Getaway Sailing Adventures has new skippers

by Tiffany Watson on 26 Feb 2002 In January, Getaway Sailing Adventures (GSA), the sail training school
started by Shane Kearns in 1996, changed ownership. While Kearns moves on
to pursue land-based interests, incoming owners Ty Oxley and Andrew Lygo
will continue to offer sail training and courses, charters and
inshore/offshore racing packages from GSA's Drummoyne-based office.
Website: http://www.getaway-sailing.com

Shane Kearns started GSA in 1996 at Birkenhead Point marina, Drummoyne, with the aim of combining a passion for teaching and adventure training with a
favourite sporting interest. Since then, Kearns and his partner Jacqui
Begbie have invested much time and resource to grow the venture into a
profitable sail training school and adventure charter business. For the
last four years, GSA has successfully competed in, and finished, all the
major offshore races on the east coast of Australia, including the last
five Sydney to Hobart yacht races. In the storm ravaged 1998 Sydney to
Hobart, GSA finished a credible 16th and were the only sail training vessel
to complete the race. The only race Kearns hasn't finished with a GSA crew
was the 2000 Lord Howe Island race when he and his team abandoned the race
to tow a yacht in distress 50 miles to safety, for which he earned a Good
Seamanship award.

To maximise learning theory in the classroom, Kearns developed a unique set
of modularised lessons supporting a range of sailing experience from
Competent Crew through to Yachtmaster. His approach was a proven formula
for success with a minimal failure rate by students. Following release of
the coroner's findings into the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race, Kearns and
Begbie were among the first instructors in Sydney to become qualified to
deliver the Sea Safety and Survival course. Subsequently, GSA were the
first sail training school on Sydney Harbour to offer the Sea Safety and
Survival course to sailors. Although Kearns plans to spend more time off
the water this year, he'll still be involved with GSA on a less formal basis,
instructing and skippering offshore races.

Kearns conducted most of GSA's sail training and adventure charters aboard
Komatsu Blue Lady, a Challenger 39 yacht. The new owners haven't bought
Komatsu Blue Lady with the GSA business, but plan to host courses and
charters using several yachts newly affiliated with GSA, including the
Beneteau, Jarkan and Sydney 38 classes.

Oxley and Lygo will continue to base GSA in the waterfront premises at
Birkenhead Point marina and will maintain the structure and format of the
school, offering sail training, charter and racing opportunities. Ty Oxley
worked for GSA for several years as an instructor and skipper. After
taking last year off to pursue a career with a Volvo 60, he returns to GSA
as Principal of the school. Andrew Lygo, Operations Director, is a
Yachtmaster with more than 25,000 sailing miles behind him and has owned
and skippered several successful race yachts around the world.

'More and more Sydney-siders are taking up sailing and Shane has built a
good environment and good training programmes at GSA to help people get
into the sport,' said Andrew Lygo, operations director, 'We plan to build
on Shane's foundation, because what better place is there to start sailing
than Sydney harbour?'

For more information on Getaway Sailing Adventures, visit the website at
http://www.getaway-sailing.com

Background: About Getaway Sailing Adventures

Getaway Sailing Adventures is a Sydney-based sailing and adventure school
that specialises in making the sailing dreams of non-sailors and novices
come true.

Getaway offers a great mix of experienced instructors, an
excellent fleet of yachts and a solid reputation in the marine industry.
Between them, our instructors have sailed and cruised more than 50,000
offshore miles, including successfully finishing the last five Sydney to
Hobart yacht races. Our classroom and offices are co-located on the
waterfront at Birkenhead Point Marina, Drummoyne, offering an excellent
environment in which to learn everything about sailing and boat handling.
In the past six years we've expanded our business beyond sailing
instruction and now organise events, race training, safety courses, radio
operators courses, and corporate team building charters.

Getaway Sailing
Adventures offers more than just sailing. We open the door to a new sport
which you can spend your whole life appreciating, and offer an introduction
to an expanded circle of friends with whom to enjoy it.


For additional information, please contact:

Ty Oxley
Principal, Getaway Sailing Adventures
Ph: 02 9181 1911 or 0412 470 405 (a/h)

Andrew Lygo
Director, Getaway Sailing Adventures
Ph: 02 9181 1911