2014 Annual Awards

At the annual Sail Training and Tall Ships Conference 2014,

year’ successes.

The conference, also attended by future host port

representatives, sponsors and other stakeholders, was closed with a prize

giving to recognise some of the fantastic work done by the outstanding individuals

who make up the international sail training family.

The Sultan Qaboos

Trophy

A gift from His Majesty the Sultan of Oman, the Sultan

Qaboos Trophy was presented to Aporvela by the Ambassador of the Sultanate of

Oman in Spain, Her Excellency Kifaya Alraisi and Commodore Yaqoob Al Kamashki

of the Royal Navy of Oman.

Aporvela is a truly inspirational organisation that operates

and places hundreds of trainees on sail training vessels each year, develops

and supports educational programmes with its National Ministry of Education and

puts together Tall Ships events on a regular basis by inspiring and bringing

together port authorities, city municipalities, regional and national tourist

agencies, business communities and many other key stakeholders necessary for a

successful Tall Ships Race. It has successfully organised five Tall Ships Races

in its country since 1982 and has recently contracted with another two host

ports for events in 2016 and 2017.

STI has had a long-standing and unique relationship with the

Sultanate of Oman, until recently through the Royal Navy of Oman’ Tall Ship

Shabab Oman. This ship serves two very specific purposes: sail training for

navy cadets and others, and importantly also as an Ambassador for the

Sultanate. To continue these important commitments long into the future a new

and much larger tall ship, Shabab Oman II, was launched this summer and comes

into service in 2015.

The Oman bursary fund enables about 100 young people,

disadvantaged or disabled, to benefit every year from the sail training

experience in one of our races.  This

year it provided financial assistance to 105 young people from 22 countries (mostly

from Europe but also Turkey, Russia, Australia and China), sailing with

international trainee crews on 26 different sail training vessels from nine

countries. 

The other annual prizes were as follows:

Young Sail Trainer of

the Year

Scott Sanderson/Sandison (21), Swan of Shetland, UK. 

This young man first sailed as a trainee in TSRE 2010 and

went on to sail again in the races in 2011 and 2012.  In 2013 he joined a Class B vessel as bosun

and during that season he was able to achieve a commercially endorsed RYA Day

Skipper which started his professional qualifications.

His enthusiasm has been a source of encouragement and

motivation to trainees.  He is a very

practical person who quickly understands any problems which arise and devises

appropriate and practical solutions.  He

has a quiet self-confidence and a sense of humour which has proved helpful when

encouraging trainees and primary school children.

When he joined Swan he indicated to the trustees and skipper

that he was dyslexic and was concerned that this might be a problem.  It was never a problem and he applied himself

to all tasks, including the reading of instructions, chart notes and almanac

advice.  The Trust he works for

anticipates that he will be in a position to become their skipper bef