In this Bulletin
Sections which have changed since last time marked *
- * Her Majesty The Queen
- * OYT South AGM 2022– Saturday 12th November
- * Skipper job advertisement
- * Holly’s leaving present
- 2023 sailing programme
- Volunteer sea staff bookings – new vacancy – please help!
- * Voyage news
- Mates’ training weekend – ONE place left, 7-9 October
- Powerboat level 2 course – 28-29 Sept, Poole
- Revised Covid guidelines
- Winter refit volunteers needed
- Southampton Boat Show – discounted tickets
- Movement for Good Awards – PLEASE keep nominating us and sharing the link!
- Vessel tracking– see where Prolific is sailing now!
- * Financial appeal
- Painting of Prolific – prints available to buy!
- Raise funds for OYT South if you’re shopping online – we’ve made over £1,000 through Easyfundraising!
- OYT South social media – please get involved
- Branded clothing
- Raise And Sail – website for anyone looking to raise money to come sailing
- New readers’ welcome and introduction
- Receiving this newsletter by email
* Her Majesty The Queen
In 2011 Ocean Youth Trust South received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the MBE for volunteer groups – and we are very proud to hold this honour. We have tremendous respect for all that the Royal Family does to support the work of charities and volunteer groups, and we were deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family this week; and we promise to honour Her Majesty’s legacy over the years to come by carrying on the positive life-changing work – enhancing young people’s physical and mental wellbeing – for which we received the award.
* OYT South AGM 2022 – Saturday 12th November
We are planning to get together in person for this year’s AGM – after holding it on Zoom for the last two years! There will be a short meeting in the early evening followed by a social evening and a curry, probably all in the Southampton area. More details to follow soon but for the moment, please put the date in your diary: Saturday 12th November.
* Skipper job advertisement
We announced earlier this month that our lovely Staff Skipper Holly Vint has decided to move on at the end of the year – and we are now looking for new Staff Skipper!
There is a detailed job description and person specification available here, including details of how to apply. But essentially the priority is to find the right person for the role, and that could lead us down one of two distinct paths. We might find an experienced and qualified skipper, able to take over following basic familiarisation and handover; but sometimes in the past we have had success by recruiting someone with immense potential, already at least a commercially-endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore – but not ready to skipper Prolific straight away and needing a training programme lasting up to a year to ensure they can manage such a large vessel while working effectively with young people and volunteers (and looking to stay long enough in the role to make this training programme worthwhile).
We would therefore welcome applications or enquiries from anyone who could reasonably skipper Prolific either straight away or with no more than a season of training.
* Holly’s leaving present
Holly has been with us for two years as Staff Skipper – as well as many years of volunteering and a season as Sailing Support Officer, having first sailed with us as a young crew member in 2012.
She has played a tremendous part in the success of the charity, especially as we returned to work after losing a season and a half to Covid. We have received a great deal of fantastic feedback from voyages which Holly has skippered. She is a great sailor with a fantastic talent for working with young people, and she has contributed so much to OYT South in so many ways since she first became involved as a young crew member.
You can contribute to her leaving present here.
2023 sailing programme
We are still sorting out some group bookings for our regular clients and confirming our port bookings, and a few dates and ports may still change; but a 2023 voyage programme is now available on the website. Do talk to us if you want to make a group booking (12-15 places); and for individual bookings, have a look at the voyages earmarked for individuals in school / college / uni holidays (shown in yellow on the programme – we may add more individual voyages depending on demand) and contact webmaster1@oytsouth.org to express an interest.
* Volunteer sea staff bookings – new vacancy – PLEASE help!
We have a new volunteer vacancy where someone has had to drop out of a voyage:
3-7 Oct (sea staff join 2 Oct) – another watchleader, trainee watchleader or bosun needed – school group voyage
Email webmaster1@oytsouth.org if you can help!
* Voyage news
Last week began with a very well-attended maintenance day: big thanks to Holly, Sara, Patrick K, Roisin, Tom, Jess, Niamh, Unity, Hal, Patience, Daniela, Hazal, Lyonelle, Jack, Patrick D.
That was followed by a different sort of voyage as we filled the boat with young volunteers, trainee volunteers and potential volunteers aged 17-24. This voyage was made possible by some generous donors lead by the Gipsy Moth Trust, who enabled us to invite young people for intensive training – a real investment in the watchleaders and bosuns of the future. We very much hope that some of this group will be volunteering with us for many years to come, passing on their skills and enthusiasm to hundreds of young people.
As the voyage track shows, this week was not about covering distance or visiting a variety of ports: instead, the aim was to do lots of sail hoists, reefs and drops, lots of tacks and gybes, man overboard recovery exercises and more, with young trainee volunteers getting familiar with each evolution and then taking turns to lead exercises where possible, as well as looking after lines and fenders when coming alongside, and getting used to taking a midships line ashore.
They based themselves in Cowes and covered just 88 nautical miles – and for once we were glad to have a maximum wind force of 7: it meant that everyone gained experience in handling ropes and winches in conditions where getting it right really matters, given the loads carried in those conditions with the size of Prolific’s sails. It is a very valuable thing to have experienced before coming back to teach and supervise others on future voyages.
Comments included:
“My memorable bit was when I was told I had to take down the mizzen and I had to lead it and I stressed myself out and I knocked my confidence by doubting myself and I was going like, ‘I can’t do it, I can’t do it,’ and then I done it and then Andy [first mate] took me to the side and he said, ‘you just did it, you can do it,’ and I think that was just like a really nice, just a really nice little chat”.
“My favourite bit has just been really watching everyone throw themselves into leading stuff, it’s been really really impressive. But also how everyone else supported them when they were doing leading, that was really really good.”
“My favourite bit this trip was probably how confident I became learning how all the sailing procedures work, and all the different ropes, whereas previous trips I’ve not been that familiar with how it all works, but I’m definitely a lot more confident with it all now.”
Big thanks to sea staff Holly, Andy Gissing, Tom Knight, Zack Coleman, Fiona Pankhurst, and special congratulations to Hal Strode who completed his third mate’s assessment, and Jess Collingwood who was signed off as a second mate!
This week’s voyage has been an adult week which also included a number of people who are training or hoping to be selected as watchleaders for the future. After briefings on Monday, they spent the night at anchor and then had a very wet and rainy session of drills and skills on Tuesday before heading out of the Solent by the North Channel and making their way across to Poole.
They had time ashore in Poole next morning and then headed back to Compton Bay on the south west of the Isle of Wight where they enjoyed a lovely sunset and shooting stars.
Yesterday was a near-perfect sailing day: flat seas, sunshine and good winds, as they sailed around the south of the Island and then tacked in to the eastern Solent, avoiding the big ships, and arriving back in in Ocean Village last night. They had sailed 125 nautical miles and you can see the full voyage track here. Four people who didn’t already have it earned RYA Competent Crew certificates.
Big thanks to sea staff Holly, Vince, Josh, Sara, Glyn, Unity and Rosie.
* Mates’ training weekend – ONE place left, 7-9 October
Anyone want to join an adult weekend in October?
7-9 Oct 2022, Southampton, 2 nights, age range 18+, £215 per person, adult weekend voyage (Friday evening to Sunday evening). 1 place left.
This is open to anyone aged 18+ but priority will be given to people who are interested in finding out more about volunteering with the charity and potentially hoping to use the voyage to earn a recommendation for volunteer training (especially those who have not had the opportunity to earn a recommendation on a youth voyage), as well as current volunteers looking for some extra training on a voyage where they can focus on their own skills without the responsibility of supervising young people at the same time.
Email webmaster1@oytsouth.org if you are interested in coming along.
Powerboat level 2 course
Is anyone looking to complete a Powerboat Level 2 qualification? (That’s the certificate that allows you to drive Prolific’s dinghy). Our staff member Sara Abdur is doing hers in Poole on Weds 28th and Thurs 29th Sept, instructed by OYT South volunteer Dom Coleman. 9am-5pm each day. Cost £200 per head if we can get three people – and if they are all active OYT South sailors the course can be tailored specially for us. It’s a great course, highly recommended – if anyone would like to join in, email caroline.white@oytsouth.org and we’ll put you in touch with Dom for more details.
Current Covid guidelines
We are still getting issues with Covid, including people dropping out voyages at the last minute due to positive tests or symptoms; and we want to remain cautious about infection rates until we see the impact of the schools going back. We are therefore still asking everyone to test before joining a voyage, partly in order to protect people on board, when everyone is living close together in a confined space, but also because we know that some people may be going home to vulnerable family members, or may have important plans in the days immediately following a voyage.
Anyone due to join the boat will be given details of the process and an email address to send an image of their negative test.
We know the end of free testing may be an issue for some families, so if anyone is going to struggle to get hold of a test, OYT South can provide one as long as you tell us in time to post a kit out to you.
We will keep the procedure under review to make sure it is working effectively, and will remove restrictions once it is safe to do so.
Winter refit volunteers needed
We are planning a slightly different sort of winter refit this year – those of you who have been involved for a while will know that it has often taken a full four months between November and March; but this year we are planning to get the bulk of the work finished in November and December, and then take a break from full-time refit until the time comes to get ready for sea trials and the first voyages in March.
We are therefore looking to recruit a core team of volunteers to come and help us this winter in November and December. This is something we’ve been doing since at least 2002: a small full-time team offers continuity alongside all the other volunteers who come for odd days or weekends. We provide free food and accommodation (mainly on board, this year) for the core team, as well as great experience in boat maintenance and a chance to make a real difference to a good cause while enjoying a sociable couple of months in the team. Many previous core team members are still great friends of the charity – some still sailing with us, others using the experience to help develop their careers. Please see here for details and how to apply.
No particular experience is needed – just a great attitude. We can teach you some skills but we also need people who can sand and paint, shift equipment, assist the skilled team and more. This is ideal if you are on a gap year or otherwise between jobs and other commitments!
We will also be looking for volunteers wanting to help for shorter periods or just the occasional day, but we will sort this out much nearer the time, once the core team is organised.
Southampton Boat Show – discounted tickets
In memory of the late John Goode, we have once again been offered a discounted ticket offer for our members wishing to visit the Southampton Boat Show. Details are in the email version of this newsletter which goes to members and subscribers.
Movement for Good Awards – PLEASE keep nominating us and sharing the link!
Please nominate us for funding from Movement for Good!
Several times in the past we have been successful with these awards and we have had significant sums to spend on our work with young people, but it really does require as many people as possible to nominate us and to share this post and encourage others to help – it’s incredibly quick and easy! We weren’t lucky in the June draw but that’s all the more reason to keep on nominating us for the next draw.
Go to https://movementforgood.com/ecclesiastical and click Nominate Now. In the box “search for charity name or number”, put Ocean Youth Trust South or 1079959 and select “education and skills” under “charity type”. Fill in your own details and that’s it – it takes seconds!
Vessel tracking – see where Prolific is sailing now!
Don’t forget you can always have a look and see where Prolific is sailing.
Just for the moment we can’t welcome visitors on board due to Covid protocols but if you discover that Prolific is in a harbour somewhere near you, please go and say hello from a safe distance. And sometimes you may be just what we need if you have local information or a bit of time to spare to help with something, or a car for running a quick errand!
Big thanks to the Graham High Charity who sponsor our vessel tracking.
There are also apps like Marine Traffic that you can use to track Prolific on your phone.
* Financial appeal
Huge thanks this week to the Aumund Foundation and SAMSON Materials Handling Ltd for a very generous donation towards next year’s bursaries. Big thanks also to the Royal Thames Yacht Club which has paid for some bursaries on a recent voyage.
We need a regular flow of funds to cover at least three major areas: bursaries for young people who could not otherwise afford to sail; vessel maintenance and equipment; and staff salaries – please help, or pass on our details to anyone you come across who might make a grant, large or small.
See here for how to make a donation – you can contribute by cheque, phone or PayPal, but please do something if you possibly can. Don’t forget that if you complete and return a Gift Aid form (pdf) we can claim back tax on your donation.
Painting of Prolific – prints available to buy!
Our friend, Gosport-based marine artist Colin Baxter, has prints taken from an original painting of Prolific available for you to buy.
The unframed prints will measure 370mm x 230mm plus border. They will be numbered and signed, and will cost £45 if you can pick yours up in Gosport, and £50 if you need it posted (they will probably come rolled in a cardboard tube). Order here:
| Postage / collection options |
Anyone outside the UK wanting to order a copy, please email us.
Raise funds for OYT South if you’re shopping online – we’ve made over £1,000 through Easyfundraising!
“What a fool I was!” says Mark Todd.
“For ages I’ve seen in the bulletin that Easyfundraising is a good way to raise money for charity, but I never got round to doing anything about it, and when Caz told me how easy it was, I didn’t listen.
I thought it might be a hassle, or that I’d have to remember to do something when I bought stuff online, or that it probably wasn’t really worthwhile.
This week I finally got round to it and it turns out it’s a REALLY EASY way to raise money for the charity I care about … and I definitely should have done it sooner.
It takes a minute or two to sign up; you can do it on a desktop, tablet and/or phone, and you can install a widget that flags up when a donation is available. Once that’s done, imagine you’re looking to buy – say – a rainbow unicorn: just put “rainbow unicorn” in your usual search box, and the list of results shows you which sites come with donations, and how much. It’s up to you what to pick and whether to accept the donation from the site, but a huge choice of sites will offer a donation – and it doesn’t cost you a penny.
I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner … but if there’s anyone else who has been like me and just not got round to it, PLEASE click the link now and sign up!”
We have already raised more than £1,000 through Easyfundraising – huge thanks to everyone who has used it!
OYT South is also registered with Amazon Smile which makes donations to us when people shop – Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price on eligible purchases. If you ever shop with Amazon, do have a look – once you pick Ocean Youth Trust South as your chosen charity and start using https://smile.amazon.co.uk, you don’t need to do anything further, and all your other Amazon account settings remain unchanged.
OYT South social media – please get involved
One of the simplest ways you can help us while we can’t sail is to keep looking at our social media pages and share, retweet or like as many posts as possible. This all helps to make sure other people hear about us too – and the more we can keep alive the interest in our charitable work, the more people might help us now or start to think about sailing with us in future. Maybe you’ve got a community group, a local page, even a street WhatsApp where members might like to know that you are involved with a charity that could be of interest to them?
We are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/oytsouth – please do give us a Like! If you were friends with John Laing on our old page (https://www.facebook.com/johnlaingsailing please do move to the new page now.
We are also on Twitter @oytsouth so please follow us!
And Instagram @oyt_south
And LinkedIn Ocean Youth Trust South
Please note that OYT South has a policy that our adult staff and volunteers should not make or accept individual online friend requests with crew members aged under 18, or vulnerable adults. Crew members can use the sites to stay in touch with the boat and with each other, but not with individual staff and volunteers.
Branded clothing
OYT South branded clothing available – please see here. You can buy hoodies (in a wide range of colours), fleeces, short- and long-sleeved t-shirts, baseball caps, beanie hats, polo shirts and more, all with OYT South’s logo!
Raise And Sail – website for anyone looking to raise money to come sailing
Raise And Sail is a section of this website full of ideas, information and support for young people who would like to raise money in order to come sailing with us. Huge thanks to Fiona Keen and Emma Burrows for putting Raise And Sail together. We hope you will find it useful – let us know how you get on as we can add success stories and new ideas to the site in due course.
New readers’ welcome and introduction
If you have recently registered your interest in OYT South, welcome to our newsletter, which is sent out almost every week, normally on a Friday, and is also copied onto the website.
If you have just started receiving this newsletter by email, it is because we believe you have signed up and consented to receive it – perhaps by emailing us to ask for it, completing a form on our website, or adding your email address to the book on board where people can sign up to receive news, as well as leaving comments. If this was a mistake or you simply decide you want to stop receiving the newsletter, just press “reply” to the email and write UNSUBSCRIBE at the top, or email webmaster1@oytsouth.org asking to unsubscribe.
Each week the newsletter includes a wide range of news from the boat and from the charity, including details of voyages available for young people; adult voyages; opportunities for adult volunteers both ashore and afloat, and much more. We find that while some people read the bulletin almost every week, many others dip in and out, and read it when it’s convenient – which is why some items are repeated. New items are marked with an asterisk * so that if you did read it last week, you can see which sections you can safely skip.
Please feel free to join in any OYT South activities – nothing here is restricted to long-standing members or people who already know one another. New people are always very welcome!
If you need an introduction to the work of OYT South, you should find a lot of useful information on our website. But essentially, we are a registered charity (no. 1079959) which exists to offer adventure under sail as a personal development opportunity for young people aged 12-25, from the widest possible range of backgrounds. A high proportion of our young crew members are disadvantaged or deserving in some way: many of these sail in groups organised by other charities, youth clubs, special schools and so on, and will fill the bulk of our term-time voyages. But those from more fortunate backgrounds are also welcome to sail, either in groups or by coming as individuals on a mixed voyage. Every year we run a variety of shorter local voyages plus longer adventure trips – sometimes including Tall Ships races during the summer holidays. If you are aged 12-25 and hoping to sail as a crew member, take a look here – and this section is also useful for adults who are thinking of organising a voyage for a young person. Adults planning to organise a full group voyage should also see here. Adults who want to sail themselves should see here.
We have a professional staff skipper and engineer, but our watch leaders are normally all volunteers, who combine sailing skills with an interest in working with young people. You can find more information here – how the system works, how to join, and profiles of existing staff and volunteers.
To volunteer for OYT South ashore, please see here. To help with the vessel’s annual refit, see here.
It is a very expensive business maintaining a boat, running an office and employing staff. If you want to help us, please become a member of OYT South. Or see here for information on making a donation.
If you have any questions, please do email – or contact the office.
Receiving this newsletter by email
Many thanks to all those who have given consent to receiving this newsletter by email. If you are not currently getting it by email and would like to, please just click here Newsletter Subscribe and press “send”, or email webmaster1@oytsouth.org.