New sailing academy for Antigua and Barbuda
(L-R) Governor-General Dame Louise Lake-Take, Commodore of the Antigua Yacht Club and President of the N.S.A. Elizabeth Jordan, and Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer at the launch of the National Sailing Academy, Nelson's Dockyard.
Last Saturday afternoon was a milestone event for students aged 8-18 in Antigua, as the official opening of the National Sailing Academy (N.S.A.) of Antigua was launched. At Nelson’s Dockyard, considered to be the heart of the yachting industry in Antigua, many students who are currently part of the Youth Sailing Programme at the Antigua Yacht Club, took to the water to display their tacking and gybing skills to the gathered crowd.
Among those in attendance was Governor-General Dame Louise Lake-Take, also the patron of the Academy, the Honourable Dr. Winston Baldwin Spencer and the representative for St. Paul’s, Eleston Adams.
The ceremony was opened by Commodore of the Antigua Yacht Club and President of the N.S.A. Elizabeth Jordan. Jordan mentioned the history of the Yacht Club Youth Sailing Programme and showed a picture of the class of ’93. It contained 18 students, of which 9 are now working full-time in careers within the marine industry. It is almost the blueprint for what the academy is trying to achieve.
The academy is removing logistic and financial barriers to our nation’s youth entering the marine industry. With co-ordination from the Ministry of Sports and Education and the Ministry of Transport, those children who select sailing as their sport if choice will be transported once a week to Falmouth or Jolly Harbour for their tuition, with the cost being covered by the academy. Aside from sponsorships, which interested people are encouraged to contact the academy to discuss, every yacht which docks in Antigua each season will be asked to make a donation to the programme of US$1/ft. of overall length.
The prime minister then gave his heartfelt support for the programme citing it as a significant investment in the development of our youth in the marine sector and a success as far as public and private sector partnerships are concerned. He supported the advancement of the academy, not just for the potential for successful careers but also as a positive activity through which our youth can advance their development.
