Life's a race . . .
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The GBR Yacht Racing Academy is a charitable scheme run and managed by UKSA. It assists young people from all walks of life in their personal growth and development through high performance yacht racing. Thanks to the generosity and support of Peter Harrison and Andrew Palmer, coupled with UKSA’s expertise and the vision of the late Kit Hobday, the GBR Yacht Racing Academy is able to provide the trainees with the coaching, training and mentoring needed  to become the world class racing sailors of tomorrow.

Anyone aged between 18 and 25 is eligible to apply to take part in the GBR Yacht Racing Academy. Selection weekends take place in April each year and a final crew of 50 are selected to run and compete aboard Farr 52’s Bear of Britain and Chernikeeff 2. Crews receive expert tuition from UKSA and technical tutorials from companies such as Marlow Ropes and B & G. Crews are expected to take an active role in yacht and crew management while being guided by the experts.

Crewing aboard professional racing yachts requires teamwork, individual skill and flair, listening skills, physical fitness and the ability to communicate clearly under pressure. The GBR Yacht Racing Academy scheme aims to develop these skills, equipping trainees with essential skills that will benefit them in their future careers.

UKSA has a history of training round the world sailors, the most recent being Dee Caffari who became the first female to sail solo around the world against the prevailing winds and tides in a 72ft Challenge yacht. Also, KSA’s youth racing scheme which ran in the late 90’s was a great training ground for some of our Olympic medal winners including Ben Ainslie. More recently, UKSA is supporting Tom Phipps and Marcus Lynch who are training to represent Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics in the Tornado class.

The Academy is now drawing upon this experience and combining the wealth of knowledge from both Peter Harrison, the work of the late Kit Hobday and Bear of Britain's new owner Andrew Palmer to create a top level racing academy. Some of the UK's top racers are supporting the scheme, sharing their knowledge and expertise.