Training and preparation are essential for any offshore racing crew which aspires to success. Steph Merry, Director of Focus Offshore Ltd, offers the following services to improve your boat’s winning potential.

• Campaign / project management
• Boat preparation and logistical support
• Crew training and mentoring
• Race planning, navigation and tactics
• Rules requirements and safety compliance

Representative Projects

• As skipper and campaign manager of the Yachting World 30 Bespoke in 2000, Steph was responsible for equipment and sail specification, crew selection and training, performance optimisation and logistical support for the boat’s racing programme, which included Ford Cork Week and the Rolex Commodores' Cup, French team.

• Having owned and successfully campaigned the three-quarter tonner Rollerskate for several years, Steph is aware first-hand of all the problems which beset owners of racing boats.
  See “Learning to be an owner”.

• Steph has been skipper and campaign manager for several all-female challenges in combined sailing and running events, with particular success in 1993/4 when the team came second in the Three Peaks Yacht Race and the Scottish Islands Peaks Race. The skills required for such demanding campaigns include fund-raising and sponsorship management, crew selection and team-building, fitness training, back-up support logistics, management of crew fatigue, sleep deprivation and nutritional provision.