Please tell us a bit about yourself
I’ve been jumping on and off boats all my life and started sailing at the age of 10, and fell in love with it. Starting with smaller boats and working up to bigger boats, I discovered TSYT as a teenager and became a Watch Leader.
I took a gap year before university to take part in the Clipper Round the World Race. Experiencing that is when I knew a career in sailing was for me, and that I wanted to incorporate youth work. I’ve worked up through the ranks to become a Skipper. Aside from sailing, I’m very passionate about music, being creative and video games.
Please tell us a bit about your role at Tall Ships Youth Trust
The role I play at the minute is two fold, I am both a Skipper and a Mate, but not on the same trips. It varies from week to week, whether that’s running around putting sails up, or having a sing song with the young people after all the jobs are completed.
I can be found up the mast fixing something, in the engine or the galley, or even unblocking a the heads (toilets). No two weeks are the same, but all are just as fun. For me my role is creating a good experience for the young people we work with, pushing them out of their comfort zones to prove they can achieve anything, and having a giggle while doing it.
What has been your most memorable moment at Tall Ships Youth Trust?
There are so many memorable moments from working with TSYT, from a young person being obsessed with catching a fish and then not knowing what to do with it once they had, to the boat being hit by a wave and finding the young people laughing on the floor of the galley covered in a mix of soapy water and hot chocolate powder. Every trip brings differed memories, some of which will make me laugh forever.
What is one thing you think people should know about Tall Ships Youth Trust?
Once you’ve got the sailing bug, you can’t get rid of it.
Please describe your job in three words
Fun. Exciting. Indescribable.
If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
Coming up with some crazy invention that no one knew they needed, but changes peoples lives, like a suncream spraying machine!
