Displaying items by tag: Ocean Youth Trust South

24th November 2020

New Staff Skipper for Ocean Youth Trust South

The UK's Ocean Youth Trust South announces the appointment of Holly Vint as staff skipper for the charity’s sail training vessel Prolific. Holly is taking over from Peta Koczy who, after four years with OYT South, is moving on to a new adventure.

Holly’s first-ever sailing experience was as a teenage crew member with Ocean Youth Trust South in 2012, making her the first person to have progressed from youth crew to staff skipper with the charity.

Following her recommendation on the 2012 voyage to join the volunteer bosun training programme, Holly became a regular volunteer with the charity. She subsequently gained her Yachtmaster Ocean and Cruising Instructor qualifications and completed two years as first mate with OYT North, which was followed by adult adventurous training and science research expeditions. Holly returned to OYT South full-time as first mate for the 2018 season to support the transition to Prolific, a larger and more complex vessel than the charity’s previous boat John Laing.

Holly combines a love of adventurous sailing with her passion for environmental issues. Since 2018, she’s completed two Atlantic crossings, and other long-distance voyages, where she collected data on oceanic toxins, and built on her skippering experience. Last winter Holly developed an environmental package for young people sailing with Ocean Youth Trust South, using games and activities to teach people about issues from pollution to sustainability.

“When I first joined a sail training voyage as a teenager, I never dreamed that one day I would be returning as staff skipper,” says Holly. “In the last couple of years, I have done lots of sailing with adults and had some great times, but I am so excited to get back to full-time sail training with young people.

“There is so much job satisfaction in knowing that a voyage has made a lasting difference to a young person who might be from a disadvantaged background. I love seeing the positive impact we can have on young crew members during the voyage, and then hearing feedback from parents, carers and schools. And I’m so proud to have gone all the way from novice youth crew to staff skipper – I’d love to be able to inspire other young people to believe that all sorts of exciting opportunities might be open to them if they put enough effort and enthusiasm into following their dreams.”

OYT South Chief Executive Mark Todd says: “It’s fantastic that we have homegrown talent like Holly to take over from Peta. OYT South is very lucky to have two such talented and popular individuals as part of the OYT South family, helping the charity to go from strength to strength.”

Ocean Youth Trust South has been unable to sail in 2020 due to COVID-19, making this the first year since 1960 when no young people have been at sea with the Ocean Youth Club or Ocean Youth Trust. The charity plans to return to sailing in 2021.

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Ocean Youth Trust South

Ocean Youth Trust South Wins Sail Training Vessel of the Year Award

John Laing, the sailing vessel operated by Hampshire-based charity Ocean Youth Trust South has been announced as the Sail Training Vessel of the Year by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Association of Sail Training Organisations (ASTO).

John Laing is used to offer personal development through adventure under sail to young people aged 12-25, building confidence, team working and the ability to take responsibility and cope with unfamiliar experiences.

The trophy was presented by Sir Alan Massey KCB, the Chief Executive of the MCA, who said: "John Laing receives the award today in recognition of 25 years of outstanding service to sail training, reflecting also the great care that Ocean Youth Trust South has taken over the years in ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality in what they do for sail training."

Mark Todd, Chief Executive of OYT South, said: "We are enormously proud to have received this award and it is a huge tribute to the work of all our volunteers, sponsors, donors and staff. Our sail training vessel John Laing has spent 25 years offering voyages to thousands of young people from all backgrounds - some of them very disadvantaged or vulnerable. The boat completed a voyage around the world in 1995-7 with young people as crew, and has since spent numerous seasons based in the Solent. It's wonderful that John Laing has achieved such recognition as she nears the end of her time with the charity and we move on to our new boat Prolific

The future for OYT South is very exciting and we look forward to offering safe, high-quality and fun voyages to thousands more young people in the years to come."

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

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