Susie Goodall

UKSA graduate Susie is living the solo-sailing dream and is a great example of the varied career options available to those who study at UKSA. Susie has worked in the superyacht industry, worked for a sailing and expedition company and is currently training for one of sailing’s most demanding events – the Golden Globe Race 2018.

“The skills and experience I learned at UKSA definitely got me off to a very good start in the industry.”

Launching her career

Susie grew up with a love of being on the water and started sailing at the age of three. After completing sailing qualifications as a teenager, Susie knew she wanted to continue her career progression. She says: “I did my Assistant Dinghy Instructor course at 16, which is when I started looking into the options to take it further and UKSA was the best option.”

Susie successfully completed a Professional Instructor Training (PIT) course – dinghy and windsurf – and it’s safe to say she relished every moment! Susie says: “I loved the PIT course! There was 20 of us taking the course together and we just had such a blast and I still see so many of them now. We had six weeks in Dahab windsurfing and every day was a practice day. It was the same at UKSA’s Cowes base – we had so much time on the water, which is an invaluable part of the learning process.”

“I went on to teach watersports at UKSA and then the UKSA Careers Department got me a job on a yacht out in the Bahamas – they went to a lot of effort to help me out. The skills and experience I learned at UKSA definitely got me off to a very good start in the industry. They put me in a very good position when applying for jobs.”

Life after graduation

Susie went on to spend 10 months in Australia working on superyachts and then went on to work on a 56-metre sailing yacht in the Caribbean. Susie tells us more: “I was on a great boat. The crew was like a family and we had fantastic owners – we were always sailing and doing watersports. It was a very busy boat and I got to see some stunning places. I have met some incredible people, made some amazing friends and seen parts of the world that are so inaccessible you can only get there by boat.”

Golden Globe Race 2018

Susie is in training for the Golden Globe Race 2018 – a solo, non-stop, round-the-world yacht race. It is a celebration of the 1968 edition of the Race – which was won by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Susie explains more: “The Race will take approximately 10 months and I will be sailing completely unassisted and without the aid of any modern technology. So, no GPS, no mod-cons and all by traditional methods.” Best of luck to Susie as she takes on the Golden Globe Race!

Find out how you can start your journey at UKSA: https://uksa.org/course/professional-training