Yacht Racing Academy

Peter Harrison join forces with Kit Hobday to announce new training facility at UKSA

Peter Harrison and Kit Hobday today officially announced that they are joining forces with the United Kingdom Sailing Academy to form the ‘Yacht Racing Academy’ which will be run at the UKSA in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Peter Harrison has agreed to lend his £350,000 value Farr 52 racing yacht Chernikeeff 2 to the new academy, for up to three years, together with a donation of £136,000 to cover more than 50% of the first year's operating costs. Kit Hobday has made available his identical value Farr 52 Bear of Britain with sponsors and syndicate members providing all finance necessary. The project will be managed by the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) and is designed to provide opportunities for young amateur sailors aged between 18 and 25 to experience big boat sailing and develop match racing skills at a professional level.

The two Farr 52s have been close rivals for the last five years, competing against each other in all the major British regattas. In 2004 Chernikeeff 2 did the double, winning the IRM racing class division at Cork Week - July 2004 and Cowes Week - August 2004. Last year Bear of Britain reversed the position by winning the IRM Class at Cowes Week in August 2005, with Chernikeeff 2 being second. So both the Farr 52s have a good racing performance pedigree and should represent a substantial challenge to the young sailors who will be testing and developing their sailing skills for the future.

Peter Harrison has an exceptional history of support for British yachting including his huge investment in the British America’s Cup Challenge and through the Peter Harrison Foundation considerable donations to RYA Sailability over the last five years.

Peter has also made significant contributions to the preservation of British Maritime History with his recent donation of £3.0 million to the National Maritime Museum's ‘Time and Space’ project at Greenwich. Coupled with his sponsorship of the RYA Sailability and Prince’s Trust legs of the Gipsy Moth IV voyage, there can be no doubt that Peter Harrison is one of the greatest single benefactor in the history of British yachting.

The Yacht Racing Academy, springs from the foundations created by Kit Hobday in 2001 as the Bear of Britain Academy, now in its fourth year of operation. The additional support from Peter Harrison and the UKSA has brought the Academy to a whole new level of potential for Britain’s racing success. Kit’s Bear of Britain is unique in the world of yachting, in that she is the only yacht of its size and complexity to be sailed successfully by an amateur and youth crew, with an average age of under 23.

Ben Willows of the UKSA will be managing the operation of the new Yacht Racing Academy. His history of racing, highlights include being the highest placed helm of his age in the Sydney Harbour 18ft Skiff World Championships, second place in the RS600 Europeans and launching a 49er campaign; make him the ideal person to head up this new venture. He has been working alongside Kit and Team Bear for the past three months and has already gained invaluable knowledge and experience to take this project into the future.

The UK Sailing Academy, a registered charity and non-profit making organisation, is an excellent base for the new Academy. Recognised as the world’s leading sail training establishment and based in West Cowes on the Isle of Wight, it has unrivalled modern facilities including on site residential accommodation and operates a fleet of over 300 craft. Ex-Royal Marine Commando Kevin Lomas of British Military Fitness says: “The facilities at the UKSA such as the heated indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, lecture rooms with modern visual aids equipment, on-site canteen and fleet of minibuses are ideal for the needs of the new Academy and serve to build on the physical and mental challenges of the existing programme.”

Noel Lister, Founder of the UKSA raced successfully at the highest level, was an Admiral’s Cup contender in Imp and won RORC Yacht of the Year. In the wake of the UKSA’s £0.5 million investment programme in youth racing in Britain and its support of Olympic sailors over the last 10 years, the UKSA can claim to have helped to produce five gold, three silvers and one bronze medals. As a registered charity and over 15 years of experience of training people for careers in the marine industry, the UKSA’s involvement adds a totally new dimension to the concept of the existing Academy.

The Yacht Racing Academy has received support from leading members of the yachting community, including Olympic medallist and prominent figure in British Yachting, Mr Robin Aisher. He said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to bring young people forward into the racing world and I am offering my full support to the new Academy. Sailing is a marvellous sport, it both brings people together and provides the opportunity for healthy competition, helping give young people with a goal in life.”

The first Yacht Racing Academy candidates began a two-week training programme on the 7 April. Candidates are participating in a period of intense physical training under the control of the ex-Royal Marine Commando Instructors who have been involved in the race academy scheme for the past two years. The exercise aims are not only physical but are designed to increase ‘esprit de corps’. Successful candidates will be selected to form two race crews that will continue the ethos of the academy by matching young amateur sailors against professional crews competing at the top level of big boat yachting. The crews for this years racing calendar will be assessed during the two week period and selected on Saturday 22 April prior to the Academy’s passing out presentation.

Once the Academy selection is over selected trialists will join the crews of both Chernikeeff 2 and Bear of Britain with one of the main aims being to provide one of the entries for Great Britain in the forthcoming Commodores’ Cup. Bear of Britain was the lead boat in the successful British victory in the 2004 Commodores’ Cup.

Peter Harrison, President of the Yacht Racing Academy said: “Hopefully, after Valencia 2007, a new consortium in Great Britain will launch a new America’s Cup campaign for 2010 or 2011. If so, the Yacht Racing Academy will provide a training ground for the new generation of potential British Olympic and Cup sailors. I am pleased and proud to be supporting this youth initiative. With Kit Hobday and myself making our Farr 52s Bear of Britain and Chernikeeff 2 available to the UKSA, we believe that we can be helpful in developing the talents and match racing skills of a new generation of international performance sailors.”

Kit Hobday, Founder added: “Obviously the use of two boats greatly enhances the potential of the Academy but the help and support and the use of facilities that has been provided by the UKSA has exceeded our expectations to make this probably one of the best Academies ever.”

David Green, CEO of the UK Sailing Academy said: “It is a reflection of the esteem in which the UKSA is held within the yachting community that we have been selected to be the custodians of these pedigree race boats. We specialise in taking young people to sea in all manner of craft and the advent of this international yacht racing programme plugs a gap in our existing portfolio. Our venture into the British Yacht Racing scene has been long awaited and there can be no better vehicle for the fulfilment of the UKSA’s racing dreams.”