RDO Blog September 2022

Hi everyone,

You will have noticed that this month's edition of Club Room is a little later than normal, as we paused to reflect on the sad news of the passing of our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen. We hope that you received the tribute that we shared with our members and the wider boating community. Our thoughts and condolences remain with The Princess Royal, RYA President, and the entire Royal Family.

The summer certainly seems to have flown by.  I’ve managed to get some racing in as well as some general messing about in boats and it’s been really good to see so many people out on the water enjoying themselves. As the autumn starts to kick in, we begin to reflect on the successes and challenges of the current season and I know that many of your clubs have had a very positive year in terms of activity and membership.

The number of people staying local and enjoying the hot weather has undoubtedly helped, but there has also been a huge amount of hard work from volunteers across the region. Not only have people been facilitating their normal programmes with significant demand, there has also been some real innovation, including introducing new formats such as the Catch Me If You Can series at Royal Harwich Yacht Club (case study to come). I have recently visited a number of clubs to learn more about what you have been up to and to hear your ideas for the future - some of these include the possibility of a local keelboat league, winging instructor courses and winter programmes - so there’s some quite exciting projects shaping up. Keep an eye on the RYA East web pages for more info.

A big thank you goes to all those who returned their data for the 2022 RYA Club Membership Census. The numbers are now being crunched... but it’s looking like positive news for the RYA regions with membership numbers generally up on last year. As ever the full insights for the region will be available at this year’s RYA Affiliated Clubs Conference and you can now sign up for your free ticket here.  Don’t forget it’s free to attend and a cracking opportunity to network with clubs from around the region.

This event will be preceded by a scene-setting national Online Club Briefing at 7pm on Wednesday, 5 October 2022, hosted by Olympian and broadcaster Shirley Robertson. Look out for further details on our social media channels and remember to register for the RYA Live Club Show online!

Whilst we’re talking about events, I am also really pleased to let you know that booking is now live for the RYA East Cruising Conference. This event is aimed at cruisers from across the region and an RYA Member ticket is just £15, which includes lunch and refreshments at the Royal Hospital School, Ipswich. Check out the events section of our website for further info.

Hope to see you soon,

Robbie