In this Bulletin
Sections which have changed since last time marked *
- * Voyage news
- 2024 AGM and Curry Night – 9th November – book – book by 9am next Wednesday! Plus refit volunteers’ weekend – and new Youth Trustee
- Training weekend next February – a date for your diary – and suggestions needed for courses
- Chris Ellis Award – win £££s of the price of your next voyage
- Lauren’s leaving present – closing date 8th November
- * Official Supporter of Pip Hare in the Vendée Globe race! 10 days till the start!
- 2025 programme – bookings open for group and individual voyages
- Winter refit core team needed – including a driver
- * Financial appeal
- Prolific earrings inspired by a crew member – and now NEW necklaces as well!
- Raise funds for OYT South if you’re shopping online – we’ve made over £2,300 through Easyfundraising!
- OYT South social media – please share as well as liking!
- Branded clothing
- New readers’ welcome and introduction
- Receiving this newsletter by email
* Voyage news
Last week’s newsletter ended just as Costello School in Basingstoke were completing their voyage. Comments included:
“I have really liked this trip, I think I have laughed at least every day and I have started to speak a bit more. I think this trip has really helped my confidence.”
“The experience was great, the activities were very interactive and lots of fun.”
“I think if I had the opportunity to do it again I would. I think it also helped my confidence with talking to new people kind of because everyone on the trip was really kind.”
“The overall days spent on the boat were absolutely awesome. The activities were great.”
One of the two school staff was an experienced Prolific sailor completing his third mate assessment but the other was new to the experience and said: “This experience on Prolific with the OYT South crew has been life changing. The crew have been so amazing and supportive. I have loved every moment.”
That was followed by a mixed voyage – six Swindon Sea Scouts with a group leader, and five individual bookings. The voyage started late on Friday evening to make the most of half term, so it was Saturday morning before the crew set out from Ocean Village.
After the usual safety briefings, they set off and hoisted all the sails.
It was an incredibly calm day with next to no wind, so they decided to motor-sail to the Needles, getting close and enjoying a fantastic view of the rock formations and the birds living on them.
The tide changed, and they headed back into the Solent with the incoming tide, and the crew spent time enjoying themselves on the bowsprit.
They arrived in Cowes, where the crew spent some time ashore and explored the local area. That evening after dinner they played games, and everyone enjoyed themselves during a Halloween party!
The following day there was no wind again, so they motored to a nearby anchorage near Ryde. They took part in a fire drill and went through extra sailing theory since the crew were so keen, including how to hoist and drop the mizzen and main sails. After this, the crew took part in a Bake Off, interrupted half-way through by everyone coming up onto deck to admire a spectacular sunset over the trees and the water. It is always magical to see a sunset over the water, from an anchorage, and the crew appreciated the views.
On the final day it was raining and it was windy, and the first opportunity for some sailing without the engine! They hoisted the sails with two reefs in each, and hoisted the staysail. They then did lots of sailing practice, tacking and gybing around in the Eastern Solent, until the crew knew the ropes inside out!
At around 2pm they dropped the sails, as the rain was starting to make everyone a bit cold, and they decided to anchor briefly in Osbourne Bay.
The crew spent the time at anchor learning how to navigate and create a pilotage plan to get back up Southampton Water to Ocean Village.
The crew then took over the boat, and motored back to Southampton in the dark, steering, navigating and looking out for the buoys as they went. They all worked very well as a team and really got stuck in, and they did an excellent job.
Once they’d arrived back in Southampton, and the boat was safely alongside, the crew enjoyed an evening of hot chocolate, games, and lots of singing. They were a very engaged group and all the staff on board felt that they did very well.
They had completed 63 miles at sea and you can see their full voyage track here. Four people earned RYA Start Yachting certificates – the others had this qualification already.
Feedback included:
“My favourite part was how everyone worked together and when the wind picked up so we got to sail.”
“The trip was very nice. I had lots of fun and learned lots of new skills. Staff were very nice. Thank you so much!”
“OYT has been so incredibly fun and I’d love to come again! I met some amazing people and learnt loads! All the staff deserve a raise.”
“Thank you so much for this. I’ve absolutely loved it and it has helped ignite another passion. I loved the stargazing and the whole experience. I loved meeting the gang and can’t wait to see them soon.”
“My favourite part was probably going on night watch and looking out from the windows and seeing the stars. My most memorable part is probably making new friends and seeing how us Scouts work with other people.”
“My favourite bit was probably watching the sun set and learning all about the different ropes and stuff that I haven’t seen before so like the mizzen and the staysail and all the different ropework and stuff.”
“My favourite part was probably when we were watching the sun set then later on sitting on the roof and star gazing.”
“My favourite part was probably the navigating in the dark, that was really fun and doing the log book… that was fun.”
The Scouts’ group leader said: “My best part was I think how, when the young people had learnt the skills and they took over that day and actually just ran with it … that was really, really good. It showed they had been listening the last couple of days so that was my best bit … My most memorable bit was probably when we all sat up on the roof and we were all looking at stars and having a chat. It was just so chilled. It was lovely.”
Big thanks to sea staff Gotch, Lauren, Sara, Val Hague, Katie Hamlet, Martin Bayfield and Rois Smith who has completed nearly all of her third mate qualification but was just stopped by lack of wind on this voyage.
The current crew – the final youth voyage of the season! – are mostly young people linked to the Royal Cruising Club, plus a few individual bookings. Skipper Gotch says this is a very lovely group – very engaged and enthusiastic, all eager to learn and to achieve as much as possible. Lots of them have prior sailing experience with dinghies or yachts.
They sailed to an anchorage off Lymington on their first day, and then went on to Portland yesterday, where they had a Hallowe’en party. Today they are heading back to the Solent, planning to do the Needles Channel at night and end up in Cowes. The young people are taking charge of a lot of the navigation:
Big thanks to sea staff Gotch, Lauren, Michelle van den Bergh, Willoughby Matthews, Nige Bush, Orla Cronin and Katie Hamlet.
2024 AGM and Curry Night – 9th November – book by 9am next Wednesday! Plus refit volunteers’ weekend – and new Youth Trustee
Bookings for our AGM Curry Night must be with us by 9am next Wednesday 6th November. As last year it will be the excellent buffet at the Coriander Lounge in Southampton.
Details for the AGM and Curry, with locations, timings and menu as well as a payment link are all on the website.
The official AGM paperwork has been sent out to members (contact office@oytsouth.org if you believe you should have received a copy and it hasn’t arrived). Anyone can attend the AGM but only members are eligible to vote. You can be a member of OYT South for just £36 (£18 for people aged 25 and under) – pay here now to ensure you are a voting member for the AGM. Contact the office if you are unsure about whether you are a member already.
The AGM and Curry Night will also be part of a refit volunteers’ weekend when lots of gear needs to be cleared off the boat for the start of refit, so we massively appreciate anyone who can help on Saturday 9th November, Sunday 10th November or both. If you are helping with this as well as attending the Curry Night and would like to stay on board over the weekend, please ask!
Those of you who have received the AGM mailing will know this already, but as well as the usual re-election of Trustees in rotation, we have a new candidate standing for election. You may be aware that one of OYT South’s rules is that we should always aim to have at least one Trustee in the age range 18-25, to make sure that the interests of young people are at the heart of everything we do. The current Youth Trustee is Sara Abdur but she has to stand down at the AGM as she moves on to become our Staff Mate. We had some very strong applicants for the role of new Youth Trustee and we would like to thank those who put a lot of time and thought into this. Following interviews with current Trustees, the decision was taken to invite Unity Bowns to join the Board, and members are being asked formally to elect Unity at the AGM. We are delighted they will be joining the team!
Training weekend next February – a date for your diary – and suggestions needed for courses
Our usual February shorebased training weekend is being planned for 1-2 February next year – in a new location! Now we no longer have an office in Gosport, we have looked at other locations and we have found an option near Botley where we could offer all courses plus affordable accommodation in shared bunk rooms.
We are aiming to offer the RYA first aid course as usual; but we’re open to suggestions for what else we might organise. What other topics would you particularly like us to cover? Is there a course you could run that you think might be of interest to sea staff? It could be a full day course, a half day – or just an hour. Please contact lynnerobbins@oytsouth.org with ideas and offers!
Chris Ellis Award – win £££s of the price of your next voyage
Open for 2024 entries.
If you have enjoyed a voyage with OYT South and want to come again (and are aged 11-25), please think about entering for this award. You can win up to £500 off the price of another voyage, by sending in an account of a voyage you have already done with us. It can be a logbook, diary, story, pictures, video – anything which gives the judges an idea of why you had a good time and would like to come again. The prize is judged at the end of each season and the award can be spent on a voyage the following year. Entries should be emailed to webmaster1@oytsouth.org or posted to the office. See here for more details of this award, which was set up in memory of one of the charity’s founders. You can also see some previous winning entries.
Lauren’s leaving present – closing date 8th November
Wishing all the very best to Lauren who is about to leave us after two great years in which she has gone from brand-new first mate to qualified skipper!
You can find some background on Lauren’s achievements since first getting involved with OYT South, her plans for the future, and how to contribute to her leaving present, on the website – all the details here.
* Official Supporter of Pip Hare in the Vendée Globe race -10 days till the start!
Regular readers will know that thanks to our mutual links with the Pointer Family Trust, OYT South has been chosen as an Official Supporter for Pip Hare in the Vendée Globe singlehanded race around the world, which starts on 10th November. We’ll be sharing updates as the race goes on, and our logo will be going round the world with her, on the wall in the cabin. As Pip says: “More men have walked on the moon than women have completed the Vendée Globe, which is all the inspiration I need to succeed”.
Do have a look at Pip’s social media, with the race start just over two weeks away. Here’s a recent update from her last training session. But you can follow her on whichever is your own favourite social media channel – she has a lot of videos on YouTube and TikTok and you can also find her on Instagram and Twitter – please do give her a follow.
We are very proud to be supporting Pip and we hope that when she sees our logo in her cabin, it will remind her of what an incredible inspiration she is to young people – both those who are already keen sailors and those who might be encouraged to try sailing. Pip’s website https://www.piphare.com/ has some fantastic and exciting videos – very well worth a look!
2025 programme – bookings open for group and individual voyages
Our 2025 programme is open for bookings, with plenty more exciting opportunities for young people to join us next year.
A lot of OYT South’s voyages are taken by organised groups such as a school, charity or youth club, who book the whole boat; but we always designate a number of voyages in school holidays for individuals who want to join a mixed group and make new friends. We have provisionally identified the first few individual voyages for next year (we will add more later) including some in the summer holidays 2025.
6-12 July, Le Havre to Dunkirk, £735 per person, 6 nights, minimum age 15 – this is a Tall Ships Race with a fantastic festival at either end – a truly exciting adventure and a chance to create memories for a lifetime!
30 July – 4 Aug, Brixham to Brixham, £630 per person, 5 nights – standard youth voyage for individual bookings.
11-15 August, Brixham to Brixham, £525 per person, 4 nights, age 11-16. A lot of our individual voyages attract keen young sailors, over-18s, people doing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and people wanting to test themselves with a challenging adventure; and, weather permitting, longer passages such as Channel crossings. But this doesn’t suit everyone! So for next year, we have designated this one shorter coastal voyage as a gentler opportunity, ideal for the younger end of our age range (11-16-year-olds) and passports not required. If you know anyone who is unsure about coping with a more ambitious voyage and wants an easier introduction, this is the voyage for them!
See the 2025 programme or the availability list for other individual and group voyages (and contact us to be added to the mailing list as we designate additional dates for individual voyages).
Winter refit core team needed – including a driver
If you are planning a gap year, or you are between jobs or for any other reason potentially available for several weeks or months this winter, might you be interested in joining our full-time refit team? We will need a couple of full-time volunteers between November and March. More details here. Plenty of our previous refit volunteers have gone on to great jobs in the marine industry – it really helps to have maintenance experience as well as good sailing skills when applying for sailing jobs! And any refit volunteers who want to sail in Prolific can be offered berths as watchleaders, bosuns, or relief engineers. So it’s a great way of developing useful experience, contributing to a good cause, securing free food and accommodation for a few months, and having a positive experience with a fun group of people! If you’re interested, please read the web page and email us with the details requested at the bottom of the page.
We’re looking for at least one of the core team volunteers to have a driving licence and be able to drive the refit car, to help get people between the accommodation and the boat, or for fetching kit and taking parts for servicing.
We’ll also need lots of casual volunteers helping for a day, a few days or a weekend, but we can get people booked in for that much nearer the time – at this stage we are really just thinking about the core team.
* Financial appeal
Big thanks this week to Bosham Sailing Club and Martin Thomas for a kind donation after Martin did a speech there.
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 we can claim back tax on your donation.
Prolific earrings inspired by a crew member – and now NEW necklaces as well!
Exciting news – sales of the earrings based on a drawing by a young crew member have been strong enough that our friends at Vurchoo have been inspired to add necklaces to the range!
£68 in silver or £85 in gold – click the pictures to go to the website and see how to buy them:
You can read the full story here of how the design was based on an idea from a Prolific crew member, with part of the proceeds coming to us to support our charitable work! The original earrings are still available for £40 in either gold or silver – click the pictures to see how to buy them:
Raise funds for OYT South if you’re shopping online – we’ve made over £2,300 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 over £2,300 through Easyfundraising – huge thanks to everyone who has used it!
OYT South social media – please share as well as liking!
If you look at the top left of any page on our website, you can click on icons for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. We are also on TikTok. Please share our social media posts as widely as you can – with the help of all our supporters, this charity is doing some amazing work and we need more people to hear about it. You don’t need to do anything more than share a post, or perhaps add a comment which could be as simple as “I’ve sailed with this charity!” or “I volunteer for this charity!”.
Please note that OYT South has a policy that our adult staff and volunteers should not make or accept personal online connections 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!
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 11-25, 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 11-25 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, mate 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.