The crew of 12 to 15-year-olds, who were sailing as part of a partnership between TSYT and Youth Action Wiltshire (YAW), were joined by British Women’s Kite Foiling Team member Maddy for the final leg of their voyage on Friday 27 October.
Maddy described her time on board one of TSYT’s 72ft Challenger yachts as a ‘really special morning’, after joining the voyage in Warsash and playing a hands-on role in the home stretch to Portsmouth.
The kitesurfer also sat down with the young people on Challenger 3 for a Q&A session about her formative experiences in sailing and the lessons she has learned on her journey to earning international acclaim and becoming part of Team GB’s training squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Maddy says: “These young people have clearly had a really fun week, they’ve been really friendly to chat to and they had some great questions for me.
As one of the UK’s largest youth development and outdoor learning charities, TSYT has worked with YAW, the national award-winning youth arm of Wiltshire-based charity Community First, since 2016, providing 120 of their young people with a transformational voyaging experience over the past seven years. Throughout the partnership, the voyages have also been made possible through support from The Hugo Halkes Charitable Trust.
The latest voyage of this partnership gave 10 young people, all selected from Wiltshire Young Carers and Splash Targeted Youth Support Services, a unique opportunity to develop their self-confidence as well as skills in communication, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.
Alastair Floyd, TSYT’s Chief Executive Officer, says: “We are delighted that Maddy could join the crew from Youth Action Wiltshire for the final passage of their voyage.
“As a charity, it is our purpose to empower young people to realise their full potential, and for some of those young people, their journeys to adulthood may lead to careers in the maritime sector and the blue economy.
“As someone who has taken her early love of sailing and channelled it into an exciting sporting career, Maddy is a positive adult role model who young people can learn from and strive to create better outcomes for themselves and for their communities.”
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