Record Breaking Heather Thomas is Keynote Speaker at ASTO’s UK Sail Training Conference

ASTO’s UK Sail Training conference takes place on Thursday 30th January 2025 at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

This year’s headline speaker is record breaking Heather Thomas who led her all-female crew to victory in the Ocean Globe Race onboard Maiden, backed by Tracy Edwards MBE. Heather is the first woman skipper to win a fully crewed round the world race and in doing so topped Tracy’s record of second in class in the 1989/90 Whitbread Round the World Race.

The 2025 Conference also includes a wide range of sessions covering everything from the new Sport & Pleasure Code to Diversity and Inclusion, supporting the well being of the young people who sail with us, and the importance of using film effectively. Speakers and workshop leaders include Captain Louise Sara MNM, Director Maritime Standards & Fleet captain, Carnival Corporation, Roy Beal an award-winning sea kayaker and founder of Clean Jurassic Coast CIC, Mark Thompson Senior Master Mariner, HFW and Faber Whitehouse from The MTM Agency.

The annual event is always a sell out but there are just a few places still available before booking closes at 12.00 on Monday 20th January 2025.