Submitted by: Debbie Owen
Septuagenarian (as those between the ages of 70 and 79 are not so commonly known!) Phil Wade decided to compete on his yacht in the Cape to Rio yacht race – which started on 11 January 2020 – to raise funds for a bursary that will enable a most deserving young lady from Cato Manor Township near Durban – and whom Captain Wade has never met – enroll in a maritime education program that will change her life and help her fulfill her dreams of one day working at sea.
Fifteen-year-old Grade 9 learner, Nqobile – who finished top of her Grade in her current school – is an aspirant sailor who has been part of the Durban-based Sail Africa program for the past two years. She is also one of the fortunate few learners to be accepted into the STS Lawhill Maritime Centre’s Grade 10-12 Maritime Education Program for 2020.
Some of the learners have, prior to their trip to Spain, never even been in an airport, let alone flown abroad to Europe on an all-expenses-paid educational trip!
Captain Wade is no stranger to giving back. As the co-founder of the maritime mentoring program, Marine Inspirations, he and fellow co-founder and South African, Captain Anthony Just, have, over the past five years, provided more than 30 young South Africans from under-served communities with the opportunity to travel to Spain to learn about the super yacht industry. He also helped start the General Botha Old Boys Bursary Fund in 2011.
The majority of those participating in the Maritime Inspirations program have been high school learners drawn from under-served communities across South Africa, including rural areas. Some of the learners have, prior to their trip to Spain, never even been in an airport, let alone flown abroad to Europe on an all-expenses-paid educational trip!
