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Running aground can be disastrous for any sailing journey and it very nearly happened, in a metaphorical sense at least, for the NZ Sailing Trust this year.
The Trust, which has been running sailing experiences for youth on two of New Zealand's most iconic boats since 2008, had planned for their biggest year to date but instead were facing financial challenges as a young trust and an an uncertain future due to Covid-19.
They are back on their feet again through a combination of perseverance, loyalty, good governance and benefitting from a couple of strategic grants.
"You could say we felt like we were close to running aground," NZ Sailing Trust chief executive Paul Powney said. "We were in a state of hibernation due to Covid.
"All of the schools had cancelled their programmes and we had no cash reserves. We had bookings for journeys we couldn't deliver and we ripped up an $800,000 contract for inbound tourism charters around the America's Cup regatta. It was pretty ugly."
The Government's wage subsidy meant the NZ Sailing Trust were able to keep all of their staff and through support with grants from the likes of Sport New Zealand and the Auckland Maritime Foundation ensured they not only kept the doors open but were also able to rebook all of the sailing journeys except one school trip that had been in the calendar.
One of those in October included a three-day trip in the Hauraki Gulf with 23 youth from across South Island yacht clubs arranged by NZ Sailing Trust advocate Joanna Lowery.
It was the second year of this programme with South Island sailors and next year's one will be even bigger with both Steinlager II and Lion New Zealand booked to handle 50 youth.
Any South Island clubs interested in putting forward their youth sailors for the expedition in October 2021 can contact Joanna on 027 891 0014 or joanna@bluetrack.co.nz.
"The feedback you get from the kids is always pretty awesome but it helped that most of the South Island group had been exposed to sailing already," Powney said. "It meant that for them there was a huge wow factor about experiencing sailing on an iconic boat that had sailed around the world."
The NZ Sailing Trust work with high schools, yacht clubs and community groups providing multi-day youth development sailing journeys aboard Lion New Zealand and Steinlager II. One of the big focuses is using sailing to bring to life the values of leadership, courage and teamwork as well as a new appreciation for the environment.
One of their special trips planned for January 2021 is a two-and-a-half day sailing experience aimed at youngsters completing the adventurous journey section of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award alongside a two-and-a-half day kayaking experience.
The NZ Sailing Trust expect as many as 1400 youth to participate in their programmes in 2021 and are looking for casual staff - anything from deck hands and first mates to skippers. You can find out more about it here.
It's not a situation Powney thought they might have been in earlier in the year. He knows they're not the only organisation affected by Covid but is grateful they've managed to navigate some choppy waters.
