In this Bulletin
Sections which have changed since last time marked *
- * 2024 voyages available for people aged 11-25 – PLEASE SHARE – ONE last place left
- Job advertisement – Staff First Mate
- Sea staff vacancies this season
- Winter refit core team needed – including a driver
- * Voyage news
- Safeguarding – new team member needed
- MDL fundraising event in Ocean Village – help needed
- 2025 DRAFT programme
- Maintenance days – PLEASE help
- 2024 AGM – a date for your diary
- * 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 £2,100 through Easyfundraising!
- OYT South social media – please share as well as liking!
- Branded clothing
- New readers’ welcome and introduction
- Receiving this newsletter by email
* 2024 voyages available for people aged 11-25 – PLEASE SHARE – ONE last place left
We have just ONE place left to fill on an individuals’ voyage this summer – please share this and let’s see if we can get bookings to 100%!
10-17 Aug, Guernsey to Poole, 7 nights, £815 per person (not including travel) – race against other sail training vessels – ideal for age 14+ – see here for more details about this exciting event (1 place left)
There’s a PDF flyer here – please share it!
There’s also a YouTube playlist with a number of very short videos about standard youth voyages or DofE Gold residentials, originally made for TikTok – there might be something there you can share!
No previous sailing experience needed – all we ask is that you come prepared to join in and make friends!
RYA sailing qualifications and DofE Gold Residential voyages available.
More information here on sailing with us.
For individual bookings on youth voyages, please contact VoyageAdmin@oytsouth.org.
Job advertisement – Staff First Mate
Everyone knows what a brilliant addition to the team it has been to have Lauren Mackenzie as our Staff First Mate. But she’s now well into her second full-time season with us and she’s too good to stay as a Mate for ever. So she’s going to be leaving us at the end of the season and we will look forward to seeing her developing her experience as a skipper – including, we hope, coming back from time to time as a relief mate or relief skipper for Prolific: we definitely don’t expect to lose touch with someone who has been part of OYT South since she was 16! In the meantime, she will leave a big gap and we are looking for an amazing new Staff First Mate to follow in her footsteps. Please see here for a job description, including deadlines and how to apply.
Sea staff vacancies this season
Please email webmaster1@oytsouth.org if you can help with any of the remaining vacancies.
People who have been newly-recommended to join the volunteers’ team: please do contact us if you are interested in suitable voyages from this list – we can advise you if a particular vacancy needs someone with more Prolific experience, but where possible this list is for you as much as it is for established volunteers. We will need to make sure your DBS, references and other paperwork is in place before you can sail. And do keep checking the list in each edition of the newsletter as people do occasionally drop out and leave other vacancies!
Dates given are when crew are on board so volunteers are generally needed the day before:
6-10 Sept, Southampton – female staff member needed – qualified or trainee watchleader or bosun – for a voyage with young people in care. Ideally able to help with maintenance on 5th Sept as well.
16-20 Sept, Southampton – qualified watchleader. School group (new client)
25-29 Oct, Southampton – qualified or trainee watchleader. Swindon Scouts group.
Please email webmaster1@oytsouth.org if you would like to sail!
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.
* Voyage news
The last newsletter ended as a crew of mixed individual bookings was leaving the boat. Their feedback included:
“An incredible experience. I would recommend OYT to anyone who would like the opportunity to learn to sail in a safe and exciting environment … The most memorable bit would have to be the evening games we played, I think it was a lot of fun and brought us all together.”
“My most memorable bit was leading the staysail hoist. I think the best bit was running round the deck with my notebook trying to remember what rope colour corresponds to the halyard and whatever.”
“I really enjoyed this voyage, I loved getting to know lots of people and seeing dolphins every day. I learnt a lot of new skills and cooking and eating food.”
“I had a great time this week! The sea staff were so encouraging and it was lovely to meet new people! I would definitely recommend.”
“Great voyage where everyone was really friendly. I learnt a lot and it really helped to increase my confidence.”
“I had such an amazing time and saw amazing things that I will remember forever.”
“It’s not the destination that matters, it’s the friends you made along the way. 😊”
Next came our very first voyage in partnership with Raleigh International. As the crew stepped on board Prolific, it was clear that many didn’t know what to expect. For some she was bigger than they could have imagined; some were nervous about whether they would make any friends; and some were simply worried about not losing their bag overboard. They knew they had much to learn, and this began right away, with winch drills and all manner of safety briefings. Even things as simple as using the toilet were so different they needed to be explained. They also had a look at the chart to start thinking about the plan for the week:
Prolific cast off from the pontoon in Brixham, the lines being slipped for the first time, and the crew made their way to Cawsands Bay outside Plymouth. They hoisted sails and got used to steering and going out on the bowsprit:
They braved seasickness as they rounded headlands and crossed overfalls on their journey. Once they got into the calm of the bay and the crew had chance to recover, they got to know each other over a game before they headed to their bunks.
Next day they went ashore to the beach: some braved the chilly water, some got to work digging holes in the sand, and others went to get hot chocolate. Back on board, they faced a short passage to Plymouth but with plenty of opportunities to refine their skills. Prolific came off anchor under sail alone, without using the engine, as the crew of young people learned to scandalise the mainsail and back the staysail to get her to turn. Then they practised their tacking as they took Prolific between buoys, and performed no fewer than three man overboard recovery drills in the bay, both under sail and power.
After such an intense day of practice, some warm showers and a game was in order in Plymouth.
Next day Prolific set sail for Helford, and the crew learned about points of sail, knot tying, and all of the safety equipment on board the boat. It was a long day of tacking upwind without the motor, punctuated by the odd dolphin sighting.
The crew were tired when they arrived and went to bed at anchor. Next day the crew were woken up with a splash! After breakfast, the crew jumped off of the side of Prolific, where they could play in the water and swim laps around her. Hot chocolates were in order to warm them up and get them ready for another day of sailing. Squeezing between lobster pots, Prolific made her way up the river and into Falmouth before dinner.
While some enjoyed shore leave in Falmouth, stocking up on sweets and window shopping, a group of crew and sea staff were lucky enough to get to tour the Rustler Yacht factory. They saw the great fibreglass moulds smoothed to tight tolerances; the woodwork and joinery used for the cabinets; and their unreleased new motor yacht, which was still in active development.
There was just one long sail back to Brixham left. Thankfully, the wind was with Prolific, but there were still ten hours of sailing for her to do. She set out into open water one last time, as the crew, who had come so far and learned so much, kept the log, manned the helm, and trimmed the sails. Leaning against the capping rail, crew member Pia spotted a whole pod of dolphins! Seven or eight of them – all playing in the wake of Prolific. They stayed for hours, playing all around the boat on the passage back to Brixham. The crew took turns out on the bowsprit watching them dive, flip and jump through the water.
Arriving in Brixham at night was magical, with the lights of the town reflecting over the water. After a well-deserved rest, the crew cleaned every inch of Prolific for one last time, before setting off in a minibus to a beach 20 miles away to begin the next chapter of their Raleigh adventure. Starting as strangers, they became a tight-knit team, and closer friends than they could have imagined.
You can see their complete voyage track here – they sailed 161 nautical miles. Ten people earned RYA Start yachting certificates and one got Competent Crew.
Feedback included:
“I think my least favourite bit was walking down for the first time and seeing everyone, because I didn’t like that very much! You’re quite scary! But I really enjoyed this trip and it was such a fun, new and challenging experience. I would really recommend and am so happy I went on this trip.”
“I think the best bit is seeing everyone’s become more comfortable around each other and confident. I was super nervous to come on this trip but now that it’s the end it’s definitely an experience I’ll never forget. I would 100% recommend this trip to anyone whether they’ve sailed or not!”
“Favourite bit was probably learning all the stuff about the boat, learning how all the engine worked, and getting to see everything put into action. I can’t think of a single bad thing about the trip, I’ve loved all of it! This was my first time sailing but I absolutely loved it, I made loads of new friends and learnt lots of new things.”
“The most memorable was when I saw five dolphins synchronised jump in the air, that was very beautiful. The trip challenged me physically and mentally in ways I could never imagine. Thank You.”
“This was my first experience sailing and it was amazing. I learnt so many new skills, developed my ability to work in a team and made friends that I’ll hopefully keep for life. I’m definitely coming sailing here again!”
The Raleigh leader who sailed with them added: “I am very impressed with the sea staff: constantly upbeat, patient and on the ball. I also haven’t eaten this well in a while – good shout on all the menus. I think this could be the start of a special annual Raleigh expedition.”
Organisers told us afterwards: “We have received outstanding feedback from the venturers, a few even want to come back to sail with you which is fantastic!! Thank you so much to you and your team for being so wonderful, organised, fun and having a positive impact on these young people. You really are Raleigh on a boat!”
Big thanks to sea staff James Boyce, Brigid Stoney, Lauren Mackenzie, Nige Bush, Jack Thompson, Hannah Blyton, Aaron Arnold, and special congratulations to Glyn Collins who passed his first mate assessment. This is a great achievement as the first mate is the person who would have to take over if the skipper was ill or injured, so it’s a demanding assessment and we’re proud of all our qualified first mates.
This week’s voyage has been a welcome return for a MACS crew – the charity for young people born without eyes or with under-developed eyes. This was a very experienced crew as several of them have returned year after year: this is a fantastic annual opportunity for young people with MACS conditions to get together and have fun. They made a plan for the week, with a forecast of glorious sunshine:
They sailed first from Brixham to Dartmouth and then on to Cawsand Bay near Plymouth. There they met another sail training vessel, Johanna Lucretia, skippered this week by one of our own relief skippers, Andy Brown. The two crews enjoyed going round each others’ ships.
From there, Prolific went on to Fowey, then back to Cawsand.
The long passage back to Brixham put the mizzen staysail to good use:
The final stage of the voyage included picking up a tow – a vessel which had lost their propellor and could make no progress in minimal winds. Prolific towed her to the Brixham entrance where the harbour staff took her to a berth.
It was a week of sunshine, dolphins, gannets, fun and friendship. In this weather the south west coast is truly stunning. The crew all gelled well and looked after each other: there was a strong sense of family and kinship, they became very good at sail hoists and drops by the end of the week with some crew taking turns to lead them. They all had a fantastic time with big smiles.
Big thanks to sea staff Constantinos, Brigid Stoney, Nige Bush, Martyn Powe, Lizzie Miller who made great progress towards her third mate qualification, and special congratulations to Halima Mehmood who completed her third mate assessment, and to Abbie Stone, an experienced OYT Scotland second mate who quickly adapted to a different boat and has been confirmed as a Prolific 2M too.
You can see their complete voyage track here. They did 136 miles, and we’ll include their feedback in the next edition of this newsletter.
Safeguarding – new team member needed
OYT South’s Safeguarding Officer is Steve Lacey, ably assisted by Cathy Lacey and until recently by Anjelica Finnegan. However, thanks to the arrival of baby Hraefn (big congratulations!), Anjelica has decided it is time to stand aside. We could really do with someone else in the safeguarding team, if only so that we don’t have to disturb Steve and Cathy when they are on holiday! Is there anyone with safeguarding experience who would like a chat with us about what the role involves, or can anyone suggest someone we might approach, or a good way of finding someone who would be ideal for the role? Safeguarding lies at the heart of everything we do so it is really important to find the right person. Email caroline.white@oytsouth.org. Meanwhile thanks to Anjelica for all her support in recent years and the very best of luck for the future!
MDL fundraising event in Ocean Village – help needed
MDL are once again showing their support for us and other charities with their family fun day on Friday 30th August. We would like to support them with this event and help raise funds and awareness for OYT South, Prostate Cancer UK and Breast Cancer UK. We would love your help on the day – if you are available, please email Susanna: susannapaynter@oytsouth.org. (NB it’s MDL’s Lauren not OYT South’s Lauren having her head shaved!)
2025 DRAFT programme
Thanks to all our clients who have been sending requests for group bookings next year. We need to make some small adjustments to the programme to meet clients’ needs and then we’ll be able to publish it and you will be able to see which group voyages are still available, and we will earmark some voyages for individual bookings. But let’s fill the last individual place for this summer before thinking about next summer!
Maintenance days – please help
We have several planned maintenance days during the season – these are essential to keep Prolific in working order and avoid losing voyage time to maintenance issues. We need all the help we can get, both skilled and unskilled – there are easy jobs for people not used to boat maintenance, or maybe we can teach you a useful new skill!
Please put these dates in your diary:
Thursday 5th September – Southampton
Sunday 20th October – Southampton
If you call the boat on 07990 518915, or email refit@oytsouth.org, we can get you booked in for maintenance days. We can feed you on board and probably offer accommodation the night before or after if needed. Generally we need over-18s, or 16 and 17-year olds who are sailing as bosuns or trainee bosuns.
Sea staff on the voyages immediately before and after these days should plan to include the maintenance day as part of your booking unless specifically agreed. If we don’t have enough people at a maintenance day and there are significant jobs to do, it might even affect the start of the next voyage, so please do make sure you are available to help!
2024 AGM – a date for your diary
Advance notice that OYT South’s 2024 AGM date has been set for 9th November.
* Financial appeal
Big thanks this week to the Baxter & Grimshaw Trust for another exceptionally generous contribution towards bursaries; and to Carl Howitz for a very kind donation.
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 £2,100 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 £2,100 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.