Following six days of rigorous training at Rockley Watersports Centre, in Poole, Dorset, National Sailing Academy dinghy instructors Xavier Athill, Kayon Guiste and Tajanica Thomas successfully passed their RYA Safety Boat course and their RYA Senior Instructor Course last week.
All three first attended the NSA as students as part of the NSA Schools Programme and then qualified as dinghy instructors. The onset of COVID created challenges with operating and maintaining momentum on further team training, but thanks to the Mill Reef Foundation, the team were finally able to take the journey to the UK to complete the courses.
Tajanica Thomas says, “I am very happy to be the first Antiguan woman to have passed the RYA Dinghy Senior Instructor Course and hope that this will help inspire other women to consider getting involved in the industry.”
Of their success, Chief Instructor Sylvester Thomas says, "I am very happy that they passed the course. It is a tough course and in the UK in March this makes it an additional challenge. We are looking forward to the team developing new ideas and opportunities to further elevate our training and create even better learning opportunities for the students of the National Sailing Academy".
All three instructors have arrived back to the NSA straight into Antigua Sailing Week preparation to get their Cork 1720’s Spirit and Challenger ready to race.
Meanwhile, Alumni Junella King, who has been working on board the Maiden Factor for the last three years and racing in the Ocean Globe Race for the last year, will arrive back in the UK in the next week following a year long race. There are plans for a huge reception on their arrival to celebrate Maiden's world tour, raising funds and empowering girls all over the globe.
