Robbie's Blog October 2019

Hi everyone,

As the end of season draws closer, it’s the time when we are engaging with Clubs to carry out season reviews, and planning ahead to develop both opportunities and activities in 2020. A great way of kickstarting these discussions is by attending the RYA East Affiliated Club Conference on Saturday 23 November - more on that shortly. In addition to this you can find out more about what the East Team are up to via the Regional website, through our Regional Plan, and through our new leaflet which explains the activities of the East Region. If you’re keen to increase your activity next season, please do get in touch as we may be able to help you. We have also been busy planning activity for next year, including developing plans for Push the Boat Out 2020, so watch this space for further information.

Affiliated Club Conference

Booking is now open for the RYA East Affiliated Clubs Conference which will be taking place on Saturday 23 November at the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, Suffolk. It is open to all RYA affiliated clubs to come and hear updates from the RYA, including an update on the Insights Data from the Club Census. Our keynote speaker for the day is RYA CEO Sarah Treseder, who will talk on the theme of ‘Putting People First’, exploring new RYA research on club volunteering and people management. 

Delegates can take part in a wide range of workshops, from exploring development opportunities with coaches and instructors to working with volunteers, environmental matters, growing membership to employment law, meeting your Regional Committee, plus many more workshops. The event is ideal for committee members, with the opportunity to meet members from other clubs in your region.

We are encouraging all clubs to send up to four delegates free of charge to the Conference, which not only provides opportunities to learn from initiatives that have worked successfully in other clubs, as well as ideas for the future, but also provides the chance to network with other clubs and volunteers from across the region. The event is free and includes all refreshments and lunch. More information and how to book can be found here.

Youth Sailing Opportunities

Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and no racing was able to take place at the Burnham Clubs at the end of September for the British Youth Sailing Regional Championships. However, we are planning ahead for youth activity for the coming season, and are looking for OnBoard Clubs to deliver youth events during the next season – please do get in touch with me if you can help (Robbie.bell@rya.org.uk)

Dates for the diary

Looking ahead, aside from the Affiliated Club Conference, there is the RYA East Cruising Conference taking place at the Royal Hospital School on Sunday 24 November, with a variety of workshops on matters from autonomous vessels to hull aerodynamics, marine surveying to cruising, legal and governmental advice. At just £10 for RYA members, there will be something for every type of Cruising sailor.

Hope to see you at the Affiliated Club Conference if not before!

Robbie