Ocean Cruising Club Youth Sponsorship recipient sails to the Arctic
by Simon Currin 26 Aug 2024 15:47 BST
A beneficiary of an OCC Youth Sponsorship Programme award teamed up with Rhys Walters, Roving Rear Commodore to sail home to Ireland via Greenland's Prince Christian Sund on board S/V Zora.
Six years ago Rhys Walters bought a steel Koopermans Vanguard that was in a terrible state of repair having been abandoned for 21 years. Rhys and his partner, Niamh, set about the arduous task of restoring s/v Zora at their home port of Kinsale in Ireland. They documented the whole restoration on their YouTube channel: Sailing Yacht Zora.
After 4 years of hard labour they set sail on an Atlantic Circuit and this summer S/V Zora was joined by Youth Sponsorship Programme (YSP) recipient, Luke Franklin, in St John's, Newfoundland. The plan was to make an epic voyage back to Ireland via Greenland.
They certainly had a fantastic time with plenty of adventures along the way. Ice, fog, storms, a fouled prop and a North Atlantic swim to cut the prop free of rope. As I write they are poised in South East Iceland ready to embark on the homeward passage when they spot a gap between the storms that have been lashing the North Atlantic.
Every year the Ocean Cruising Club makes financial awards to enthusiastic young sailors (18-25) dreaming to cross an ocean with an experienced skipper and a capable boat. Luke certainly struck luck on S/V Zora!
This article has been provided by the courtesy of the Ocean Cruising Club.