ANTIGUA NATIONAL SAILING ACADEMY TO BEGIN TRAINING
Friday 10th September 2010
Future yacht captain?
At Antigua Yacht Club and Jolly Harbour Yacht Club the summer months came and went while many children of all ages kept themselves busy learning to sail. Now that September is upon us and the kids are back at school, it is time for Antigua’s National Sailing Academy to move into its next faze. Learning to swim and sail have been added by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to the official school curriculum, meaning that all students between the ages of 8 and 18 will be eligible for free swimming and sailing lessons as part of their regular school program. A number of schools have already expressed interest in the program and the time has come for representatives of the Academy to start visiting schools and signing students up for the initial sessions. After a maximum of 20 students from any school have signed up, arrangements will be made for commencement of a 10-week course.
Swimming lessons will be provided by Swalings at the pool in Jolly Harbour while sailing lessons will be conducted mainly at Antigua Yacht Club in Falmouth Harbour. It is currently planned that a ‘satellite’ location for sailing lessons will be set up in coordination with Jolly Harbour Yacht Club but details of this second location are still being worked out. Generally sailing and swimming lessons will take place during afternoon sports sessions scheduled by schools with a planned ratio of three sailing instructors per 20 students.
Just another afternoon at school
The National Sailing Academy has been successful in raising funds to buy 12 new Optimist sailing dinghies which have been shipped and are due to arrive in Antigua in the near future. Fundraising is now in progress to purchase a fleet of 6 Pico dinghies and enough funds have already been collected to cover the cost of instruction at least until the New Year. Plans are underway to approach local businesses and individuals to seek further donations towards the program and it is hoped that visiting yachts will also make a nominal contribution by way of a donation of US $1 per foot per yacht per year.
So after many months of hard work and as a result of the very generous donations of many businesses and individuals, everything appears to be in place for the National Sailing Academy to get underway with its plans for the 2010/2011 school year. Well done to everyone for helping to make this fantastic opportunity available to the school children of Antigua and Barbuda.
Written by Kathy Lammers, Editor of Antigua’s Yachting Insider, with information from Elizabeth Jordan, President of Antigua’s National Sailing Academy
