Select a region
Mike Chapple’s enthusiasm for guiding young sailors remains undimmed after more than 30 years.
He never dreamed of being involved for so long when he set out instructing and then coaching.
Now his dedication has been recognised by the award of the British Empire Medal for Services to Youth Sailing in Guernsey.
"Initially I was totally shocked at the announcement, then humbled and felt very privileged," he told Express.
Mr Chapple started instructing sailing 30 years ago driven by a passion for racing.
"I was hopeful that my own very young children would want to share my passion when they were older," he said.
"I thereafter found that instructing was quite formulaic and therefore I worked to get my coaching qualification.
"This allowed me to be more expressive which suited my character. Coaching lends itself to be more flexible and dynamic, aiding me to deal with a wide range of personalities attributable to children ages five to 18."
Pictured: Pirates on the Pond. (Guernsey Yacht Club/Facebook)
In that time, he helped launch Pirates on the Pond in conjunction with the Guernsey Sailing Trust, as well as the Optimist Winter Academy for promising young sailors.
He has guided teenagers in the ILCA Class, with every summer weekend dedicated to coaching.
Keen to encourage participation off-island, he often hires a RIB at his own expense to get up close to the action to then be able to provide coaching between races and debriefs afterwards.
Many of his students have been selected by the Royal Yachting Association to train and compete in Laser, Feva and Optimist fleets with Regional and National Junior Youth Squads.
They include a bronze medallist in the Laser Radial dinghy U21 Europeans who was selected for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Trials, as well as gold medalists in the NatWest Island Games.
"Never did I think that I would be doing this 30 years later," he said.
"I am still enthused to continue for another 10 years at least.
"I have been blessed to have coached some very hard working dedicated junior and youth sailors who have gone on to achieve some notable accomplishments putting Guernsey on the sporting map."
"My late wife would have been so proud"
After being told about the BEM, he said that keeping the secret from his family had been one of the most difficult things to do.
"Naturally, you want to share the news especially with those that are close to you," Mr Chapple explained.
"My late wife would have been so proud and without her support I wouldn't have entered coaching."
In total, five Channel Islanders were recognised in the New Year Honours List – with Guernsey P&R President Lyndon Trott receiving an OBE.
In Jersey, there were MBEs for Steve Cartwright and Ruth Smith for services to community as Chief Officer of Jersey's Bailiff's Chambers and for service to the community in Kenya respectively.
Jeaninne Carey received the British Empire Medal for services to the disability community in Jersey.
Any individual or group may nominate a Guernsey resident for a national Honour by contacting the Bailiff's Chambers and requesting an Honours Nomination Form. The form, together with guidance notes, can be found here.
Trott praises "very special" community after OBE award
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.