UKSA (maritime charity)

UKSA began teaching watersports career courses in 1990 and yachting career courses in 1993 as a way for people from all backgrounds and circumstances to be able to get the right qualifications for a career in the maritime industry.

Schools and youth groups from across the UK visit UKSA for day or residential trips throughout the year. UKSA offer groups to tailor make their trips to meet the needs and demands set out by the groups.[17] Trips focus providing children and adults alike from all backgrounds with new water related experiences, with many gaining basic qualifications whilst taking part in these programs.

In 2019 8000+ individuals from schools and youth groups spent time at UKSA.[18]

UKSA offers a wide range of paid maritime leisure courses ranging from dingy sailing and powerboating to the full RYA Yachtmaster syllabus.[19] UKSA accepted over 953 leisure course students in 2019 with an age range of 6-77.[20]

UKSA works with a number of specialist schools, groups and individuals to assist them in being able to participate in watersports and sailing activities.

In 2010 278 beneficiaries with disabilities spent time at UKSA on day or residential trips.

UKSA provides the opportunity for young people to sail competitively.

In 2004, UKSA bought Gipsy Moth IV for £1. Following a campaign to restore her, the boat was ready to sail again in 2005. From 2005-07, Gipsy Moth IV completed a second circumnavigation. Instead of breaking records like Sir Francis Chichester, this global voyage had disadvantaged young people on board as part of the crew.[24]

In November 2010, Gipsy Moth IV was bought by new owners Rob Thompson and Eileen Skinner. The boat is managed by UKSA and alongside attending events throughout the year, will be used by UKSA to promote their charitable activities.[25]

The charity's founder, Noel Lister, was born in 1927. After completing his education he went straight into a six-year signing with the Army, where his entrepreneurial spirit was already apparent on a troop ship to Egypt towards the end of WWII when he traded cigarettes and did a “tea round” selling tea to other soldiers too lazy to make their own in the heat.

Back on home soil, he entered the world of retail by working in a furniture store. He was such a strong character the shop owner said he would either end up in prison or turn up one day in a Rolls Royce. Noel knew which path to take, left the business, and four years later, sure enough, he pulled up in his Roller.

He built up his own furniture business, popularising the concept of a dining room suite by selling tables with matching chairs, and introducing bunk beds to the family home (things that hadn't been widely done before).

This entrepreneurial spirit and constant re-evaluation of what works best led him to a fortune when his empire grew and he set up furniture giant MFI — launching the concept of shed retailing and out-of-town shopping while essentially inventing the concept of flat pack self-assembly furniture (even hiring out roof racks so customers had no excuse not to buy that very day!)

Noel was a bold adventurer and pretty fearless. He campaigned his racing yachts over many years during the time he ran MFI and accumulated a large amount of silverware against top national and international competition in RORC races, Fastnet etc.

After an exhilarating and life-changing career as a retail genius he sold MFI for an extraordinary sum of money at the age of 58 and further indulged his passion for sailing, spending a good decade or so sailing around the world with his wife Sylvia on their beloved 103 ft boat, Whirlwind XII. He was not at all interested in Mediterranean glamour - his favourite destination was Alaska where he could enjoy being chased by grizzlies.

While sailing the world he had time to reflect on his wonderful life — and he knew he wanted to give something back. Sylvia explained: “He would say, “I can’t have all this money and not let children enjoy the sea as much as we do.” He knew he wanted to find a way of giving children confidence, and he felt a great way to do this would be to give them the opportunity to get out onto the water. His whole aim was to give disabled or disadvantaged children the chance to go sailing, and this idea just seemed to grow.”

Mike Koppstein was Noel’s yacht captain, so he was with the businessman right at the beginning of UKSA, when the idea of establishing a sailing charity first came about.

Mike explained: “Noel always had the idea of making sailing accessible to under-privileged children. It came through his experience of the teamwork of sailing and he felt strongly that it was something everyone should be able to experience.

“Noel was quite a shy unassuming person, and sailing made him feel comfortable. He understood his own limitations in his shyness and saw how the sailing environment made him more sociable. It bought the gamesmanship and confidence out of him.

“In founding UKSA, the priority for him was to make an initial charitable donation but then for it to be run as a business. He was always very creative in making a pound go further while cleverly creating some income – so it was not just about giving money, but about making UKSA run proficiently.”

Noel had raced in Cowes for years and when the opportunity arose to buy a waterfront centre from the Sports Council in October 1987 he knew it would be perfect.

He invested £4 million in the Lister Charitable Trust to start the place afresh, and he applied his entrepreneurial principles to setting up the charity.

In the early days there were 60 beds, and plenty of dinghies but no yachts, but it was busy with 1,500 children a year taking part in activities. The initial goal was to increase this operation by buying more kit to enable more schools to come along.

With the growth in leisure holidays too, it became apparent that there were job opportunities for young people within the watersports industry, so UKSA looked into providing instructor training courses.

The courses extended the operational arm of the charity, brought in income and helped young people set off on careers. It also kept the centre busy all year round, instead of closing for winter like it did in the early days.

Later, the yacht training courses were established in response to a gap in the market and a need, all around the world, for experienced crew for the growing superyacht industry.

Mike explained: “I came up with the idea of setting up crew training, because as far as we knew there was nothing else offering that. To the best of our knowledge we were very much the first. Before that, there were purely academic captains’ courses, nothing blending the theory with the practical. If there were others, they were not formalised as ours was. The curriculum was wisely shaped in detail by Ben Cussons and attendance subsequently grew - and the rest is modern history.”

Over the years, UKSA expanded by buying yachts, purchasing the hotel over the road (now Victory) to accommodate career students, building a swimming pool in 1993 and opening the Lister House accommodation block in 2003. Princess Royal became patron in 1992 — the Royal seal of approval.

Of great importance over recent years has been the transition from being a provider of maritime activities and training to one with a much more sophisticated focus on personal development as the context for these activities. Recognising individuals’ needs, challenges and potential, and supporting them through mentoring into career paths and social worth, is what it is all about. Now, as a globally recognised youth education and maritime training charity, UKSA helps more people than ever before.

Sylvia said: “The whole thing makes us both very proud. I think it is brilliant as it gives children a chance in life. UKSA was Noel’s No.1 passion, definitely.”

Noel was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Superyacht Awards in 2010 – the first time a still-living yachtsman has been chosen. It was absolutely typical of Noel that, being a modest man, he couldn't see what all the fuss was about and refused to go to the ceremony. Sylvia and the family did, and collected a handsome award on his behalf.

UKSA's founder Noel Lister died in 2015.

• uksa.org
• Corporation of Trinity House
• Gipsy Moth IV
• UKSA Impact Report 2018-2019