The time for action

James Boyd presents some views on what could be done to assist singlehanded sailors in the UK

In yesterday's article we looked at the collision regulations and why the various sailing authorities have been dragging their heels over their support for singlehanded offshore yacht racing.

Today we will look at what could be done to help those who want to take up a career in solo sailing in the UK.

There is little doubt that the Ellen MacArthur factor that has done wonders to draw people into sailing. Comparing the years 2001 with 2000, Penny Haire, the RYA's Chief Cruising Instructor says there has been a 38% increase in the number of people taking Competent Crew courses and a 35% increase in those taking their Yacht Master course. The former, she feels, is particularly relevant.

"According to the school principals their students say it is down to awareness and Ellen MacArthur. They're taken up by her story, " comments Haire. "She has changed the image of sailing with people of her age group who otherwise thought it was all just people in rust coloured trousers with beards." She also says the economic upturn and fewer people going abroad on holiday may have also been contributing factors.

From feedback he has had Offshore Challenge's Mark Turner agrees. "We have created a new set of people who given the right type of assistance will come into the sport," he says, remembering how they were inundated with email to Ellen during the Vendee Globe. "There are a lot of 11, 12, 13 year old kids who just weren't interested before. Ellen is their idol from a 'get out there and doing something' point of view." It seems unusual that it should be 8-13 year olds who show the most interest, but Turner feels this is because they are at an impressionable age and are still able to imagine what it was like for Ellen during the Vendee.

Ellen MacArthur, it is interesting to note, went up the RYA training ladder in an absolutely text book way, from dinghy courses to competent crew to being one of the youngest people in the country ever to gain her Yacht Master certificate. But after this the system let her down, there was no training or funding to take her on towards the Vendee Globe.

Following the trip round Britain on her Corribee Iduna and a year spent working, sailing and eventually racing on other people's Open class yachts in 1996, Ellen found herself living on next to nothing in the now famous container in Hamble Yacht Services. Turner says he is adamant that this should not have happened if suitable infrastructure had been in place to help Ellen.

So how to get this infrastructure?

Turner believes that more support needs to come from particularly the British Marine Federation (the new incarnation of what used to be the BMIF) and the RYA. He says Ellen has received great support from individuals within both organisations, but little from the organisations themselves.

Aside from the reasons discussed in yesterday's article this is partly due to the BMF not appreciating the benefits sponsored yacht racing can bring the marine industry. "Commercial sponsorship of competitive sailing projects puts a huge amount of money back into the industry, so in reality the link [between the RYA and BMF] is very strong."

Turner admits there are companies in the industry who do support people when they're starting out, but the BMF and RYA as organisations have been slow to offer their support, while in contrast both have been only too keen to capitalise on Ellen's story. "In the case of the RYA, the Olympics is it - full stop. That has worked as a focus and they have established something that is long term now," he says.

Three years ago there was a coup for singlehanded sailing when at a Main Council meeting the RYA agreed to the setting up of a singlehanded sub-committee, called RYA SOLO with a view to " to look for a way forward to provide a responsible framework for single-handed long distance yacht racing, already taking place with high profile events, in consultation with interested parties and the various maritime agencies."

With the formation of RYA SOLO, a career path (otherwise known as the 'pyramid' or the 'path to success' - see below) was established for potential singlehanded offshore sailors and a website set up - paid for, it should be noted, by Offshore Challenges.

This career path shows young sailors following the same road as potential Olympians up to Youth Squad level, but then branching off into other areas of RYA influence that, interestingly, would normally be covered by their cruising department - Competent Crew and Yachtmaster courses, followed by the acquisition of seamanship and navigation skills, miles at sea, rather than the confines of a dinghy race track,

Although persuading the RYA to take a positive view of singlehanding involved a momentous about turn on their part, in Turner's view they are still only paying lip service to this area of the sport. Now it is time to put some real muscle behind it.



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