Artemis Offshore Academy 2011

Applications now open for next crop of entrants with the prize of a 2012 Figaro campaign

Budding sailors with aspirations to follow in the footsteps Britain’s greatest solo sailors now have the opportunity to get a step on the ladder to solo success. Online applications for the Artemis Offshore Academy 2011/2012 Development Squad are now open here, with successful applicants being invited to take part in the Selection Trials in September 2011.

The Artemis Offshore Academy was created in June 2010 to provide a UK training programme of excellence for British short-handed sailors, providing a structure to bring talented sailors up through the ranks. Designed to help them win major offshore solo and short-handed races in the future, the ultimate goal is to put a British sailor in a strong position to win the Vendée Globe in 2016 or 2020.

The Development Squad train and compete in a unique Figaro programme in both the UK at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy and the Cowes-base of OC ThirdPole as well as in the south of France at Franck Citeau's Centre d’Entraînement Méditerranée. On top of the training, a Scholarship is given to the most promising member of the Development Squad. This is an annual, fully funded campaign to compete on the Figaro circuit, including the Solitaire du Figaro race. Support is also given, via the Academy, for one UK sailor to compete in the Mini Transat.

Sam Goodchild, who was awarded this year’s Scholarship three weeks ago, comments on his achievements since joining the Development Squad: "Joining the Artemis Offshore Academy Development Squad and winning the Scholarship has enabled me to get much closer to my dream of racing in the Vendée Globe. The training programme that the Academy runs is totally unique for British sailors and has given me a major boost into the short-handed offshore sailing world.”

The Artemis Offshore Academy Performance Director John Thorn explains: “We are very excited about the next Academy year and the next Selection Trials as we open the door of the Academy to our second intake of talented British sailors. We know so much more now than last year about the logistics and training programme the sailors need. And we have learnt a great deal about the way the French Figaro and Mini sailors train which will be hugely beneficial for the second intake of Squad sailors and beyond. Last year the Selection Trials brought us many exceptional candidates and I hope that this year will be even better.”

Thorn gives some additional advice to potential applicants: “All candidates should not be under the illusion it will be an easy ride. Far from it, the training and the race programme is tough and will require a high level of existing sailing skill on which to build and also a high degree of commitment.”

To apply for the next Selection Trials in September and the chance to join the Development Squad, candidates must be aged 18 or over and have performed with distinction in either dinghy, offshore or keelboat racing, or in long distance sailing. Applications will close at midnight on 31 August.