sailing and, despite some initial reservations, marching as well.

After activities were over, he would remain, playing games with the other cadets.

Mr Trott eventually became an officer, tackling leadership roles at TS Admiral Somers in St George’s before being named Commander in 2009.

In addition to supporting hundreds of young people, Mr Trott garnered a host of awards for his work both in the BSCC and out, earning a Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour, the prestigious Sea Cadet Medal.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony, Mr Trott paid an emotional tribute to those sea cadet officers who had come before him, and recognised them for their leadership of him during his early days as a cadet and as a young officer himself.

“Officers such as Derek Tully and the late John Edwards showed me what sea cadets was all about,” he said.

“About a year before he died, I made a promise to Mr Edwards that I would keep sea cadets going after he was gone, and I am proud to have been able to keep that promise.”

Mr Frith, meanwhile, became a sea cadet in 1986, returning to TS Admiral Somers in 2003 to help clean up in the wake of Hurricane Fabian. “I had often thought about coming back to sea cadets but I hadn’t been around,” he said. “I was given the perfect invitation to come back and help out after the hurricane, and when I got down there I realised that the only regular adult volunteer going to help out the cadets was Mr Trott.

“It was clear that someone needed to stay and help him out, and from that moment I was hooked.”

He was named the commanding officer of TS Admiral Somers in 2011 and was quickly put into the spotlight, tasked with training cadets to participate in the Thames Pageant in London, held to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Describing his time with the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps as a “gift”, Mr Frith said: “What the island needs is young leaders, and that is what the BSCC is all about.

“I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to lead the corps in achieving that goal.”

Mark Guishard, chairman of the Bermuda Sea Cadet Association, referred to Mr Trott’s “inspirational commitment and dedication to the sea cadet movement in Bermuda, even in the face of dwindling volunteer support”, saying his work had built a strong foundation for future success under the command of Mr Frith.