Robbie's Blog May 2020

 

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all keeping well in these unprecedented times. Whilst we cannot be on the water, there is lots that both we, as the RYA, and you, as Clubs, have been doing to support each other. It has been incredibly encouraging to see the community spirit shine through � whether it be looking out for the more vulnerable members of your sailing community, to seeing the eSailing reports online and hearing about all your fantastic projects to keep members engaged. Please do let us know what it is you�re doing over this time, and we�d love to share your stories with other clubs.

Lots of dinghies on shore ready to sail

The RYA is working very hard behind the scenes to support Affiliated Clubs & Training Centres over this lockdown period, including the following initiatives, which you�ve hopefully heard about:

Club Development Forums

These will be moving online and will begin next Wednesday 6th May, with a session on Engaging Members � please keep an eye on the Regional Website & Social Media Channels for further information

Project #SailFromHome

This huge project brings together a whole host of activities, videos and talks for every type of sailor to get involved in, from the cruisers to the racers, juniors to the more mature, find out more on the #SailFromHome page here. You can also search on social media under the #SailFromHome hashtag. Particularly relevant to Clubs, we have 'Marketing Mondays� to kick off the week, which include webinars from the experts at SocialB on how to successfully use social media. On Thursdays don�t miss the Club Development sessions which are packed full of advice and information from the Regional Development Officers, and on Fridays Clubs and Centres can also get top tips on how to get ahead with funding applications with the #FundingFriday webinars.

eSailing

It�s been fantastic to see so many Clubs getting involved with eSailing, thanks to the kind offer from Virtual Regatta. It seems that members are just as competitive virtually as in real life, and this has provided a way for sailors to get their racing fix! 25 Clubs in the Region have also signed up to the RYA eSailing Spring Championships, and I will be running the East Regional Championships shortly with the Club Champions � these will be run on:

  • East Region E-Sailing Spring Championship Qualifier 1 � 13:00, 19th May
  • East Region E-Sailing Spring Championship Qualifier 2 � 16:00, 19th May
  • East Region E-Sailing Spring Championship Final � 11:00, 22nd May
  • E-Sailing UK Spring Championship Final Saturday 30th May, time TBC

Don�t forget that you can pick up eSailing top tips on Saturday mornings.

Financial Planning/support

We know that financially this can be a worrying time for Clubs, so we have put together a Financial planning toolkit, along with a COVID-19 survey which we�d like to encourage all Clubs to complete, so we can help you to get the right support. Find out more here.


Finally, please keep in touch. If there�s anything you�d like to see happening, please tell us � and don�t forget to let us know what you�ve been up to.

Robbie