India Syms
India has always been a keen sailor. Influenced by her father, she began dinghy sailing from a young age on the South Coast, progressing her skills throughout her upbringing to become a Dinghy Instructor aged 18.
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An expedition with the Tall Ships Youth Trust, the UK’s oldest and largest youth development sail training charity, truly ignited her love for Yacht sailing. After a week’s training around the Solent with the Trust organised by her school, India went on to become a Watch Leader for the Trust and has since completed several voyages for them.
Following seasons of dinghy instructing at Sandy Hill Camp (the Chesapeake Bay) and at Balmoral Water Sports Centre (Sydney Harbour) with evening racing from Middle Harbour Yacht Club, in 2019 she completed a Transatlantic which inspired her to pursue a career in the maritime industry. India is now nearing the end of a three year-long Cadetship to become a Deck Officer within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
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In order for her to fund the OGR challenge, the crew of Outlaw must meet the cost from their own pockets which is a huge challenge for the younger generation.OBSF offered India a stipend for her circumnavigation on OGR.
As such, India is excited to embark on yet another life changing adventure putting her nautical knowledge and experience to the test.
India has now attained her Deck OOW Unlimited Certificate of Competency and works as a Deck Officer within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Mehdi Commoun
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Mehdi has always spent his summers near the sea at his grandparents’ house in Tunisia. There, he shared his time between dinghy sailing and cruising on his family's catamaran. After he finished at engineering school in Paris, he decided to go back to his childhood love : sailing!
He decided to join a sailing school for a whole year of volunteering in 2021-2022 where he became a sailing and dinghy instructor. This is where he first heard about the OGR, while he joined a Swan 55 training for the OGR in Marseille. He decided to become a Yachtmaster Offshore in November 2022.
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His love of celestial navigation, adventure, and of challenges are the reasons why joining the crew was not even a question when he received an invitation just after completing his first Transatlantic crossing.