The Antigua National Sailing Academy say six of its students, aged 16 to 18 years, have achieved their Royal Yachting Association qualifications as certified Dinghy and Keelboat Sailing Instructors.
Qualifying as sailing instructors were Jules Mitchell (17), Tyrese Loctar (16), Joshua Daniels (17) Maliek Patterson (18), Kamar James (18), and Jahdean Jeffers (17).
The course, which took place over a period of ten days, was delivered by two RYA Coach/Assessors from the U.K. The first day of sailing assessment required the students to demonstrate that they had sufficient sailing skills to enable them to teach others and the remainder of the time was ‘teaching them to teach’.
The RYA Sailing Instructor Certificate gives them the credentials to gain employment anywhere in the world that teaches Dinghy/Keelboat Sailing.
“The Academy regards this as the first rung on the ladder of qualifications that we would like them to obtain in their chosen fields of sailing/yachting – thus underlining the fact that sailing is the only sport in Antigua that can lead to well-paid employment for significant numbers of our young people,” said Elizabeth Jordan, President of the National Sailing Academy.
Jordan said she was delighted that so many young Antiguan youths who learnt to sail in the Academy program are now being able to use it as a major stepping stone for their future careers. “It is very satisfying to see that the vision we had for the program is now bearing fruit,” she said.
