The UK's Ocean Youth Trust South announces the appointment of Holly Vint as staff skipper for the charity’s sail training vessel Prolific. Holly is taking over from Peta Koczy who, after four years with OYT South, is moving on to a new adventure.

Holly’s first-ever sailing experience was as a teenage crew member with Ocean Youth Trust South in 2012, making her the first person to have progressed from youth crew to staff skipper with the charity.

Following her recommendation on the 2012 voyage to join the volunteer bosun training programme, Holly became a regular volunteer with the charity. She subsequently gained her Yachtmaster Ocean and Cruising Instructor qualifications and completed two years as first mate with OYT North, which was followed by adult adventurous training and science research expeditions. Holly returned to OYT South full-time as first mate for the 2018 season to support the transition to Prolific, a larger and more complex vessel than the charity’s previous boat John Laing.

Holly combines a love of adventurous sailing with her passion for environmental issues. Since 2018, she’s completed two Atlantic crossings, and other long-distance voyages, where she collected data on oceanic toxins, and built on her skippering experience. Last winter Holly developed an environmental package for young people sailing with Ocean Youth Trust South, using games and activities to teach people about issues from pollution to sustainability.

“When I first joined a sail training voyage as a teenager, I never dreamed that one day I would be returning as staff skipper,” says Holly. “In the last couple of years, I have done lots of sailing with adults and had some great times, but I am so excited to get back to full-time sail training with young people.

“There is so much job satisfaction in knowing that a voyage has made a lasting difference to a young person who might be from a disadvantaged background. I love seeing the positive impact we can have on young crew members during the voyage, and then hearing feedback from parents, carers and schools. And I’m so proud to have gone all the way from novice youth crew to staff skipper – I’d love to be able to inspire other young people to believe that all sorts of exciting opportunities might be open to them if they put enough effort and enthusiasm into following their dreams.”

OYT South Chief Executive Mark Todd says: “It’s fantastic that we have homegrown talent like Holly to take over from Peta. OYT South is very lucky to have two such talented and popular individuals as part of the OYT South family, helping the charity to go from strength to strength.”

Ocean Youth Trust South has been unable to sail in 2020 due to COVID-19, making this the first year since 1960 when no young people have been at sea with the Ocean Youth Club or Ocean Youth Trust. The charity plans to return to sailing in 2021.

John Laing, the sailing vessel operated by Hampshire-based charity Ocean Youth Trust South has been announced as the Sail Training Vessel of the Year by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Association of Sail Training Organisations (ASTO).

John Laing is used to offer personal development through adventure under sail to young people aged 12-25, building confidence, team working and the ability to take responsibility and cope with unfamiliar experiences.

The trophy was presented by Sir Alan Massey KCB, the Chief Executive of the MCA, who said: "John Laing receives the award today in recognition of 25 years of outstanding service to sail training, reflecting also the great care that Ocean Youth Trust South has taken over the years in ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality in what they do for sail training."

Mark Todd, Chief Executive of OYT South, said: "We are enormously proud to have received this award and it is a huge tribute to the work of all our volunteers, sponsors, donors and staff. Our sail training vessel John Laing has spent 25 years offering voyages to thousands of young people from all backgrounds - some of them very disadvantaged or vulnerable. The boat completed a voyage around the world in 1995-7 with young people as crew, and has since spent numerous seasons based in the Solent. It's wonderful that John Laing has achieved such recognition as she nears the end of her time with the charity and we move on to our new boat Prolific

The future for OYT South is very exciting and we look forward to offering safe, high-quality and fun voyages to thousands more young people in the years to come."