A new location and change of leadership are two recent happenings in Antigua & Barbuda’s marine community. First, the Antigua Barbuda Marine Association has moved its Secretariat Office into the National Sailing Academy (NSA) compound, located on Dockyard Drive, in English Harbour. The office is in good company as the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) and Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) are also headquartered here, thus bringing key marine organizations under one roof. Secondly, Alison Sly-Adams has taken over from Elizabeth Jordan as General Manager of the non-profit decade-strong NSA. Jordan, the organization’s founder, will remain as president. Sly-Adams, a mover-and-shaker in the dual island nation, is also the president of the CSA and president and commercial director of ASW.
“Like Elizabeth, my vision is to give every school child in Antigua & Barbuda the opportunity to learn to sail,” says Sly-Adams. “The key for us is that we have upturned the traditional triangle of learning to sail at the bottom and the Olympics at the top. At the NSA, at the bottom is learn to sail and as the triangle widens so do all the sailing opportunities whether that be racing, cruising, dinghy sailing, keelboat or a marine career, with the latter as the ultimate goal. Inclusivity is important too. This year we will begin individual outreach into the community with the Sailability program to give more physically challenged people an opportunity to sail with one-on-one sailing lessons. All of this comes with the backdrop of COVID and getting the school open and operating with new protocols in place.” www.nationalsailingacademy.org
