Phil Barnard
BPA owner and Lead instructor
Racing Skills and Competencies
- Navigation and weather routing: deep knowledge and experience of how to seek out the best weather conditions for making the boat go fast
- Tactician: Proven ability to make the split-second decisions that outwit competitors
- Skipper: Demonstrated ability to lead a team to victory while keeping everyone safe
- Race preparation: Encyclopedic knowledge of all aspects of boat design, manufacturing, rigging, sails, deck layout, gear, maintenance, provisioning and equipment
Robin Elsey
Lead Singlehanded Instructor
Robin is our Basic Singlehanding Instructor at the Barefoot Performance Academy
Robin started racing in Mylor, at the small Restronguet Sailing Club. His first introduction to sailing was on the Optimist and after mastering the Opti, Robin moved into Toppers, a highly competitive class in the UK. It was here that he developed the skills needed for the boat on boat competition required to be a racing sailor.
Through his teen years, Robin moved up through the RYA’s Junior and Youth Racing Programs, finishing his RYA youth training in the Laser class. Robin represented GBR in Junior and Youth European championships and World Championships.
- 2 time figarist, winning the extremely prestigious rookie of the year, and achieving the best every non French result in the Transat AG2R.
- Expert on singlehanded performance sailing and racing.
- After competing in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race whilst a member of the British Keelboat Academy Robin was selected to join Artemis Offshore Academy.
Will Oxley
Advanced Navigation and Weather Routing Instructor
More than 350,000 nautical miles of ocean sailing and racing: Highlights include 6x RTW, 19 Sydney Hobart races (1 Line honours, 2 handicap wins) and 22 Hamilton Island Race Weeks (5 wins, 3 seconds).
Short-handed sailing features strongly in my background with many thousands of miles of double handed racing including three Melbourne- Osaka Races and two Transat Jacque Vabre races.
I have extensive experience in leading and project managing teams in the marine environment in both yachting and marine science. I am a regular contributor to sailing magazines. In 2014, I published an e-book titled Modern Race Navigation and another in 2017, Expedition Navigation Software, A Gentle Introduction. I also teach/coach Marine Navigation in bespoke courses.
Highlights
- Six round the world (RTW) races:
- 2014-15 Navigator on Alvimedica. Volvo Ocean Race.
- 2011-12 Navigator on CAMPER Emirates Team New Zealand. Volvo Ocean Race 2nd place,
- 2008-09 Shoreside Navigation/ Weather support for Puma. Volvo Ocean Race. 2nd place, 05-2005-06 Navigator on Brunel. Volvo Ocean Race.
- 2005 Navigator on Maxi Cat Doha 2006. Oryx Quest Non-Stop Round the World. 1st place, 2000-01 Skipper/Navigator on Compaq NonStop. BT Global Challenge. 2nd place.
Primary Marine Certifications
- AYF Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor # 228 (1999)
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean # 2422 (1999)
- AMSA Master <24m endorsed out to EEZ. Revalidated 01/06/2021.
Other Marine Certifications
- Yachting Australia Umpire Seminar and training (2014)
- RYA/ISAF Safety Sea Survival Course (Most recent Dec 2018)
- Australian Coaching Council Level 1 Yachting coach. # 76228 (1989)
- GMDSS General Radio Operators certificate #GC02869 (1999) Valid to 20.12.2022
- Commonwealth of Australia Marine Radio Operators licence # Q17018 (1985)
Awards
- 2019 Wizard Crew: RORC Boat of the Year.
- 2018 Ichi Ban: RORC Boat of the Year.
- 2019/2018/2010 CYCA Ocean Navigator of the Year
Eric Blondeau
Behavioural Mechanics and High Stress Decision Making.
Eric Blondeau works in distinct areas of expertise that all have decision-making and performance in high-stake environments in common.
He has developed a protocol that deciphers behavioural and decisional mechanisms to provide a better understanding of how the mind is structured and arbitrates when transitioning from intention to action.
He applies a targeted questioning technique to the 11 levers that influence our decisions in order to identify and correct the paradoxes that get in the way of performance.
- His managerial experience has been forged over 30 years working both in France and abroad. His career led him to live and work over 10 years in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, Barbados and South Africa.
- He brought home from his travels a deep understanding of interculturality and a particular curiosity for differences in perception and their consequences on the decision-making process.
- The variety of his experiences and a multicultural approach allow him to assist and guide clients in all hierarchical positions using an original approach while integrating the expected performance and personal commitment requirements.
Marcus Hutchinson
Teaches the Business of Sailing and Race Boat Management.
The business of yacht racing. (Logistics)
Marcus’ professional career has crossed from yacht design and engineering through writing, journalism and editing various specialist publications, through to event management, communications and media relations all the way up to sailing team management and coaching, and lately specific project consulting. Its difficult to put a label on Marcus but his experience and contact base is built on total trust, solid relationships and real and relevant experience primarily in the many different areas of the international yacht racing arena.
Marcus’ extremely important section of the BOSS-PA speciality training focuses on the Business of Yacht Racing. Beginning with the very first decisions that must be made when first looking at yacht racing, to developing a team with structure. From selecting, approaching and managing your sponsors/partners all the way to the logistics of running a race boat which competes at events both regional or internationally.