Francis Clegg, President of the Brigs, accompanied by Program Coordinator Emily Hine, gave Shellbacks an Exciting Update of the Activities of the Brigs Program (formerly the Toronto Brigantine) and an interesting peek into its future. His presentation included a segment of the Rick Mercer Report sail on the Pathfinder, (linked separately below). The Brigs has been running sail training programs for youth on the Great Lakes since 1963. They take youth from a wide range of backgrounds, most with no sailing experience, and teach them how to sail a 72 foot square rigger! Of course, the technical skills are only half of it... the real challenge is living and working 24 hours a day in close quarters with 28 people you've only just met, working as a team, and overcoming associated personal challenges. Added to that everyone on board, except our Captain, is aged 13 to 18. Through their 60-year history, Brigs has worked to keep Tall Ship sailing relevant to youth and parents, while preserving the magic of an authentic uncontrived experience. 2020 was a year of big changes for Brigs. They moved their program to Hamilton Harbour from Toronto, renamed the organization, and committed to a big increase in fully funded berths. And with a fundraising campaign kicking off for a refit of our vessel, the TS Playfair, they are realizing their goal of securing sail training for the next generation of Canadian youth. About Francis Clegg
Before spending a week on board Pathfinder with Brigs at age 13, the only boat Francis had been on was a car ferry. He was on a full bursary and, from his first experience of night watch in Georgian Bay, He was hooked. Throughout high school he shoveled nearly all my free time into training, maintenance, and sailing with Brigs. He left the program as a Watch Officer and with a cohort of lifelong friends. Brigs ignited a love for all things marine in Francis and, when he moved to the UK, he worked on the build of the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth Carriers in Portsmouth Shipyard. The HMS Victory was visible from his office window! This location put him near The Solent, so he delved into the world of racing and spent a summer as inshore crew on a Farr 40. An engineering degree at Imperial College pulled him away from the marine world, except for a few stints on the Dutch engineless cargo brigantine, Tres Hombres. Today, Francis runs an international production design company working in the live music sector; but always felt there was a sail-training-sized hole in his life. So, on moving back to Toronto in 2018, he joined the Brigs board as treasurer before taking on the role of President in 2019. He has enjoyed working with the fantastic board and staff and takes any chance he can to get out and sail the beautiful TS Playfair!
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