Tall Ships Races International Ltd announces restructuring

Following a period of consultation, Tall Ships Races International Ltd (TSRIL), a subsidiary of Sail Training International (STI), has announced the completion of a restructuring process that aims to balance the resources of the organisation through Covid-19 and beyond.

In a letter to its supporters penned by Gwyn Brown, CEO STI, the organisation talks about the ramifications of the postponement of The Tall Ships Races 2020 to 2021, and the financial implications that carries – mainly a reduction of operating costs and staffing, with several redundancies.

“It is against this backdrop that we can announce a restructuring of the staffing of TSRIL to better enable us to successfully navigate the road ahead,” Brown says.

Vanessa Mori will continue as Commercial Director, Ben Stuart will be Race Director, Ben Clark will become Marketing and Communications Manager, Laura Blyth-Brown will become Office Manager, and Alison Weston will continue as Financial Manager.

Brown will continue as Chief Executive Officer, and Alan James will continue as Financial Controller for Sail Training International on a part time basis.

As part of TSRIL’s restructuring to align its resources with future needs, Paul Bishop has stepped down from his position of Head of Race Directorate.

Bishop has been employed by Sail Training International since 2006 and has been responsible for more than seventy host ports as Race Director for STI.

He will continue to make his skills and experience in organising Tall Ships Races and Regattas available to STI through his new consultancy company, and has been contracted to be the Race Director for the postponed Tall Ships Races 2020 which will be held in August and September 2021.

“It has been a privilege to serve Sail Training International and the Tall Ships Races community as Head of Race Directorate for 14 years and I look forward to being able to continue to support it in the coming years in this exciting new role,” Bishop says.

“To support our new operating model’s focus on sustainability,” Brown continues, “we will be making greater use of additional contracted staff and our team of fantastic volunteers during peak times in order to meet workload demands.

“We believe this new team holds the right balance of skills to ensure we deliver the unrivalled spectacle of The Tall Ships Races and Regattas in the coming years.

“With this new organisational structure in place, we are well equipped to navigate the challenging waters that still lay ahead and continue to bring our world famous Tall Ships Races and Regattas through 2021 and beyond.

“Throughout this restructuring process and looking forward, our resolve in helping to transform the lives of young people through the sail training experience remains steadfast. We will continue to deliver life changing experiences through races and regattas, and support sail training in all of its forms around the world.”