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Keith with Princess Ann at the 20th anniversary of T.S. Royalist at St James Palace. The picture depicts T.S. Royalist sailing past the Greenwich Hospital

Keith Lees-Smeaton, Lt (SCC) RNR, CEO of CKSAG

At the age of 12, Keith joined the Sea Cadet Corps (SCC), and he’s been involved with the sea ever since. He is a retired Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant and is an expert in traditional seamanship.

Highlights of his working life have included:

  • Being first Boatswain and the Coxswain of the original Tall Ship (TS) Royalist, the Sea Cadets’ Flagship. This involved heading up the Royal Navy’s first square rigging training unit for almost 100 years.
  • Committee member of the Square Rigger Club, and a consultant for the Marine Society. Keith also worked with the Tall Ships Races committee.
  • Lecturing at yacht clubs all over the world, and even at NASA.
 
T.S. Royalist, SCC

Keith was also closely involved with the Golden Hind project. This full-sized reconstruction of the ship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world is now a star attraction on London’s South Bank. Prior to that however, it sailed over 140,000 miles all over the world, with Keith a key crew member. This included retracing Drake’s epic voyage. (A video about the Golden Hind, narrated by Keith, is here on YouTube )

As well as tall ships, Keith has sailed in just about everything that floats, including many traditional Thames craft.

As CEO, it’s his vision, expertise and energy that drives CKSAG.

For more details, please contact us