In October, two Grade 11 students, Bradley Felix (17) and Ronaldo Strauss (17) will fly to the Balearic Islands in Spain to participate in the Ibiza Rendezvous, the first super-yacht sailing regatta to embrace the island of Ibiza (http://ibizarendezvous.com/)
The trip forms part of a new charitable mentoring programme, ‘Marine Inspirations’ (www.marineinspirations.org) which aims to expose young South Africans from disadvantaged backgrounds to hands-on seamanship experience and possible career opportunities in the world of yachting.
‘Marine Inspirations’ is the brainchild of two South African super-yacht captains, Phil Wade and Anthony Just who – following a captains-lunch in Mallorca, Spain, earlier this year – reflected on how the quality maritime training they’d received in South Africa had contributed to their career success. This led to an agreed desire to share their good fortunes with the less fortunate in Southern Africa.
During the Ibiza Rendezvous sailing regatta, Bradley and Ronaldo, both students at Simon’s Town School’s Lawhill Maritime Centre, will join the Marine Inspirations crew aboard an 83 foot classic schooner where they will gain the practical and valuable boat-handling skills considered to be fundamental to good seamanship.
The trip will be a hugely exciting experience for the two, who hail the Eastern Cape and Namibia, as they will be travelling abroad for the first time. It will also be Bradley’s first trip in an aeroplane.
Their life-changing trip to Spain has been made possible by Phil and Anthony’s initiative which is also well recognised and endorsed by the General Botha Old Boys Bursary Fund, amongst other private donors.
Please visit the website www.marineinspirations.org for details of this 2014 event in Spain, and www.gbbursaryfund.co.za to learn more about the committed educational support-programme provided to Lawhill Maritime Centre students by the General Botha Old Boys Bursary Fund.