August 2022

Here’s the latest news from across Wales from our Development Team.

Summer of Sport!

The Summer is an amazing time of year, not just for Sailing, but for all kinds of sports! We’ve had the hugely successful Commonwealth Games, the Women’s Euro 2022 tournament, with the English Lionesses emerging victorious! We’ve also had some great racing events here in Wales, with the fantastic International GP14 Nationals at Llandudno Sailing Club, Abersoch Dinghy Week at the end of July, and the first Round Puffin Island race at Llanfairfechan Sailing Club for over 20 years! We’ve also had the Dart 18 Nationals at South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club, Abersoch earlier this month, and the Supernova Nationals at Plas Heli, Pwllheli early in July – it’s great to be back!

Merthyr Tydfil Sailing Club:

Clubhouse refurbishment Grand Opening Day Saturday 23rd July 2022

Saturday, 23rd July, Merthyr Tydfil Sailing Club (MTSC) unveiled its newly refurbished clubhouse. On a blustery July day, members and guests gathered to celebrate the conclusion of a £40,000, four-month long build. Dawn Bowden MS formally opened the clubhouse following refurbishment by Ainsley Construction on behalf of MTSC. Funding was provided by the Welsh Government Community Facilities Fund, Welsh Church Fund, with supporting grant funding for equipment from the A465 community initiatives fund and Sport Wales, alongside funds from MTSC membership funds. Funders provided the means to update the clubhouse, not touched since the 1980’s, meaning a significant leap in terms of facilities, light and space. This comes alongside investment in safety equipment and a youth fleet of boats in 2021 for our junior squad.

Ian Charles, MTSC Commodore said: “We’re delighted that funders have seen the potential in our facilities and have funded the completion of this work. This now enables us to move forward with our plan to become a recognised training centre, delivering more sailing opportunities to young people and adults from Merthyr Tydfil and beyond. This investment enhances access to leisure activities and paves the way for sailing to be part of the offer for outdoor activities in Merthyr Tydfil.”

Also in attendance were:

His Worship the Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil, Councillor Declan Sammon
The Leader of the Council, Merthyr Tydfil, Councillor Geraint Thomas
The High Sheriff of Mid-Glamorgan, Maria Thomas
Chief Executive Officer, RYA Cymru, Chris Munro
Sport Development Manager, Active Merthyr Tydfil, Dan Bufton.

MTSC would like to thank funders, partnership agencies, committee, members, and all those who volunteer the club's continued development.

Sealegs2 – Verity K

Our very own South West Wales Development Officer, Hester Walker, took part in a little bit of a Busman’s Holiday recently as she supported the amazing charity, Sealegs2 to bring back Verity K from Spain – the world’s only monohull built to be crewed solely by wheelchair users.

The yacht has been donated to Neyland’s voluntary Sealegs2 charity by designer and former owner Michael Wood, who suffered a debilitating accident in the 1970s.
The 35-foot monohull has now been made available to disabled sea-lovers who are keen explore the Pembrokeshire coastline under sail.

Hester was part of the crew to bring her back part of the journey, and Verity K is now in action on the Haven, giving easy access for anybody with mobility issues, including wheelchair users while a lift has been fitted into the doorway to the saloon.

https://sealegs2.org/blog-%26-news

Club of the Year 2023!

Nominations are STILL OPEN for the RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year Awards supported by Gallagher.

This year nominations have been simplified so that individuals can enter either their own or another club, simply by submitting a few words explaining why a particular venue deserves to be recognised.

Nominations closing date is Monday 29th August. Let's try get a win for #Wales once again in 2023!!

To make a nomination click here: https://www.cognitoforms.com/RYA2/RYAAndYYClubOfTheYear2023NominationForm

Further information can be found here: https://www.rya.org.uk/about-us/rya-awards/club-of-the-year

Club Membership Census

The information clubs provide helps us to monitor progress and shape our bids for further resourcing - which allows us to both continue to support clubs and promote boating activities to a wider audience.

The closing date for completing the census has now passed, so thanks so much to everyone for completing it!

Welsh National Squad Selection

The updated Welsh National Squad Selection Policy for 2022-2023 is available for all to take a look at by following the link below.

https://www.rya.org.uk/gbni/rya-cymru-wales/about-us/corporate-documents