Sarah Reed

Based near Oban on the West Coast of Scotland, Sarah Reed is a Marine Biologist and Oceanographer, currently working as Ship’s Operation Manager for the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). Her career has seen her work all over the world, conducting scientific research in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

Before joining SAMS, Sarah was based at the Rothera Research Station, with the British Antarctic Survey. During her time there, she skippered and crewed the RIBS for various professional scientific dives and surveys as the team conducted oceanography and sea ice dives. 

A lover of the outdoors, Sarah enjoys spending time out in the mountains or building her sailing hours on the Sadler 25 yacht that was her home when she first moved to Oban. Keen to progress her career in the marine industry, she applied for a grant through the Trinity House RYA Yachtmaster® Scholarship and was awarded funds in May 2019. She says: “I love living and working on the West Coast of Scotland, for some reason I seem to be drawn to cold places! One day I would love to go back and work in the Polar Regions where I can really test my skillset and build on the knowledge that I have been working on over the last few years.” 

With the scholarship funding, Sarah completed the RYA Radar and RYA Professional Practices and Responsibilities courses and also gained her RYA Powerboat Advanced Certificate of Competence and RYA Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence (Power). Most recently, she has passed her RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence (Sail). 

Having now completely her funded training she says: "Thanks to the grant I'm now working as a Skipper and Technician at SAMS. It has massively improved my career progression and prospects within the marine industry, and enabled me to continuously build my experience crewing and skippering different vessels. I'm now working through my Yachtmaster Ocean Theory and planning to do an Atlantic crossing this year, so I've not stopped yet!

“It’s good to remember that within the world of working on the water, there are lots of different paths you can take – it’s not just the military or superyachts! There’s everything from commercial skippering on wildlife survey boats, to working on fish farms, dive boats and many more.

"The industry is growing in so many different sectors and if you love working outside, within dynamic teams and testing your skills in all sorts of weather conditions, then this is definitely a great career-building scholarship.” 

About the scholarship

Applications for the Trinity House RYA Yachtmaster Scholarship  are accepted on a rolling basis, with interviews being held every six months. 

Find out more about the scholarship, eligibility and selection criteria or apply now.