#SCOTTISH SERIES – No sooner had Brewin Dolphin Scottish Sailing Series winner Jim Dick received the Scottish Series Trophy, the prestigious top award, than the Humberside owner-skipper pledged to return to Tarbert, Loch Fyne in 2012 to try and defend the title again.
Dick, a retired business executive, is set to honour that promise and is presently putting together his campaign which he hopes will see Jackaroo retain the major trophy.
"We have such good memories from last year aside from the enjoyment of winning outright. For us it was as much about enjoying the surroundings, the camaraderie of the team and at the event, and Tarbert itself," recalls Dick.
The J/97 owner is hoping that this year his son Steve, who is a paramedic, will be able to join the Jackaroo team and enjoy the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series for the first time, during the Queen's Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend.
The 2012 Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series will be the first of a series of events in the UK for Jackaroo which is likely to include the J/Cup on the Solent in July, the J/97 National Championships and the JP Morgan Round the Island Race.
His passion for sailing took Jim Dick to compete as a crew member on 'Hull and Humber' in the 2007-8 Clipper Round the World Race.
Completely inspired by the transformation that participation in the race made to the lives of some of the Hull and Humber's young crew, who were part of a social inclusion programme, helping them develop skills and self confidence which subsequently helped them find employment or advance into education or further training, Dick became co-founder of CatZero, an organisation which has subsequently helped hundreds of young people find a purpose in their lives.
"When I saw the transformation in the ten young people on board, much higher self esteem, very enthusiastic about what they were doing and how they became valued members of the crew, that progressed to setting up CatZero."
Funding from the NHS enabled the purchase for CatZero of a 72 foot Challenge yacht which is used to take youngsters on 10-day passages from Hull to the Orkney Islands.
"Of course this is a big challenge to some of these young people, standing four hour watches, dealing with sea sickness, the conditions can be extreme, but the results are incredible. Over three years we have had 418 young people, some who have been very difficult or in very difficult life situations, on board and 285 have gone on to jobs, education or training. A lot have had underlying problems, being bullied, homelessness or the like, but the results are remarkable."
In order to help raise funds towards the annual budget of £250,000 which it costs to keep the programme rolling, CatZero sells berths aboard the 72 footer for major races such as the ARC Race in which they won their class and the Fastnet Race.
The Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series 2012 will take place over the Queen's Jubilee weekend from Friday 1 June to Monday 4 June in Tarbert, Loch Fyne, on Scotland's stunning West Coast, a week later than usual.
