The Greig City Academy Girls & Boys take to the Solent

April saw an exciting start to the 2021 for the Scaramouche Sailing Trust girls as they see their Bolero ‘Poppy’ for the first time in the water.

A big part of the programme is teaching the students ownership and responsibility, by them having their ‘own boat’ they learn about boat maintenance and the importance of keeping everything in working order.

Sofia Cabral, Daniela Musabi, Mirandolina Kiss and Natalia Anuszkiewicz were the first to see Poppy, and you could tell the delight on their faces.

Conditions for the first weekend were top end for a first sail, this project is about building confidence and resilience too. No time was wasted though, and the girls got straight to work on the boat, checking and flaking sails. Rigging for a kite to check the lines we had were long enough and making an inventory and list of items and work needed.

Amanda Mochrie and Cressida Robson are leading this element and as they will need to get and out of the dock time was spent having a demo alongside on stability of the boat and also on the engine.

Throughout April and now in May, it’s been about time on the water. Riot our mini-tonner has been out training and competing in the Warsash Spring Series and also the Royal Southern Yact Club events. Last weekend, On Saturday 1st May Jaydon Owusu skipped Riot with crew Kai Hockley, Christopher Joel-Frederick and Kacey Marfo on board in the JOG Sopranino Race, finishing 10th in class in light, shifty and unstable conditions.

On May Bank Holiday weekend Seun Williams, Azat Ulutas and Jessye Opoku-Ware were joined by coach Martin Evans for the Royal Yacht Squadron Sir Kenneth Preston Trophy in the Etchells. With conditions from very little wind on Saturday to a good racing breeze on Sunday, it was an opportunity to learn from the high calibre of sailors in the fleet, and the crew were delighted to score a 6th out of the 18 fleet boat in the final race on Sunday! This project is about continuation and growing an interest in the sport of sailing, so it was good to see Alumni Camilo Orobio out racing too.

On the 15th May, Riot, crewed by Jaydon, Jesse, Christopher-Joel and Tyler attempted to set an IRC Record for a time around the Isle of Wight, after an early start unfortunately the wind didn’t stabilise and they were force to abandon the record attempt just past the Needles Lighthouse. They will be back!