Chloe wins prestigious Girdlers Medallion at Prize Giving Ceremony
Chloe, who has sailed with Cirdan several times in the last few years, was invited to attend the Girdlers Prize Giving Ceremony in London on Wednesday 8th May, where she was awarded a prestigious Girdlers Medallion in recognition of her talents and endeavours.
Chloe first joined a Cirdan sailing residential in 2019 with Stevenage Education Support Centre, a small educational support centre for young people who have social, emotional and mental health challenges. This was onboard our classic vessel Duet and Chloe quickly gained a passion for sailing.
During this initial voyage, the Skipper identified 15 year old Chloe as someone who had developed more than just an enjoyment for sailing and made a recommendation that Chloe should be invited back to nurture this.
On the back of the Skipper’s recommendation, later in the year, Chloe joined one of the Trust’s Watch Leader training weeks onboard Faramir. These weeks are designed to take what the young people have learnt on their initial voyages and progress them to be able to join other voyages where they can assist the Trust’s crew. As well as progressing her sailing skills Chloe continued to develop her own confidence, resilience, and self-esteem.
A quick learner, Chloe will give 100% when it comes to duties onboard. She is confident, friendly and supportive of her fellow crew mates, helping them learn different aspects of sailing onboard and giving them encouragement along the way.
In 2023 she joined us for several voyages across our fleet, including sailing in The Solent onboard Duet in the Summer, helping deliver Faramir from Ipswich to London for Cirdan’s 40th Anniversary celebrations in September, and sailing Queen Galadriel from Ipswich to Maldon in October ready for winter refit. She has always been very keen to learn all aspects of life onboard and how the boats operate. During the last voyage of the year she helped sail the vessel to dry dock and took an active role with dismantling the boat’s rigging and preparing the boat for the winter maintenance programme.
What sets Chloe apart from the Trust’s other volunteers is the battle that she has undergone to be able to provide the Trust with the time and skills that she has. Having epilepsy and ADHD took a toll on Chloe’s mental health over the last few years.
“In the past year my mental health hit rock bottom, it felt like the world was caving in on me. I couldn’t see the light at the end, however, returning on the boats I found my happiness, I found the puzzle pieces to rebuild my life.”
Chloe is a great advocate to encourage other people to push themselves out of their comfort zone and try something new despite whatever challenges and special needs they are facing. Chloe is always keen to help those who may need some extra support or guidance in completing a task without being asked to do so.
As Chloe says, being on the water is her “happy place”.
