4th November 2009
Intrepid young Isle of Man sailors Joe Trainer, Joe Collister and Charlie Henthorn now know what it’s like to successfully crew a high performance racing yacht on the high seas.
The trio of 14 year old friends from Laxey each received a Royal Yacht Association Competent Crew Qualification after taking part in an epic three day sailing trip across the Irish Sea to Anglesey.
Their time on the ocean waves was organised by Mobex, the outdoor adventure arm of The Children’s Centre and funded by some generous private sponsorship. The voyage to Anglesey was made in the 38 foot racing yacht called Cheetah Cub, supplied by Yacht Action, the Isle of Man’s leading independent yacht sailing school. The vessel, capable of speeds in excess of 20 knots, has an impressive track record, having previously been well placed in both Round Britain and Ireland races and the famous Fastnet event. Yacht Action’s Principal Robin Wootton said the three teenagers, whose previous sailing experience had been in dinghies, proved themselves to be true sailors. “They were all fairly quiet when they first came aboard, but by the end of the three days they were really excited."
“They got involved in all aspects of crewing, helming, navigating, doing the log and knotting. And we encountered some pretty rough seas along the way, which was a fantastic experience for them,” said Robin, a fully qualified Yacht Master Instructor with over 40 years sailing experience.
The young Laxey sailors were the first group to achieve their Competency Crew Certification through the Mobex initiative, but such was the success of the venture that Mobex Project Worker Nigel Revill, who was also aboard the trip to Anglesey, wants to continue the scheme next summer so that more groups of youngsters can take part.
“It was a great adventure and a superb team building exercise,” said Nigel. “They were each enthusiastic about sailing and this provided them with the perfect opportunity to take their sailing skills to the next level."
“It would be great if we could do a three day trip around the Island next year involving sailing and exploring – a bit like Swallows and Amazons,” said Nigel.
But whilst the Cheetah Cub is fast and has all the creature comforts necessary to accommodate up to 10 people at a time, it isn’t all plain sailing for Yacht Action. Unless further funding becomes available, Robin fears that the business will have to close and Cheetah Cub will have to be sold. “It would be a very sad day if that happened, but we are desperately in need of financial help at the present time,” said Robin.
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