Who We Are
Sailing Academy is a joint venture of Life Front-Line and Serenity Foundation. We aim at transforming the minds and life perspectives of our students through a boating and sailing course supported by an Individual Education Plan (IEP). There is also a strong self and career discovery element to help students find out their passions and strengths for future study and career opportunities.
The students we welcome to our Sailing School are open-minded, driven about trying something new and enjoy water activities. In addition to a full course catalogue for all of their educational needs, we help our students build confidence and collaborations, giving them the power to tackle real world problems and make their dreams come true.
The Certificate Course on Sailing and Boating caters for the needs of the following students:
1. Students taking a gap year before university;
2. Students taking a gap year during university;
3. Students not sure about getting into university;
4. Students interested in any careers in boating and sailing or water activities.
Click here to learn more about Life Front-Line
Our philosophy
The Gap Year, one of the the best years of your life
You are the master of your own learning. You decide on the depth, pace and focus of your learning plan. Your Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a unique one under the scope of gap year as well as boating and sailing.
Exiting this program with either one of the following levels of attainment:
1. A licensed sailing boat day skipper or pleasure boat captain;
2. An assistant to the day skipper or pleasure boat captain.
Before you explore the life and career options, you are coached and mentored to explore about yourself and your relationship with others, nature and the world around you.
Hope this year of enlightenment will help you to :
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Sketch a life map for study or career if you are not sure about your next step;
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Take a break before entering, during or after university to refresh yourself from the hectic academic work;
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Enhance personal development: Getting to know yourself and the world around you (HK, China and international).
The Program Director
Mr. Chris Ng
BSc (Meteorology and Mathematics)
Master of Yacht, UK MCA
Chris graduated from the University of Reading, UK in Meteorology and Mathematics. He was an outdoor instructor at Outward Bound Hong Kong and a teacher in the Institute of Vocational Education.
He has established the Life Front-Line Sailing Ministry and the Floating Classroom since 2008.
Chris wishes the students of the Sailing Academy can discover their potentials, extend their global vision, and find out their life goals throughout the year.
His professional sailing qualifications include:
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Hong Kong Marine Department Pleasure Vessel Operator Grade 1.
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UK MCA Master of Yachts 200gt.
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RYA Cruising Instructor – Sail.
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RYA Yachtmaster™ Offshore with Commercial Endorsement.
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VHF/DSC Communications Licence.
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Current First Aid Certificate.
* RYA, Royal Yachting Association, qualifications are recognised all over the world as being the ‘gold standard’ for boating qualification, both for pleasure and commercial use.
Education Consultant
MA TESOL, University of Lancaster, UK
BPhil(Ed), Learning and Technology in Education,
University of Birmingham, UK
Auntie Grace
Ms Grace Lee prefers to be called Auntie Grace is a semi-retiree. She is working 4 days a week now. Her main focus is to make quality global education affordable for average families. Her first priority is to stay healthy and happy. She is also preparing herself to sail around the world after 65. Principal Chris Ng is one of her sailing coaches.
Auntie Grace is enjoying boating and sailing three days a week if the weather is good. Now, she is incorporating her support to Sailing Academy Hong Kong on these three days.
Auntie Grace had worked on a gap year project for international young people mainly from the native-English speaking countries for many years. She spent about 10 years taking care of students taking a gap year before or during university. She spent another 10 years offering a gap year for university graduates ranging from Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge to small colleges and universities from all over the world.
Gap year stories
Our experience
The beautiful life-changing stories about gap year programs from our past experience
The academic achievers
Refreshed, re-energised and re-focused
More than 10% of Hong Kong students have dropped out from the university each year. A lot more have got burnt out in secondary schools.
For those who have got a nice gap year, they have told us that they are refreshed, re-energised and re-focused after this gap before, during or after university.
Taking a gap year before university is extreme critical for those who are not sure about their next step of study. Deferring the university offer, the majority of the students have told us that they have benefitted from getting to know themselves better and matching themselves better with the area of study or career that they are going to spend 3-4 years on.
The "average" students
Find out potentials
Under the competitive academic life in schools and universities, the majority of the students assume that they are "average". They are not aware of their strengths, potentials and opportunities available locally and globally.
Having a gap year where academic achievement is not playing an important role, students have been empowered. They have discovered a lot more talents, values and virtues within themselves and the new opportunities available in study, career and life as a whole.
The under-achievers
Find out the life-goal
For those who have been defeated academically, they have come to question why they always work hard to fail the examinations.
Given a new environment, students have become the master of their own learning. Taking advantage of their greatest passion, skills and strengths, not being measured just by a rigid academic scale, these students come to appreciate the wealth of positive elements and drives inside themselves and the options available in Hong Kong, China and around the world.
All students will graduate from this course with different levels of competency attainment according to their own interest, passion, commitment and pace.
For more information on classes offered at Sailing Academy, contact us at info@sailingacademyhk.org.