March 2021
RYA Club of the Year
Congratulations Port Dinorwic Sailing Club!
Where else could we start with this month’s Clubroom other than with the RYA Club of the Year results!! We found out the absolutely fantastic news during the Virtual Dinghy Show that Port Dinorwic Sailing Club had won, the first ever Welsh winner as far as we’re aware! They were also recognised for being at the ‘heart of the community’ for their innovation and efforts to ensure activities could continue to run safely once lockdown restrictions eased.
When many of their members were unable to get out on the water, the club’s ingenious online activities including training and eSailing continued to keep them entertained and engaged. Their social media campaign attracted new members from the local area, boosting their membership, and they also invested in a beach winch, allowing sailors to pull their boats up the beach while remaining socially distanced.
Commodore Noel Bristow said: “Wow! I’m blown away! On behalf of all our members, who I know will be delighted, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has voted. We were really proud to be recognised in the ‘Heart of the Community’ category and now to be named RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year is- it’s fantastic! Thank you to everyone who voted and RYA Cymru Wales for all your support”.
Well done Felin!
Celtic Clash
With our sailors still unable to get out on to the water, we arranged an eSailing Winter Club Championship last month, with competitors from the Celtic Nations enjoying a fantastic morning of eSailing on Sunday February 21st.
After some very exciting races, James Adams (Jester 553) from Llandegfedd Sailing Club was the overall winner, and went on to compete at the national final at the RYA Dinghy Show.
James gave a very good account of himself but unfortunately finished just outside the top 3 – fantastic effort though! Well done James!
Safeguarding Event
We organised a fully funded Child Protection in Sport session last month, a 3 hour course suitable for Club Welfare Officers called ‘Time to Listen’.
The event was attended by 10 welfare officers, with the course being a real success with some fantastic feedback.
We plan to organise another event later in the year for our Welfare officers, so if you are interested or require further information please contact pete.muskett@ryacymruwales.org.uk
Club Development Forums Go Global!
We have some more amazing (and FREE!) Club Development Forum events arranged for you all, and here they are:
| Date | Topic |
| 9th March | VHF for Club Volunteers |
| 10th March | RYA Cruising Scheme Explained – Day Skipper and beyond |
| 16th March | Season Preparation for Club RYA Training Centre Principals |
| 17th March | Sailwave Advanced |
| 23rd March | Powerboat Instructor Development – session 2 |
| 24th March | New OnBoard Resources for Dinghy Instructors |
Clubs can register via our Eventbrite page
Dates for your diary
There are still a couple of events left from conference season, so please take a look at the agendas and guest speaker information by clicking the links below.
RYA Instructor Training Day
13th March - find out more
RYA Cruising Conference
21st March - find out moreThis conference will cover the issues that matter most to cruisers, including post-Brexit guidance, training insights, real-life stories from fellow cruisers, as well as the latest developments in safety, and much more!