Ocean Graduate student grades soar!

The 17 students who completed the Ocean Graduate from May - Oct 2009 have achieved the best set of results and UKSA grades since the Mentoring and Assessment process was introduced 3 years ago.

The grades were: 2 Distinctions, 5 Merit*, 5 Merit, 4 Passes, and 1 still to finish.

The Mentoring and Assessment system was introduced as an added benefit to students attending yachting career training to improve the learning experience, knowledge of the industry and to drive standards to a higher level. The grades are assessed over a combination of a seaphase assessment, written assignment, industry knowledge oral exam and overall examination performance.

Steve Rouse, UKSA course mentor and Educational Co-ordinator commented; 'The level of motivation and the quality of assignments was exceptional, pass rate percentages were also very high in all subjects.'

UKSA Launches Twitter Feed

OK.... so it's taken us a while, but UKSA are finally on Twitter.

We will be using the service to bring you updates on everything we think will be of interest to our followers plus announcing any new posts or content we have uploaded into our website.

Ciaran and Kirsty in the marketing team will be keeping on top of this new venture and get very animated if you talk about anything Twitter related.

" We want our Twitter feed to be fun" says Kirsty, "It will be more than just UKSA news and updates... watch out for free stuff and some great discounts on UKSA training for our Twitter followers. We also want to share with you some of the great content relating to sailing and careers that we come across all the time from across the web."

Follow UKSA Tweets at www.twitter.com/uksatweet

UKSA and RYA form new ‘British Keelboat Academy’

The future looks bright for Britain’s up and coming young keelboat sailors, with UKSA and The RYA announcing their new ‘British Keelboat Academy’.

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has joined forces with leading maritime training provider, UKSA to create the British Keelboat Academy. Developed for young people aged 18-24, the programme has been designed to prepare sailors for keelboat racing at the highest level, training up and coming sailors to compete in events including the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.

The new programme combines the former RYA Keelboat programme and UKSA’s GBR Yacht Racing Academy and giving those involved access to the expertise and facilities of both organisations. Run to RYA standards and delivered by UKSA’s head coach, Luke McCarthy, the British Keelboat Academy will offer 50 individuals a one to two-year mixed programme covering all aspects of training, racing, boat work and electronics.

Ben Willows, Director of Operations at UKSA, said:

“We are delighted to be joining forces with the RYA to create the British Keelboat Academy. Both organisations are passionate about giving young sailors the opportunity to get out on the water. We hope to inspire and support even more young people and widen access to top level racing for those already involved in the sport and also for those that wouldn’t normally have the opportunity.”

RYA Racing Manager John Derbyshire commented:

“Providing a constant stream of talented sailors into keelboat campaigns remains a key priority for this programme. We’re really pleased to be moving this into a new era and working with UKSA on this joint approach is exciting.

“The mix of expertise and resources UKSA and RYA are bringing to the Academy programme will create an invaluable and world leading training resource which will continue to produce top class keelboat sailors.

"We plan to develop and extend the network of sponsors and partners, many of whom have supported us throughout this year, as we seek to add more value to the Programme.”

Applications to the British Keelboat Academy National Squad are now being invited – interested parties should apply for consideration via the website by 20th November at www.britishkeelboatacademy.org

To get news and updates on the British Keelboat Academy, sign up to UKSA's Twitter feed here

As part of the British Keelboat Academy programme, the RYA and UKSA will continue to run the TP52 John Merricks II, provided by the John Merricks Sailing Trust for selected campaigns in 2010, and its Crewsearch scheme which matches sailors with skippers and boat owners looking for young talent for their keelboat campaigns.

UKSA helps record breakers

UKSA is celebrating the record-breaking achievements of two of their alumni. Guy Watts and Andrew Delaney of Team MSS crossed the finishing line of the inaugural Woodvale Indian Ocean rowing race at 16:40 GMT on Thursday July 30th 2009, after a grueling 102 days, 13 hours and 40 minutes and 3,870 nautical miles at sea.

The pair are now recognised as holders of several impressive world records, including being the first pairs team to have rowed land to land across the Indian Ocean unassisted, and finishing the race as the fastest pairs team. This extraordinary feat would not have been achieved without their sheer drive and determination and the maritime training and experiences the team received from UKSA.

Guy said: “This was an incredible challenge to undertake and we are thrilled with our success. Only five people have ever managed to complete the distance before, and we are not only the first pair to ever do so but also the youngest which is an amazing achievement. The training we undertook at UKSA was fantastic, and proved vital in helping us cope with the waves, whales, sharks, swarms of jellyfish and 40 degree temperatures we encountered during the row. The support we received from the entire team at UKSA continued throughout the race and afterwards, long after our training had ended, which really made a difference to Andrew and myself.”

Guy and Andrew completed several qualifications at UKSA to aid them in their mammoth task, including training in first aid, sea survival and ocean navigation – all vital tools required during their ocean crossing. Ben Willows, Operations Director at UKSA, commented: “We are absolutely delighted with Guy and Andrew’s success in becoming world-record breakers. Their training here at UKSA is an excellent example of the real difference training can make, not just for people involved in world-class events but in all aspects of maritime activity. As a registered charity, we are committed to changing the lives of young people from all backgrounds, providing education and personal development to all.”

For further information visit www.uksa.org and www.indianoceanrace.com

The Christmas gift for sailors that keeps on giving ;-)

What do you get the sailor in your life who has everything? You know... they scour the boat shows for every new gismo and gadget going... they are so hard to buy for. Well not any longer;
we have the ultimate present for sailors everywhere...

...Well not quite ultimate, but sure to raise a smile and a hearty thanks. UKSA is once again offering gift vouchers which can be used against any of our training courses. There is always more to learn, so no matter how accomplished they are, we are confident we can find a course or programme to challenge them. You can either by them the whole course (for which we will give you 10% off the price so your Christmas pennies go that little bit further), or you can buy them some money off vouchers to go towards any training at UKSA.

To get hold of your gift vouchers just call us on 01983 203034 and tell us how much you would like to purchase and we will send you a voucher to that value which you can use yourself or give as a gift. Simple :-)

An Interview With Solo Ocean Sailor Seb Josse

This is an interview we did a few months back, and I'm very excited to finally get this posted. Seb is an extraordinary and inspirational sailor, who shares with us his journey through the recent Vendee Globe race. We discover how he got into ocean racing and explore some of his tips for racing success on these marathon solo ocean races.

If you enjoy following ocean racing and are looking to be inspired, then don't miss this interview!

This is an enhanced podcast and is best grabbed from the iTunes store as it has slide images embedded into the audio. Simply open up iTunes on your computer, go to the iTunes Store and search for the yachting podcast. Subscribe to it and you can grab new content as we publish it (and watch the enhanced podcast).

HRH The Princess Royal helps UKSA to celebrate at Awards Ceremony

UKSA welcomed over 120 guests to the Royal Yacht Squadron last week as it played host to the inaugural 'Celebrating Achievement' awards. Created to recognise the achievements of the young people that UKSA works with, the awards were presented by UKSA's patron, HRH The Princess Royal.

"We are very privileged to work with some fantastic young people and supporting organisations at UKSA. Tonight we wanted to recognise their successes through these awards. We were absolutely delighted that HRH The Princess Royal was able to join us to celebrate the life-changing experiences many young people have benefited from over the last year at UKSA.." Jon Ely, UKSA Chief Executive

World-renowned sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, UKSA Ambassador, conveyed her strong support of the work UKSA does to support and train young people, highlighting the positive impact that UKSA has made on so many lives. The event was honoured by other successful sailors including UKSA Ambassadors Shirley Robertson and Hilary Lister, as well as Vendee Globe racers and UKSA graduates Jonny Malbon and Dee Caffari, who was delighted to receive the Exceptional Achievement Award for a UKSA graduate who has achieved to the highest level.

Dee began her yachting career after completing a professional yacht training course at UKSA. She has since gone on to achieve an amazing feat of endurance, stamina, skill and courage, sailing non-stop, alone, around the world in both directions. Dee's success now provides the catalyst for other young people coming to train at UKSA; her achievements show them that everything is possible with hard work and commitment.

The Mary Rose School won the Vision and Achievement Award (sponsored by Dean and Reddyhoff Marinas) for a school or youth organisation that has worked with UKSA to gain outstanding impact and achievement for its young people. The Mary Rose School, based in Portsmouth use PE and sport within the school curriculum as a vehicle to develop and improve learning opportunities for their pupils who have severe learning and physical disabilities.

The Outstanding Progress Award for a young person who, with the help of UKSA is making outstanding progress in life went to Alex Farrar (sponsored by Wight Cable). Alex first came to UKSA on the Prince's Trust 'Get into Maritime' programme, before being part-funded to complete the UKSA 6 week Crew Training course in 2008. Alex is currently working on a 34m sailing ketch in the Mediterranean.

Liz Earle Beauty Co. Ltd sponsored the Inspirational Partnership Award, for an organisation that has fully embraced the UKSA partnership vision gaining benefit for both UKSA and their organisation. This Award was won by Salesforce.com, who have been working with UKSA for the last seven years. Through their pro-active philanthropic Foundation they donate their web based CRM (Customer Relationship Management) product free of charge to UKSA. They have also funded groups of young people from inner city London to benefit from residential experiences at UKSA. View Movie

Congratulations to all our winners and nominees on their achievements, and we hope to continue this event in the years to come.