When it comes to military discipline, it is well known that the rules are rigid and specific. However, what many are unaware of is the level of detail that is involved when someone joins a military academy for the first time.
This will be the case of Princess Leonor, who in a few days will begin her training at the Naval Academy of Marin, where she will even be told what kind of socks to wear.
Princess Leonor’s Strict Naval Academy Rules
Each military institution has its own requirements, and the regulations are designed with great precision to ensure that the new cadets, especially those incoming, know exactly what they should bring with them.
At the Naval Academy of Marin, moreover, students can purchase what they need from an in-house store. For Leonor, being a woman, there are some additional particularities, such as the need to have two pairs of high heels, one black and one white, which should match perfectly with her white uniform, characteristic of the navy.
Some items, however, are not available at the school store, such as running shoes, which must be discreetly colored with a white background.
White, a ubiquitous color at Marin, is reflected in the dress requirements, which include a list of garments that students must purchase prior to induction.
Among these garments are “white panties, white bra, white sports bra, shower flip-flops, sewing kit, shoe cleaning kit, personal grooming kit, and clothes marker.”
The wardrobe in detail
The rest of the required clothing, whose total value amounts to $560, can be purchased at the military bazaar. This includes everything from socks (white, black and sport socks) to caps, white gloves, large white towels, black and white belts, and both long and short-sleeved white shirts.
Uniforms, a central element in military training, at Marin come in a variety of models, adapted to the different activities cadets will perform.
Among them are the fireproof blue fatigues for boarding (it is important to remember that this is a naval academy and students will spend much of their time aboard ships), the pixelated wooded field uniform, the midshipman’s uniform and the female blue uniform.
Cadets, in addition, will be required to wear both blue and white skirts, accompanied by the aforementioned heels.
The list of clothing is extensive and detailed, not to mention the various utensils and tools required for training.
Cadets should carry, among other things, a Domingo Ferrer quick-release drawing compass with extension pole, Faber Castell technical squares and bevels, and a RunChart CC-144-junior square nautical protractor, as well as a Leatherman knife.
Maps and charts
Students will also receive a list of books and materials for all subjects they will be taking, including maneuvering treatises.
Upon arrival, they will be given numerous maps, nautical charts and regulations.
During the first two weeks, the new cadets will go through a period of adaptation that includes sailing trips, practice in school units, military instruction and gymnastic exercises.
Physical fitness is essential, and the school emphasizes that students must train intensively prior to entry to ensure outstanding physical strength.
Daily routine
The daily routine at the Naval Academy begins at 6:45 a.m. with reveille, and the day concludes at 10:20 p.m., when students must prepare for rest, since 10:30 p.m. is the time of silence.
Each day, the cadets must pass medical review and, at the end of the afternoon, they will participate in the prayer and the reading of the order of the day.
In the entrance regulations, the new cadets are “strongly recommended” to carefully review the complete list, which covers 42 pages, so that they do not miss any important detail.