Blake Fund for Young Sailors
Background
The Blake Fund for Young Sailors provides financial and other support for our young sailors - any Club member under the age of 24 can apply for a grant. See examples below or in the attached download 'Blake Fund Grants available 2022.pps'.
The Fund was established by the Club in 2001 following the tragic death of Peter Blake, the celebrated New Zealand yachtsman whose home had been in Emsworth for more than 30 years.
'One of the world's finest yachtsmen' was one of the many tributes to Peter. He competed successfully in six Whitbread Round the World races, sailed 600,000 miles over the world's oceans, and led Team New Zealand to two successive America's Cup victories. He was knighted in 1995.
He first came to Emsworth in 1977 to help prepare Condor of Bermuda (which was built in Emsworth) for the second Whitbread Round the World race. He joined our Club, and met the then Commodore's daughter, Pippa Glanville. They married, and their two children, Sarah-Jane and James, both inherited their parents' love of the sea and are also keen sailors.
Blake Fund Trustees
The Blake Fund for Young Sailors is administered by Lady Pippa as Chair of the trustees. Other trustees are James Blake, Marcus Lawson, Barbara Langford, Jane Mellor and the Commodore. Victoria Lovell is the Blake Fund Administrator.
Our mission statement
The Blake Fund inspires uptake, development and lifelong bonding with sailing, introducing all children to the water and nurturing the few to greater things.
Purpose
1. To inspire a lifelong passion for sailing
2. To encourage young children to sail
3. To enable competitiveness in sailing.
What the Blake Fund does
The Blake Fund supports young ESC members up to the age of 24, awarding grants based on the merit of the application, helping towards the cost of a wide range of activities including:
The Fund also helps to support the less experienced junior racers who take part in events away from the Club, e.g. Chichester Harbour Race Week. Juniors who join the Junior Race Team can benefit from practical advice, daily briefings on wind, tide and safety, basic coaching, plus help organising travel etc.
In addition, the Fund is used for youth events in the community, e.g. Scouts and Guides, introducing youngsters to sailing and being on the water, which might otherwise not be possible.
Applications for Blake Fund Awards
Since 2002, the Blake Fund has given over £19,000 to 90 ESC junior sailors. For the list of award winners, see below.
If you would like to apply for an award, please complete and application form and send it to blakefund@emsworthsc.org.uk or take it to the office. Applications will be considered throughout the season.
The Blake Fund 50/50 Lottery
A key role of the Blake Fund trustees is to raise funds so that awards can be granted to ESC junior sailors and to support community sailing events. In addition to various fundraising activities throughout the year, there is a lottery with a monthly draw to raise money for the fund. All ESC members are encouraged to join the lottery in order to support our junior sailors. 50% of the revenue generated by the lottery is used to support young sailors in their sailing ambitions, and 50% goes into the prize pot.
See 'Blake Fund Lottery Information' below for more details.
If you have any questions, please contact Marcus Lawson, Barbara Langford, Jane Mellor or Victoria Lovell (blakefund@emsworthsc.org.uk).
