Well done to all involved. Great news for you all and the Isle of Wight. Ed
A quartet of young sailors from the Island are celebrating this week after being named in the prestigious British Keelboat Academy (BKA) squad for the 2011 season.
Kelvin Matthews, 23, and Kirsty Matthews 22, have been selected to join the BKA National Squad, whilst 20 year old Alex Gardner and 18 year old James French will join the ranks of the BKA Development Squad. The BKA is run as a partnership between the RYA and UKSA to support young people aged between 18 and 24 in developing the skills needed to take their keelboat racing to a professional level.
Looking forward to becoming professional sailiors
The BKA boasts some of the most promising new big boat sailing talent in the country and all four sailors sealed their place in next year’s squad after a gruelling selection weekend in September. They are now looking forward to making the most of the opportunity to become professional sailors.
James commented: “I was delighted when I found out I’d been selected for the British Keelboat Academy. It is a well respected programme that really helps young sailors like me get fully-involved in everything to do with sailing and racing big boats.”
The BKA is split into two tiers – the Development and National Squad – and the programme’s main focuses for the 2011 season are team development, campaign management and sailing technique. The Academy will also work on the personal development of each sailor, providing them with invaluable life skills to enhance their futures, both in and out of sailing.
BKA Head Coach Luke McCarthy said: “We’re really excited about 2011 as we’ve once again been able to select a really promising, talented and passionate group of young sailors for next season. We were really impressed with the standard and quantity of applications received for the selections.”
Islanders involved in high-profile events
The squad sailors will take part in a number of high-profile events over the course of the season where they will be able to put their newly-honed talents to the test in the competitive arena.
Siblings Kelvin and Kirsty come from a family of sailors, taking up the sport at a very young age. Kelvin currently works as a sailmaker and designer, whilst Kirsty is studying at Plymouth University.
Alex, from Newchurch, works as a sailing instructor after first being introduced to the water on the Medina at the tender age of seven. New recruit James hails from Newbridge and is currently a student at Ryde School.
Full details of squad sailors are now on the BKA website at www.britishkeelboatacademy.org along with more information about the Academy and how you can help with fundraising.
