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PGL sailors know the ropes…

‘Once you have learnt to sail it can take you almost anywhere in the world’ says Jamie Skinner, PGL’s Technical Advisor and lead Sailsport trainer. He trains our brilliant team of sailing instructors and ensures that every single sailing session that our guests enjoy at a PGL centre is the best it can be.  

Prestigious award

Earlier this month Jamie was successful in passing his final moderation and has been granted the status of RYA Coach Assessor. For many people, becoming a Coach/Assessor is the pinnacle of their dinghy coaching career – Jamie and others who achieve this award are the people at the forefront of training new dinghy and senior Instructors.

Sailing through the challenges

It has been a long but enjoyable journey for Jamie who joined PGL as a seasonal employee in 2005 and has been a permanent member of the PGL team since 2013. ‘After a season as a Dinghy Instructor I had progressed enough to do the RYA Senior Instructor Award which is needed to be able to lead a team of instructors. The award is a highly regarded qualification and is not easy to achieve, in fact, out of seven on my course, I was the only one to pass!

‘I spent the next seven years gaining experience as a Senior Instructor and was lucky enough to have opportunities to sail in places like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bermuda, the Caribbean and Canada. They were all great and racing around Ireland was a real highlight for me.

‘I wanted to become a qualified RYA Coach/Assessor but before I could even attempt the course I had to successfully complete the selection process. Then, having passed selection, I had to wait 18 months for a space on the course as it is only run bi-annually with a maximum of 18 places available each time!

‘Even once I’d passed the course I had to wait until I’d had my first training course moderated by a representative from the RYA before I could receive the full Coach Assessor Award.

‘It wasn’t easy but the rewards are great. I get so much pleasure from helping PGL instructors progress in their sailing careers and in turn seeing them pass on their skills, knowledge and love of sailing to PGL’s guests.’

Everything we do, we do for you

Feedback from many of our customers says that the best thing about their PGL trip was the staff and that’s why we continue to make a commitment to learning and growing which includes our staff as well as our guests.

by PGL Travel.

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