RDO Blog July 2019

 

Hi everyone,

As we’ve been enjoying the lovely weather, it’s been great to see so much activity on the water while I’ve been visiting clubs. Behind the scenes, lots has been going on in the RYA East region – with an update below:

RYA Club Membership Census

The RYA Club Membership Census is now open - many thanks to all those that have already returned their information. The deadline is the middle of August to enable processing and the creation of the insights ahead of the Affiliated Clubs Conference later in the year. If your Club has not yet completed the survey, please do so by 15 August. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Senior Instructor Course

An RYA Dinghy Senior Instructor course has been promoted to all relevant Instructors and Principals in the East. Although by the time you read this the official deadline for bookings will have closed, please do contact me about last minute availability. The course is at Alton Water, running from 25-28 July, with the cost just £200, having been heavily subsidised.

RYA Fleets

We have a new RYA East Fleets Manager, Jen Miller. Jen has been working as a Sailing Development Officer and has just taken over the mantle from Alex Phillips at Birch Hall Adventures, I would like to thank Alex for his time in charge and welcome Jen to the role. The fleets are now based at Morgan Marine in Brightlingsea - all fleets are available for just £60 per day. You can view availability on our new calendar in the RYA East web area

Regional fleet of Toppers 

Social Media

Social Media posts have been used to some great effect this year, with some fantastic pictures and videos appearing online. I really would like to encourage as many clubs as possible to make the most of this free resource to capitalise on your members and sailors and help spread the word about how accessible and enjoyable sailing, windsurfing and boating activities are. A short video of less than a minute with some smiling, happy sailors talking about why they love sailing could help promote your offer far and wide – and do use the hashtag #ryaeast so we can share your posts.

OnBoard Update

OnBoard clubs in the region should have now have heard about all the exciting opportunities we have for our clubs, which includes a free day of CPD with an RYA Coach Assessor, both on and off the water, to inspire and inform instructors in using the latest innovations in the delivery of OnBoard sessions and leave armed with fresh and new delivery ideas! If you would be interested in hosting one of these at your club please email Holly Dabson at sdo.onboard@rya.org.uk'

As the official charity partner of OnBoard, the John Merricks Sailing Trust will donate at least 80 single-handed junior pathway boats and boards to promising sailors over eight years. The boats will be gifted to youngsters who display enthusiasm, drive, talent and commitment to the sport and who may not ordinarily have the opportunity or financial backing to achieve their goals. Applications for 2019 will open on Monday 1st July 2019 and you can find out more here

Save the date(s)

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, there are a couple of key dates for your diaries:

  • Regional Junior Championships - 28 & 29 September 2019 – Combined Clubs of Burnham
  • Affiliated Club Conference – Saturday 23 November 2019 – Royal Hospital School, Holbrook
  • RYA Cruising Conference – Sunday 24 November 2019 – Royal Hospital School, Holbrook

See you on the water soon,

Robbie