Megan Jones

CrewFo Top Superyacht Cadet

Trinity House funded Superyacht Cadet wins CrewFo Top Cadet award.

Cadetships at UKSA allow both women and men to develop into confident sailors who will gain an edge over others in the ultra-competitive superyacht industry. Our Superyacht Cadetship offers an exciting alternative to university and could result in a well-paid job that includes travelling all over the world.

Since graduating from phase one of our five-phase Cadetship, Megan Jones has been part of the crew on a yacht. She has thoroughly enjoyed all the elements of this, including painting and onboard maintenance.

“Friends of mine had done courses at UKSA and as I wanted a career at sea, I decided to see what was on offer.”

Megan shares her story:

UKSA was recommended by friends who had trained there

“Before coming to UKSA I was studying A levels in biology, chemistry and maths at the Isle of Wight’s Sixth Form Campus. Friends of mine had done courses at UKSA and as I wanted a career at sea, I decided to see what was on offer. I received funding from Trinity House and never looked back! I wanted to prove that I could do just as well as the men in this male-dominated industry – my massive passion for sailing drove me to try my hardest at everything.

From novices to confident sailors

While out at sea we spent a lot of our time on the 45ft yachts learning how to sail. We began with simple processes such as how to rig the boat but we have now developed into confident sailors – we often took turns being the skipper. Much of our time was spent on the Solent getting ready for our Yachtmaster offshore practical exam and we travelled down to Falmouth to cross over to France. I have had a fantastic time sailing – once a pod of dolphins swam with the boat.

Best memory – 9 days of non-stop sailing on the Farr

I have had the best 6 months and made the most amazing friends. My favourite memory is definitely the Farr trip, which was 9 days of non-stop sailing. We had an outstanding crew, always keeping each other positive and helping each other out. If I was to give advice to someone following the same career path as me, I would say try your hardest at everything because you don’t know who’s on watch, and if a door opens, go through it – you don’t know where it might lead!”

To find out more about our Superyacht Cadetships please visit https://uksa.org/course/professional-training/superyachts/superyacht-cadetship-course/