Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina opens World Class Training Academy ahead of America's Cup Event
by Calum Chalmers 26 Sep 2023 06:18 BST
Jeddah Yacht Club Academy officially opened © JYC
Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina is proud to announce the launch of The JYC Academy, a state-of-the-art training center designed to give the best sailing and powerboat training in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina has partnered with RS Sailing to provide an extensive range of boats and has secured the renowned RYA accreditation to ensure the highest degree of excellence.
Mohideen Nazer, Senior Vice President at Sela the company behind Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina proudly stated:
"We have invested in these amazing facilities at The JYC Academy because we are committed to the growth of watersports throughout Saudi Arabia. We have built a world class training center in Jeddah that will inspire people new to the sport to come and try it and will provide elite sailors with the best opportunity to develop their competitive skills. We want as many people as possible to enjoy watersports - young and old, newcomers and elite alike - and we have built a center that is inspirational."
The opening of The JYC Academy comes ahead of the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta being hosted at Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina in late November. The world's best sailors and most advanced AC40 "flying" boats will do battle on the Red Sea for the first time in the history of the world's oldest sporting trophy, which started in 1851.
Adrian Peet, VP of Marine Development at Sela, is enthusiastic about the new opportunities that the Academy's facilities open up: "The eyes of the sailing world will be on Saudi Arabia from 29th November to 2nd December. Launching The JYC Academy now, partnering with RS Boats and gaining RYA accreditation will allow us to capitalise on the increased interest and excitement. It will allow us to get more people out on the water and allow us to provide world-class training facilities all year round."
Peet continues: "We are proud to have secured accreditation from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and to have the largest range of accredited courses in the Kingdom, from RYA Level One up to Yacht Master Theory. The RYA is the gold standard, so our students will benefit from cutting-edge training methods and internationally recognized certification pathways."
The RS Sailing fleet at The JYC Academy includes RS Zests for those new to the sport, RS Neos and Quests for beginner training, RS Fevas for ambitious youths and kite work, RS Cat 16, and the RS500 to give advanced sailors the thrill of trapezing.
Dan Jaspers, International Business Developer at RS Sailing, expressed his eagerness to support the Kingdom's rapidly expanding sailing scene: "The team behind The JYC Academy have the same ethos and same objectives that we have at RS Sailing. They are focusing on the development of the sport and on growing the next generation of sailors in Saudi Arabia. Bringing sailing back to a nation that once relied on water for life and trade, and seeing it come full circle, is incredibly exciting for us."
Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina and The JYC Academy are run by a highly acclaimed team of marine professionals led by Oliver Rees, General Manager; Colin Ralph, Marina Director, and Louise Ralph, JYC Academy Manager. The team has several decades of combined experience working at the best marinas and sailing clubs around the world.
Sela is the company behind Jeddah Yacht Club & Marine and some of the most ambitious lifestyle development projects in Saudi Arabia. Sela has been at the forefront of the drive to grow watersports in Saudi. Sela's goal is to bring about a sailing renaissance in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
This year the academy has already had over 1400 adults and children participate in a variety of watersports from 2 hour taster sessions to week long sailing camps.