Artemis Offshore Academy programme on Channel 4 this weekend
by Artemis Offshore Academy 7 Dec 2011 19:32 GMT
6.35am, 10 December 2011
Channel 4 will be broadcasting a stand-alone programme about the Artemis Offshore Academy this coming Saturday, 10th December at 6.35AM. Called the ‘Offshore Academy – in Search of Britain’s Best Solo Sailor’, the programme takes the viewer behind the scenes at this year’s tough Selection Trials held at the 2012 Olympic sailing venue the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Sixteen hopefuls aspiring to follow in the footsteps of Britain’s offshore solo sailing legends like Sir Robin Knox Johnston and Dame Ellen MacArthur, were put under extreme pressure both on and off the water as they combated sleep deprivation, making even the simplest task seem challenging. Britain’s solo star, Dee Caffari joined the Academy judging panel and also narrates the programme for Channel 4.
The programme is also available on our YouTube channel and on 4OD after it has aired.
This year the Academy had 16 applicants from a wide range of sailing disciplines, from a round the world sailor, to dinghy and keelboat racers who competed fiercely for one of the highly coveted places on the Development Squad. Ultimately, only three applicants proved themselves ready to be selected full-time - Aaron Cooper, Ollie Bond and Henry Bomby, whilst Lizzy Foreman, Sam Matson, Robin Elsey and Robert Gullan joined the new student programme introduced this year. Read the full Selection Trials news here.
The Artemis Offshore Academy Development Squad is the only British short-handed training programme focused solely on creating winning solo and short-handed skippers with long-term aspirations. The Academy provides a structured UK training programme of excellence to bring talented sailors up through the ranks with the ultimate goal of putting a British sailor in a strong position to win the Vendée Globe in 2016 or 2020.