World Champion coaches South West Tera Academy at Paignton SC
by Nicholas James 1 Feb 2016 16:45 GMT
30-31 January 2016
30 children from Teign Corinthian YC, PSC, RTYC, RDYC and SGBA launching at Paignton Harbour with World Champion Will Taylor © Nicholas James
Paignton Sailing Club played host to the first on the water training session of the South West Tera Academy's winter schedule over the weekend. Over thirty children aged between 9 and 14 took to the water in single handed Tera and Topper dinghies coached by a team of 6 excellent RYA coaches including RS Tera World Champion Will Taylor.
Having a World Champion on the water along with the team of RYA Coaches the Academy is giving the next generation of "Ben Ainslie's" a fantastic opportunity to learn advanced techniques without having to travel hundreds of miles.
Now in its second year, the South West Tera Academy community group has been awarded significant funding from the Andrew Simpson Foundation, organisers of the world's largest sailing event "Bart's Bash", a national sailing charity and who have provided the Lead Coach, Tim Anderton, who is a world class coach full of enthusiasm for local aspiring Olympic sailors.
The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) have also thrown their support behind the project with invaluable advice from their regional representatives, Duncan West and Peter Musket. The RYA have also provided four days of funding of coaching costs for the Squad.
With these fantastic donations of costs to the South West Tera Squad, it has been possible to keep the costs to each of the sailors to an absolute minimum.
With over 30 boats sailing, well in excess of half of them were provided by Teign Corinthian Yacht Club & Royal Dart Yacht Club, with these great sailing club's support of the academy it has been possible to make this fantastic sport accessible to all, truly removing the "Exclusive" title so often mistakenly given to the sport of sailing.
Tim Anderton of the Andrew Simpson Foundation and Lead Coach for the South West Tera Academy, said, "The fact that the children have used predominantly club owned boats during the training emphasises the "getting children on the water attitude" the South West Tera Academy have, which is an attitude we as a sailing charity, are very keen to support."
Ben Miles a member of Teign Corinthian Yacht Club and one of the founders of the South West Tera Academy said, "It's great to see so many enthusiastic youngsters from so many sailing clubs out on the water. None of this would be possible without the help and support from our local clubs, especially Teign Corinthian Yacht Club, Paignton Sailing Club and Royal Dart Sailing Club who have really got behind this project with both practical and financial support. If anybody was looking for a sailing club to join you would not find any clubs better".
The South West Tera Academy's approach of bringing top class coaching talent to the South West has already paid dividends with the great success of two of the Academy's youngsters, William James and Freddie Gilmore both winning places on the prestigious National Tera Squad.
The South West Tera Squad are actively seeking additional financial sponsorship for their activities and any interest from benevolent parties would be gratefully received, please contact Ben Miles at swsquad@gmail.com.
To find out more about the Academy visit them at www.swtera.org