NATIONAL SAILING ACADEMY STUDENTS MOVING ON TO BIGGER THINGS! Saturday 5th October 2013
Antigua's National Sailing Academy has a group of students that is moving up from dinghy and keelboat sailing. The team that successfully won the BVI Youth Regatta earlier this year has been studying the theory of Navigation. Professional Skipper Clare Cupples took the boys for some Essential Navigation and Seamanship classes to start the ball rolling. Three of the four students have now begun using this knowledge to achieve their RYA Day Skipper Practical courses. Janeild Smith and Stephon Dundas have both received their certificates and David Jackson has been on a Mile Building and Experience week in preparation for his Day Skipper course in the near future.
Miramar Sailing School has been sponsoring the boys to give them better opportunities in the marine industry. Janeild was the first student to attend the Day Skipper course. He sailed around Antigua during which he had to navigate into some of the more remote coves and bays on the east coast of the island. He went to places he’d never been before! They visited Great Bird Island where they were lucky enough to find an Antiguan Racer Snake, Mercer’s Creek and Stingray City, down the Spithead Channel into Green Island, Indian Creek and on to Falmouth Harbour for some docking practise.
Stephon’s course followed much the same pattern, also showing him places in Antigua he had never seen before! Since then the boys have been on a trip to Dominica via Guadeloupe and Les Saintes and two of them are shortly to be joining a Miramar Sailing Coastal Skipper Course which will involve at least two passages of over 60 nautical miles and an overnight trip. They aren’t ready to be Coastal Skippers yet – there is more studying to be done first, but this experience will be invaluable.
A mention must be made that Pippa Turton, who has been training the boys, has been most impressed by their good manners and responsible attitude to the training. They have been excellent ambassadors for Antigua’s National Sailing Academy and credit must go to the instructors from the Academy who have been coaching the students not only on sailing techniques but also advising them on how to behave at the regattas where they represent Antigua.
The future for all the students at the National Sailing Academy is looking very bright!
Click here for all News and Specials for National Sailing Academy
| 
