London teenager selected for elite sailing programme

Kai Hockley during training in Weymouth

An 18-year-old from north London described by Sir Ben Ainslie as a “standout talent” is joining the training programme for the record-breaking Olympian's British sailing teams.

Kai Hockley will be officially announced as a development sailor with Sir Ben’s teams at Cowes Week regatta on Wednesday.

He was first introduced to sailing by his school, The Greig City Academy in Haringey, and has gone on to excel in the sport, winning Young Skipper of the Year at Cowes Week last year.

Kai, from Tottenham, will move to Barcelona to work with the British America’s Cup and other teams for the next year to develop as a sailor.

Kai Hockley working with Emirates GBR in Sydney, Australia

Sir Ben, the most successful sailor in Olympic history, said he was “thrilled” to welcome the young Londoner to his teams.

Kai's development programme will focus on boosting his experience on foiling boats, which are raced in the famous America’s Cup international competition, with the eventual aim of joining the British teams as a professional sailor.

Despite his early success, there were a lack of opportunities in the marine industry that were accessible for the teenager, with positions being either short term or unpaid.

Sir Ben worked Greig City Academy teacher Jon Holt to create a new internship programme which provides long-term, paid opportunities to young people.

Kai was the first person to be accepted on to the programme and has joined Emirates GBR’s shore team to gain experience of boat handling and maintenance at five SailGP events in Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda and the US.

His passion and dedication to the sport mean he makes a 200-mile round trip every weekend to go sailing on the Isle of Wight.

Kai said: “I’m buzzing to have this opportunity. It’s a great experience working with teams at this level where there are Olympians and world champions and learning how they operate and work within a team.

"I’m looking forward to joining the teams and my main goals are to compete at the WASZP World Championships next year and get a role on board the Emirates GBR F50.”