Pupils find their sea legs
Pupils from the new Sandwell Academy have set sail on two separate voyages of a lifetime aboard working sailing ships. Pupils from the new Sandwell Academy have set sail on two separate voyages of a lifetime aboard working sailing ships. Victoria Hancox, from Tividale, and Thomas Vellender, from Wednesbury, both 18, have just left from Portsmouth on a 60ft square-rigged sailing ship. Their journey on the Stavros S Niarchos will see them crewing the ship around the English Channel and possibly even visiting France before they head inland along the Thames Estuary into London next week. Meanwhile, fellow sixth-formers from the Academy Scott Thompson, of Dudley, and Rakhee Ghelani, of West Bromwich, are taking part in a separate sailing voyage from Alicante to Barcelona in Spain. Read the full story in the Express & Star.
Victoria Hancox, from Tividale, and Thomas Vellender, from Wednesbury, both 18, have just left from Portsmouth on a 60ft square-rigged sailing ship.
Their journey on the Stavros S Niarchos will see them crewing the ship around the English Channel and possibly even visiting France before they head inland along the Thames Estuary into London next week.
Meanwhile, fellow sixth-formers from the Academy Scott Thompson, of Dudley, and Rakhee Ghelani, of West Bromwich, are taking part in a separate sailing voyage from Alicante to Barcelona in Spain.
Teacher Malcolm Scotto said that when the opportunity for four pupils to take part in such a challenge arose, the school was unsure of what the response would be.
"In the land-locked West Midlands, we weren't sure who would be interested," he said. "So we were delighted – and surprised – when 24 of our sixth formers said they'd like to take part."
Mr Scotto said that a series of 10-minute interviews with all of the youngsters had to be held to work out who was the most suitable.
"Out of the four of them there are two who are quite sporting and two who are not, but this is more about life experiences than about sailing," he said. "We're all really looking forward to finding out how things have gone when they get back."
The Portsmouth-London voyage, which is due to be end on Thursday next week, is organised by the Tall Ships Youth Trust, and sponsored by banking giant HSBC.
The Spanish expedition, meanwhile, is on a smaller French sailing vessel that belongs to a fee-paying school in Hampshire.
