The Bermuda Tourism Authority and XL Catlin have teamed up with the Volvo Ocean Race and Turn the Tide on Plastic to grant an apprenticeship opportunity to Bermudian Mustafa Ingham, an aspiring professional sailor.
In joining Turn the Tide on Plastic, one of the seven teams in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race, as a Volvo Ocean Race Academy apprentice, Ingham has the opportunity to pursue professional sailing with the most elite offshore sailors in the world.
The goal is for Ingham to gain the necessary qualifications and experience to have an opportunity to compete as a sailor in the round the world Volvo Ocean Race.
“I’ve joined Turn the Tide on Plastic team as part of the Volvo Ocean Race Academy. In doing this apprenticeship I get to work with the shore team and go out sailing with the sailing team during stopover activities,” Ingham said.
“I’ve just finished doing the Red Bull Youth Americas Cup in Bermuda with Team BDA and I decided I might as well keep the ball rolling and get into this.
“The apprenticeship programme is aimed to help people like myself to hopefully one day become a Volvo Ocean Race sailor and to get into offshore sailing.”
“This is an awesome opportunity for one of our own,” said Bermuda Tourism Authority CEO Kevin Dallas. “Building on the legacy of the 35th America’s Cup, hosted out here this past summer, is a priority of the Bermuda Tourism Authority and that priority aligns perfectly with the career aspirations of Mustafa Ingham.
“All of Bermuda is immensely proud of Mustafa’s accomplishments with Team BDA in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, and as his sailing career takes shape, the Bermuda Tourism Authority looks forward to working with him as an ambassador for the sport.”
XL Catlin EVP and Chief Experience Officer Paul Jardine added: “As the insurance partner of the 35th America’s Cup and an organization that is committed to youth development as well as advancing ocean education, it gives us great pleasure to support Mustafa Ingham in his quest to become a professional youth ocean racing sailor.
“We are confident that he will make the most of this opportunity and we will be keeping track of his progress every step of the way.”
