Youth Keelboat Academy launches in Essex
by Peter Ward 4 Feb 2020 14:38 GMT
A new Academy opens in Essex this week that aims to help young people aged between 14 and 24 to develop their skills to sail and race keelboats, whether for pleasure, or racing at national level.
The Keelboat Academy, which was partly funded through Sports England, with the support of the Royal Yachting Association, is an initiative of Marconi Sailing Club who are now accepting applications for places at the Academy from anyone with a keen interest in keelboat sailing.
The Academy has a fleet of five SB20's, which provides both a stable training platform, and an exciting ride for the young crew.
Peter Ward, one of the driving forces behind the Academy said, 'Currently there's a clear development pathway for dinghy sailors across the UK, but hardly any for young keelboat sailors. In recent years there's been a huge surge of interest in keelboat racing, driven primarily through the start of the Sailing Champions League, and through the training the Academy provides, we hope to open up new opportunities for our sailors on those boats.'
The Academy members, who will train together once a month will participate in a range of events during the season, and will receive coaching on board a fleet of SB20 keelboats, from regional sailing coaches and keelboat racers. In addition, sailors will receive training ashore spanning subjects including, racing rules, rig tuning and sail trim.
In September the members of the Academy will participate in an end of season regatta, whilst a team of four will be selected to represent the Academy at the Youth event of the British Keelboat League in Cowes during June.
To apply for a position in the Keelboat Academy, please contact
Find out more at www.marconi-sc.org.uk/marconi-keelboat-academy-launched