July 2021 blog
What a year it has been thus far and I hope that you have continued to enjoy sailing with the continued easing of restrictions!
I was delighted to have success at GP Northern Championships and look forward to many more days out in the water in the weeks to come…
The picture above was one of the entries to the photography competition earlier this year, taken at the Anderton Centre by David Buddell. Thank you very much for this picture full of character!
British Youth Sailing Championships
This year, the event will be held over the weekend of 25 & 26 September at Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club in the North East.
Entries are due to open before the summer holidays, so please keep watching the website for updates on bookings.
There are three fleets which young sailors can join, depending on their previous sailing experience and ability. The Championship fleet is for junior sailors who competently race. The Regatta fleet is for young sailors who want to race but who would also like some coaching alongside the competition. The Onboard fleet is for sailors who have completed RYA junior Stage 2 or higher, who can sail independently and would like to progress in the sport without the pressure of competing.
Myself and the Regional SDOs will be helping with the Onboard fleet and there are limited numbers for this fleet, so please book as soon as the event entry opens to avoid disappointment:
John Merricks Sailing Trust
I am also delighted to announce that the John Merricks Sailing Trust will be supporting OnBoard again this year. As the Official Charity Partner, the JMST will donate 10 boats per year single-handed junior pathway boats to promising OnBoard sailors, providing them with the opportunity to progress their skills and continue to participate in the sport. This is a fantastic opportunity for children who may not normally have had the financial circumstances to buy a boat of their own. Applications have now opened for this year and all of the details and requirements to apply for this can be found here.
Club census
All clubs and training centres in the North West region should have received your club census to complete, in regards to membership and participation throughout the year. To ensure that the data is comparable year on year, I encourage you to fill this out as soon as you are able. It will be valuable to observe how the pandemic has affected clubs and training centres across the region, and how we can best support you moving forwards beyond the limitations caused by the spread of covid-19.
As a thank you and incentive to complete this by 19 July, there are prizes up for grabs. On 19 July, there will be a Facebook live streaming event to announce five clubs who have submitted their census and have won a day’s free coaching from one of the Regional team. And it is an extra special occasion on that day because it is my birthday so please help me to celebrate this day in style
If you haven’t received an email about the census, please contact me and I can send on the relevant information to the representative in your club/training centre.
Reflections…
And what a busy time it has been during the last few weeks. We have held a fantastic array of CPD days thus far and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has been involved and I hope you have found them useful.
A special mention about the Powerboat and Personal Watercraft days which were new for 2021 and I hope to continue them in years to come.
Below is our very own North West SDO Alan Jones in action:
Coming up on 17 August is a Safety Boat refresher day at Ullswater, costing £25 for the day. This will involve practice recovering different types of craft and practising general safety boat skills, in order to build conference to rescue all types of boats out on the water.
Once we finish the remaining CPD instructor development days this month, there will be a break over summer and more to come in the Autumn season. The next SI Dingy course is planned for November at Debdale. Booking for both will be on the instructor page.
Dinghy trails
As aforementioned, the Birkett Trophy was held at Ullswater Yacht Club during the first weekend of July and there will be another exciting sailing opportunity taking place in August at the same venue.
Setting off from Ullswater Yacht Club, the trail takes you anticlockwise to the southern end of Ullswater at Glenridding and returning back to the club. Sailing together, the fleet will be able to take in the stunning scenery returning to the club for an evening BBQ. Camping in tents is available at the club and the local area is home to a number of campsites suitable for motorhomes and campervans. The cost is £20 which includes support boats following you on the trail, the use of UYC facilities and the launch fee for the day.
You do however need to come with a suitable boat for a day sail and the event is open to only 20 boats so get your entries in fast!
Registration and more information can be found here:
Olympics
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will begin on Friday 23 July and sailing will be amongst one of the first sports to begin after the Opening Ceremony. Of course, we will be cheering on the entire British Sailing Team but would like to give a special mention to two North West athletes.
Stuart Bithell is from Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club and was a Silver Medallist in 49er in 2012.
Elliot Hanson will be participating in his first ever Olympics, coming from Redesmere Sailing Club.
We wish them both and all of the British Sailing Team the very best of luck in their sailing endeavours.
Follow their official Facebook page for continued updates:
Please keep watching our social media channels for more information and highlights during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020:
Instagram = @ryanorthwest
Facebook = @RYANorthWest
Twitter = @RYA_NW
Lastly, your club would like a one-to-one chat with me to discuss any concerns or queries about returning to boating safely in the upcoming weeks and months, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by email.
Best wishes,
Adam
Adam McGovern
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RYANorthWest
Instagram: @ryanorthwest