Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2009 | Page 61

ON THE WATER

confidence. “It helps even high achievers to be

thinking about the remarkable skills of the

challenged,” says Craig. A regular competitor

sail trainers, whose own training is funded by

in the Cowes race is James Boyce, who was

ASTO. “There’s no shortage, particularly in the

a 24-year-old Customer Services Manager at

Solent, of people who can drive an 80ft boat

Sainsbury’s when his sister booked him on a Sail

but there’s not that many that can drive an 80ft

Training ship. After his week of adventure he

boat while looking after a group of people with

couldn’t go back to the comparatively mundane

any specific needs, or even average teenagers.”

existence and eventually went to work for

The Small Ships Race in Cowes is different

the Ocean Youth Trust in Scotland. James is

from the other Sail Training races in that it

skippering the John Laing in the Cowes race

is an annual event and it takes place over

this October.

a weekend, Friday to Sunday, rather than a

Remarkably another of ASTO’s members, the

whole week. “It means it’s a do-able weekend

Rona Sailing Project, has a number of deaf and

event which fits in nicely with