About OYT South
Management and Trustees
Mark Todd is OYT South’s Chief Executive. Previously a solicitor, he has been working full-time in sail training since 1997, including nine years as Staff Skipper with OYT South. He moved into a shorebased role overseeing the development of the charity in November 2009, though he still skippers several voyages a year on board Prolific. In January 2011 he was announced as the inaugural winner of the MCA Award for Command Commitment to Sail Training. He is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, a Yachtmaster Examiner, and sits on the Yachtmaster Qualifications Panel. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute and Chair of the Association of Sail Training Organisations.
Caroline White is OYT South’s Chief Operating Officer. Caroline first sailed with OYC as a young crew member in 1983. A former journalist, she is also a qualified fundraiser and a member of the Institute of Fundraising. She previously sailed as a first mate, and was a Trustee of Ocean Youth Trust South for ten years before accepting a full-time staff role.
Lynne Robbins is OYT South’s Business Manager and joined us in April 2023. An experienced manager, previously she had been managing a team of 100 volunteers restoring historic vessels and has also been an HR and Special Projects Manager for a children’s outdoor activity charity. She was immediately able to use her skills and experience to make OYT South even better.
The current Board of Trustees of OYT South is:
Chair: Lesley Robinson OBE: Chief Executive of British Marine July 2018 – June 2026, having previously been Managing Director of MDL Marinas. “I have a commercial, international and business development background, in a variety of sectors including leisure, media, IT and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods). I am passionate about the charities I actually support and am currently treasurer for a foundation for women enhancing women’s empowerment in the third world. I also run, enjoy my family life and do the odd bit of sailing when I can.”
Interim Vice Chair: Richard Griffiths: a barrister who was appointed District Judge in 2017. He became a Trustee in 2009 to oversee the Trust’s legal and regulatory affairs. He was Chair of the Board of Trustees of OYT South from January 2013 to May 2017 and oversaw the project to buy and refit Prolific. Richard is a keen sailor, having started sailing in mirror dinghies as a child and progressing to offshore racing boats in later years.
Treasurer: Martyn Powe started sailing in 1996 when serving with the Royal Air Force. He sailed with Joint Services Adventurous Sail Training in most of their boats ranging from 34-foot Victorias to 67-foot Challenges. Two of his children sailed as crew on our previous vessel John Laing so, after retiring from the Royal Air Force in 2013 he started sailing as a volunteer with OYT South, qualifying as a First Mate in 2015. He now runs a small part time business as a book-keeper (not a bookie!) and was appointed as Treasurer for OYT South in 2020.
Safeguarding Officer: Steve Lacey: qualified as both a teacher and a youth worker specialising in outdoor education. He has extensive yacht racing experience, frequently as a race navigator. He retired as a Senior Youth Worker with Dorset County Council in June 2015. He became involved with OYT South by bringing a group of young people to sail in 2002, and now sails as a first mate.
Youth Trustee: Unity Bowns: OYT South has a rule that whenever possible, at least one Trustee must be aged 25 or under, the same age range as our service users. Unity sailed as a young person in 2021 and says “I fell in love with the charity and have been a volunteer at refit weekends and as a watchleader since then. I am very excited to be a trustee representing the younger demographic and hope to use my current experience of life on the boat to support the future of the charity.” Unity was elected to the Board in November 2024, aged 23.
Edward Bishop KC: elected to the Board in 2017. He says: “I am a barrister specialising in medical negligence, human rights, personal injury and police law. I have been practising for 30 years and became a QC in 2011. I also play the fiddle in the country folk band Police Dog Hogan. I don’t know which was more frightening: appearing in the Supreme Court or in front of a 10,000 festival crowd in Cornbury. But I know which I enjoyed more!”
Lee Mosscrop has sailed as a volunteer for over 10 years and now sails as a relief skipper on board Prolific. He retired from the Police Service in 2010 where he ran an in-house RYA Training Centre and now works as a freelance instructor, predominantly directly for RYA Training, delivering instructor training at home and abroad. He also gets asked to appear as an expert witness and to compile post-accident reports in marine accidents involving fatalities or serious injury cases.
John Hicks has Board level experience in surveying, architectural and construction engineering design in the UK and overseas. He is a former UK governmental advisor. Currently John provides counselling to undergraduates and is a Director of a south-coast based right-to-manage housing group. He is a lifelong recreational sailor. For OYT South, John chairs the investment sub-committee.
Roger Bolton worked on board ex- Americas Cup yachts in the Caribbean before graduating in Yacht Manufacturing & Surveying and then starting work for International Paint where he has held various roles and is now Professional Market Sales Executive, managing the large users such as Pendennis Shipyard, Sunseeker, Princess and Oyster Marine. The role encompasses many aspects from selling paint, fault investigation, paint inspection and paint application. He has been advising OYT South on paint for several years and was co-opted to the Board in January 2021
James Stevens is a professional yachtsman and former Training Manager and Chief Examiner of the RYA. He was the RYA’s safety spokesman and chaired the National Watersports Safety Committee. He was Chairman of the Association of Sail Training Organisations and is a trustee of several maritime charities. He is Chairman of the Royal Yacht Squadron Foundation charity, a Younger Brother of Trinity House and Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation. He has written several books and is a regular contributor to the yachting press when not sailing his 34ft yacht out of Cowes. James joined the Board of OYT South in July 2023.
Andrew Page is a teacher at Costello School, Basingstoke who teaches science as well as leading outdoor learning and cadets. He brought the school’s first group in October 2023 and, as a keen sailor himself, was recruited as a watchleader. He has been on a number of voyages as a watchleader and making progress towards second mate. Andrew is an advocate for adventurous activities within his school, helping young people to develop resilience and courage to take on challenges on Prolific. With his additional experience in pastoral support, he demonstrates his commitment to our shared values of personal development for our young people. He joined the board in July 2025 to sustain our engagement with the education sector and ensure that our voyages continue to meet the needs of schools and students. He was formally elected at the November 2025 AGM.