UKSA Professional Yacht CadetArchie Willisrecently returned to campus for his Phase Three training after a rather different sea phase to everyone else!
Following what he described as a lucky break, Archie had spent the past few months on the saleboat racing circuit and has a two year contact to continue his work.
He said: “I was looking to get on the big yachts but I have quite a strong sailing background and I ended up racing on the Med with a team of ten guys. I was on a classic 16m and thoroughly enjoyed it. I got the job through UKSA as they got me the contact.”
The 19-year-old, from Essex, said he would definitely recommend UKSA as an alternative to university: “I did look at going to uni, but although 20 years ago people were looking for undergraduates, now it seems the majority of people go to university and so many people are left without core skills.
“Boats are looking for practical navigators and I liked the look of the UKSA cadetship because it is very structured and a staggered programme with employment support, so that drew me to the course.”
