Ecover and Mike Golding Yacht Racing have joined forces to set up an Ecover Ocean Sailing Academy (EOSA) aimed principally at helping young sailors who aim to make the difficult transition from amateur to professional status. Ecover, producers of ecological washing and cleaning products and title sponsor of Mike Golding Yacht Racing’s Open 60, strongly believes in the power of nature and recognises that sailing is a healthy and ecological sport from which skippers and corporations through association can benefit.

Ecover, by using their partnership with Mike Golding Yacht Racing aim to help suitable candidates succeed in their yacht racing quests and the Academy will naturally draw on Mike Golding’s personal experience in the sport’s professional arena to help these sailors achieve their goals.

EOSA has sought applications from sailors who have already clearly demonstrated their commitment to engaging in professional sailing. The aim is to provide assistance to sailors who are already on the road to becoming professional. In most cases this means sailors who are currently engaged in arenas such as Open Class, Figaro or Mini Transat.

Mike Golding and Mick Bremans, MD of Belgian-based Ecover, explained the full philosophy of EOSA to the Belgian media at the Belgian Boat Show in Gent, where 8 Belgian sailors were amongst the first to receive scholarships for the Academy, which will commence in May this year. EOSA Modules will include expert input in the fields of Boat Design, Health & Physical Care, Media and Sponsor Communication, Mini Transat Campaigns, Nutrition, Project Definition & Management, Sails, Sleep Management, Sponsorship and Weather and Navigation.

Module 1 commences in May 2004 in Calais with Mike Golding on Project Definition & Management, Liz Rushall, a sponsorship consultant on Sponsorship and Dr Claudio Stampi, who is a leading expert in sleep and alertness management strategies. He has been a pioneer in the development and optimisation of ultra-short napping techniques to sustain alertness and performance, in round-the-clock operations.

Each scholarship candidate has signed the Ecover Clean Sea Charter, which provides common sense guidance designed to protect the fragile environment through which we sail. Ecover is totally dedicated to raising environmental awareness in the yachting community.

The scholarship went to Christopher Steen, Pascal Demarets, Frederic de Mesel, Michel lefebre Jr., Peter Laureyssens, Peter de Smedt, Sébastien Goethals and Ruben Donné, all from Belgium. Clemency Williams (UK) and Jules Banffer (N) have also received the invitation to take part.