Josh Porter – My diary
Richard Estaugh Fund: Josh Porter, our first grant recipient begins his diary
The Richard Estaugh Fund is a bursary fund to which GP14 sailors can apply for assistance towards worthwhile sailing related projects. These take many forms, from sailing campaigns, to coaching or providing assistance or buddying for people with a disability. Grants are offered primarily to help a sailor with their own project, however, in return for this, the Class also wants to see a benefit and pay-back to the sport and, in particular, to the applicant’s local sailing community. More information on the fund can be found in the ‘Grants and Funds’ section of the website but here is my first progress report:
I am a 19 year old student and sail at Newtownards SC in Northern Ireland. I recently applied to the Richard Estaugh Fund and became the first successful applicant. The reason I applied to the fund was to help towards the cost of campaigning to compete in the UK National Championships in Looe. Being based in Ireland, the costs involved in participating in this event will be considerable and the grant from the Fund has greatly helped to make the whole thing possible for me. I want to compete in this event as I believe I can gain a lot of experience from sailing in a large fleet with many top sailors in attendance. This gives me the chance to learn a great deal, not only by seeking expert advice and tips from a wide range of people, but also by getting to know more sailors within the class.
In return for receiving the bursary there are a few conditions which I have to meet (these can be seen in the application form and notes). For me personally, meeting the conditions is largely helped by the fact that I am the GP14 Class Secretary at NSC.
My role in the club is to help with the training courses at the club, maintain the club GP’s and other dinghies, and also to promote sailing, in particular, GP14 sailing in my local area and to entice new members into the class and club. This role allows me to cover most of the conditions for application.
Since January I have been out training most weekends with a range of crews, depending on who was brave enough to face the weather. This has given me the chance to practice in a range of conditions, from 2 knots through to 25 knots, practicing a lot of tacks, gybes, mark rounding’s and spinnaker work whilst getting used to being at the back of the boat. Other than training myself, I have also had the opportunity of coaching a crew to get them up to speed for the new season. I enjoy doing this and seeing someone progress from week to week giving them something else to think about. This means trying to use and pass on the information which I picked up in my 4 years as a crew.
To help with promoting the class and sport, I have also set up a Facebook page (Team KMIT Sailing). This will allow me to upload my training and event preparations where others can follow my progress leading up to the event. I will also be able to upload event progress at the UK Nationals along with Irish events I compete in, with an event summary and how I feel the event is going for myself personally.
Josh Porter
Newtownards SC