RYA bursaries for young sailors from Crawley Mariners YC
Photo - Bursary winners Liam, Esther and Charlotte
The bursaries
Young talent across the RYA London and South East region can receive a boost thanks to performance and coaching bursaries from the RYA's regional Youth Training Fund Charity (YTFC). The awards provide modest financial assistance for either a sailor's efforts to fulfil their recognised potential or a coach's development of their talent and coaching ambitions.
Diana Thompson, Senior Instructor at Crawley Mariners Yacht Club, tells us more about their bursary winners ……
Esther
Esther has already been preparing to become a dinghy instructor and will be doing a course at the end of this year. Currently she helps at our Junior Saturday Clubs and will shortly be helping once again with our Junior Helm Week in August. Some of her bursary went towards RYA Powerboat and RYA First Aid courses, also a new race sale for her Lighting dinghy.
Liam
Liam has been honing his racing skills at the club in his Topper and also crews regularly in an RS Feva. He has started to work towards becoming an Assistant Instructor and then a Dinghy Instructor. He already helps our instructors at Junior Saturday Clubs. He has used his bursary to improving his Topper rigging, and purchased better clothing for winter sailing.
Charlotte
Charlotte has been helming one of the club's RS Fevas for the past two years with Esther as her crew. She is also working towards becoming an Assistant Instructor and eventually a Dinghy Instructor. Her parents have now found an excellent used RS Feva for Charlotte so that she can continue to improve and develop her skills even further. She has used the bursary for a new training sail
Photo - Esther, Charlotte and Liam with their awards
Regattas
Esther and Charlotte attended the National Schools Sailing Association (NSSA) and West Sussex Schools and Youth Sailing Association (WSSYSA) regattas last year and will be doing the same again this year. Liam will be joining them this year for the first time at both regattas.
Crawley Mariners' team for the regattas comprises of an RS200, an ILCA6, two Fevas, a 5.3 Topper, and three Toppers in the Rookie Fleet. The WSSYSA Regatta will be at Shoreham giving some tidal experience.
The bursaries have been a great help to these three sailors and have helped them in a variety of different ways to develop their own skills plus learning how to help others.
From the Youth Training Fund……
Dave Ellis, Chairman of the Youth Training Fund, says: "It's fantastic for young sailors to be able to experience a range of opportunities, both in the UK and internationally, during their development as they learn so much. But the costs of travel, accommodation, food etc. all quickly mount up and the bursaries provide some assistance to our young sailors as they develop their sailing careers.
"We have an abundance of talent in the region and we want to give our young sailors, whether destined for 'podiums' or as coaches, the best chance to realise their ambitions."
Find out more about…..
RYA London and South East Youth Training Fund bursaries
Crawley Mariners Yacht Club which is an RYA Recognised Training Centre, OnBoard Centre and British Youth Sailing Recognised Club.