BKA sailor given invaluable experience with RC44 Team Aqua

British Keelboat Academy sailor joins British team for RC44 Championship event

A budding young sailor from the British Keelboat Academy (BKA), the RYA and UKSA joint keelboat racing initiative, has been given the perfect platform to progress in the world of keelboat sailing after spending a week with one of the leading forces on the RC44 Championship Tour circuit.  

Andrew Baker from Saintfield, Northern Ireland, was given a once in the lifetime opportunity to be an integral part of the British Team Aqua for the RC44 Cascais Cup Regatta in Portugal.  

The 24-year-old graduate from the University of Ulster joined the new-look British Keelboat Academy at the beginning of the year following the conclusion of his youth sailing career, which saw him represent Ireland at both the Laser Youth World and European Championships.  

And following an application process in which the entire BKA Squad applied, Baker was hand-picked by Team Aqua to join their Youth programme which aims to provide youth keelboat sailors from around the world with an invaluable experience and the perfect step up into the world of professional sailing.  

“My expectations prior to going to the event were that it would be hard work and a steep learning curve plus a little fun on the side. I was not disappointed. As soon as the boat arrived myself and the set up team worked all day every day to ensure the boat was at its optimum for racing. The hours were long but the job satisfaction was immense and well worth it,” said Baker.  

From playing a key part in reassembling the boat once it had arrived from its last race venue in the British Virgin Islands, crewing on-board during the match racing event, discussing team tactics and boat set-up with the team coach Brett Jones across the four days of fleet racing, the BKA sailor was fully involved and given an insight into the requirements of a world tour winning team.  

“There are a number of key attributes to fitting into a team like Team Aqua, not least an ability to fit in and show initiative. The guys are friendly and willing to help and answer questions but initiative is important so you can give back to the team and prove useful to them.  

“Obviously good sailing ability is fundamental and even if you are not at the same level as some of the crew, it means you have an understanding of what’s going on and why which removes a lot of the question marks and enables you to get on with your job. I was able to learn about teamwork as well as the sailing.  

The BKA member continued: “Above all, hard work would be right up there in the necessary attributes. There is always work to do and usually not enough hours in the day to do it so it is vitally important to be diligent and just get on with whatever needs done.  

Baker, who competed for Ireland in the 2008 Commodores’ Cup, also witnessed the professionalism of those in a top level race team which was illustrated following a collision in the pre-start of one of the match races.  

“The damage was quite severe with a hole punched in the side. Many other sailing teams of a lower calibre may have assessed the damage decided to retire for rest of the day and not race until a repair was completed. In Team Aqua this is not an option.  

After the incident there was no shouting or drama, the damage was simply assessed and patched up to allow us to continue racing.  

“Twenty minutes after docking we were beginning work on the repair. We rigged up lights and worked through the night to make the repair. The work itself took myself and shore team until 06:30am the following morning to complete. Throughout this time there was no complaining, it is simply what’s expected in a professional team; you do whatever it takes, there is damage and the boat has to be racing the next day so the repair must be made, simple.”  

Having recently moved to Cowes, Isle of Wight, to pursue further sailing opportunities, Baker will join back up with the BKA squad to compete in a number of events across the summer, and admits that his time in Portugal has not only improved his sailing ability but will undoubtedly benefit his future racing career.  

“I now have a feel for sailing at this level and feel I can adapt to high level teams in the future. I will be able to bring many things I have learnt into my own racing programme and consequently improve my sailing ability and possibly be of benefit to other teams by having me as a team member. The contacts I have made will undoubtedly prove invaluable as a sounding board for future decisions and as references for my future sailing career.  

Baker concluded: “My time with the team was everything I expected and more. You see the high profile glamour side of the racing which is highlighted on TV and internet and yes, there is all that, but there is also the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.  

“You get to see the professionalism of the sailors and the teams themselves; how they all interact and the amount of preparation involved from everyone. It is only when you are an active part of a team like this that you can appreciate what makes the difference between a top flight winning team and another lesser team.  

“It is only when you are involved do you begin to understand that what you see and read about only skims the very surface of what goes on behind the scenes in preparation to make a professional winning team.”  

Nigel King, RYA Racing Keelboat Manager, added: “There is intense competition from young sailors around the world to break in to professional sailing teams like Team Aqua. We are incredible grateful for the opportunity that Team Aqua is offering the BKA sailors, something which the sailors fully appreciate and are keen to make the most of.”  

For more information on Team Aqua visit the team website.  

For more information about the British Keelboat Academy visit  www.britishkeelboatacademy.org, orfollow the BKA on Facebook or on Twitter (@tweetbka).