Congratulations to Marcus Coleridge (2006-21) who was recently awarded Young Sailor of the Year by Sailing Tectona, the sailing charity that sails and maintains Olga - the Mount Kelly 56' gaff cutter which our pupils are privileged to sail as part of the School's outdoor education programme.

Marcus' experiences sailing as a pupil at Mount Kelly were funded and supported by grants made by the Conway Merchant Navy Trust. The School, and the pupils who have benefited from time at sea thanks to CMNT's support, are grateful for these great, life-defining opportunities. 

Marcus, who is currently studying at the University of Royal Holloway, wrote in tell us more:

"My journey with Sailing Tectona began in the summer of 2021 where, through Mount Kelly, I sailed onboard Olga for a 10-day voyage as we competed in the ASTO Mayflower 401 Small Ships Regatta. I was inspired by this experience and came away with a fascination for the boat. Come Summer 2022, I decided to sign up to be part of their Volunteer Sea Staff team and after a training weekend I went on two, week-long Voyages over the summer.

The first was with the Gwennili Sailing Trust taking wounded, injured or sick naval trainees out to sea and I really enjoyed learning about their experiences and hearing their stories. The second was with Mount Kelly with some MK pupils and other teenagers from Devon as part of their DofE Gold Residential.  It was nice to be met with some familiar faces, some of whom I had sailed with the previous summer.

Volunteering onboard Olga has taught me many skills including resilience, problem solving, teamwork, leadership and so much more besides. I would highly recommend the experience to any Mount Kellian wanting to push themselves to strive and achieve. I hope to be sailing onboard Olga next season and look forward to getting back out to sea."