RDO Blog April 2019

Hi everyone,

It’s been good to see the start of the sailing season getting underway with some encouraging turnouts for activities at this early stage of the summer programme. My boat is dusted off and ready to go, although sadly it was too windy at the start of season for me to get afloat I hope to be sailing soon.

RYA East Instructor Training Day

With around 140 instructors taking part in the day on Sunday 10 March, it was a great opportunity for sailing, windsurf and powerboat instructors to come together, network and develop their skills. 

The morning saw a training schemes update from Rachel Andrews (RYA Chief Instructor Power Schemes), before a fascinating and informative talk on tides from Dr Ivan Haigh of Southampton University. There was a wide range of workshops for the participants to choose from, covering topics from windsurf foiling through to night navigation. 

As forecast, afternoon winds increased, and the decision was taken for the majority of participants to remain land-based, although the powerboat sessions still went ahead on the Orwell. Plan B quickly swung into action and the morning’s workshops were repeated, giving instructors the opportunity to learn something new. Those who had taken the advanced powerboat session came back somewhat windswept, but with huge grins having had a great time on the water. It was great to see so many Instructors attending the day, keen to learn and develop their skills.

Push the Boat Out 2019

In the East Region we are currently gearing up for Push the Boat Out, with an impressive number of over 50 Clubs and Centres having signed up to offer opportunities to introduce people to sailing and windsurfing next month. it’s been great to see many clubs already promoting their events. Social media provides a fantastic opportunity to market to your targeted audience, so do make the most of this. There is also plenty of information available within RYA Club Zone to support your promotional campaign. Fingers crossed for excellent weather and a good turn-out at all events in May. It would also be good to see a growth in the number of visitors being retained this year with activity and membership offers in place to support new people through their first season – so do make sure that you have opportunities for new visitors to continue with sailing clearly signposted when they attend your events. 

Planning ahead/Dates for the diary

We’ve also been busy planning for the season ahead with subsidised Senior Instructor and Powerboat instructor courses taking place at the moment. It’s great to see candidates from across the region looking to develop activity within their venues - do keep a look out for further courses during the season by keeping an eye on the regional Web and Facebook pages, where opportunities will be advertised.

We also have a couple of dates for the diary:

• 2019 RYA Affiliated Club Conference: 23 November 2019
• Inaugural RYA East Cruising Conference: 24 November 2019

Keep in touch!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook - and keep sending us your stories of achievements, new membership initiatives, and events through which you have encouraged newcomers into sailing.

See you on the water!

Robbie