BKA squad announced

50 sailors picked for the 2015 season

The British Keelboat Academy is pleased to announce that the next wave of Britain’s aspiring young keelboat sailors have now been confirmed for the 2014-15 season.

With over 80 applications for the joint keelboat racing initiative between the RYA and UKSA, the BKA will welcome a cohort of 50 sailors for the forthcoming season, almost doubling the uptake of sailors from last year’s programme.

Split into three individual programmes - One Design, Inshore and Offshore - next year’s academy boasts some of the most promising new keelboat talent in the country encompassing a range of new and existing squad members.

Managed and delivered by UKSA, the BKA is an RYA programme developing 18 to 24 year old British Keelboat sailors, working with them across all areas of the sport. The aim of the programme is to help sailors learn the skills and make industry contacts that will enable them to develop their sailing within the area they would like to pursue.

The squad recently spent their first weekend together at Bath University where they were given an introduction to the BKA programme, put through their paces in a number of fitness tests whilst also receiving specialist talks from Bath University’s Sport Science Team.

New recruit, Patrick Condy from Argyll, Scotland, who has this year been selected for the BKA Inshore programme, said: “Being selected for the BKA is a fantastic opportunity which will give me the chance to train as part of a large squad and with people with different experience to me, it will also give me the chance to sail competitively on the south coast, somewhere new to me.”

“I'm hoping to expand my sailing knowledge through the expert coaches that are involved with the BKA and through participating in larger racing events with highly competitive fleets.”

Team development, campaign management and sailing technique will again form the BKA’s main focuses in 2015 whilst UKSA will also work on the personal development of each sailor, providing them with life skills which will enhance their futures, both in sailing and in all of their undertakings.

With sailors split between the three tiers, the One Design programme will welcome sailors who are starting out in keelboat racing and who are looking to challenge the international Etchells UK class youth selections trials, the Inshore programme will focus on bigger boat racing making use of the Farr 45 Kólga, kindly loaned by Rán Racing whilst the Offshore programme is a new programme for 2015 and is aimed at sailors interested in developing their offshore racing skills.

Fellow new recruit Gary Stones, 22 from Lymington, joins the BKA with a mixture of dinghy and yacht racing experience after having spent the past 18 months on a professional yacht racing programme on a Reichel Pugh 45 and then a TP52.

Looking to take his sailing career to the next level, Stones said: “I'm looking forward to developing as a sailor, both in terms of fitness levels and increasing my ever expanding knowledge of a sport which is now a way of life for me.”

“I decided to apply for BKA to expand my experience further back in the boat such as trimming or navigating having gained these skills on slightly smaller yachts. Being a part of BKA's Farr 45 inshore programme will give me the opportunity to expand my list of contacts both with people within the Academy and also others we will meet as a squad collectively throughout the year.”

Nigel King, RYA Racing Keelboat Manager, commented: “I was really impressed with the standard and quality of applications this year. We received the largest amount since the programme’s inception and after consultation with the BKA head coaches we believe we have selected a group of sailors who are passionate, committed and determined to take their keelboat sailing to the next level.”

“We had a great day at Bath University which gave the new recruits the opportunity to get to know there fellow squad members whilst being put through a number of fitness tests. Thanks must go to Bath University for hosting us for the day and to their staff members who gave invaluable talks to our squad sailors on difference aspects of fitness and nutrition.”

The 2014-15 British Keelboat Academy members are: