August 2022

I recently had a holiday in Italy for the ISO European Championships. It was a fantastic week away with some great racing and chance to meet up with friends old and new. I hope that you have been able to get on the water and enjoy our brilliant sport this summer. It was noticeable that the lake I was racing on was considerably lower than usual and the wind conditions very different to the normally reliable Italian lakes. I guess this is a sign of the times and global warming; I hope your sailing areas have not been adversely affected by the conditions.
It may seem crazy in the midst of all this amazing summer sailing, but it’s very nearly time to think about what you’re going to need in terms of club support during the autumn and winter. Please contact me to let me know what your needs are – we’re very flexible in the way we deliver.

Time to Talk
I have scheduled a series of three Time to Talk sessions, where clubs of a similar size can meet online to get an update from me on current topics and news, and discuss them together, as well as other issues you may want to raise.  These sessions will be run in the autumn, winter and spring.  If you register below for the autumn event, which I’ve ensured is relevant to the size of your club, you’ll get a Teams link. Please invite any members of your committee who may be interested.

• 26 September - for clubs up to 200 members 
• 21 September – for clubs between 200 and 700 members
• 22 September – for clubs with more than 700 members

We are also looking for venues to host small local get-togethers of clubs, aimed around a specific topic – get in touch with me if you’d like to host one. The topics can be varied – volunteering, environmental, safeguarding, racing – we’ve got lots already, but if you would like to have a meeting around a specific topic, let us know. 

And I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the Affiliated Clubs Conference on 05 November. The online booking form will be available shortly – look out for it soon.

Female success
After the Steering the Course stories we published on the website news during May, we’ve all seen just how much success female sportspeople have had in the Commonwealth Games, and the joy of the Lionesses winning the Euros. And there were more females than ever in the SailGP event in Plymouth last month, with the SailGP Inspire programme running at 50/50 boys and girls. 

Female participation in sailing is undoubtedly increasing in the region. Do you want any assistance to develop female sailing in your club? Or do you have a story about female sailing you’d like us to publicise? Let me know!

Together Fund
Congratulations to the Royal Dart Yacht Club (RDYC), which has been successful in its application for money from the Sport England Together Fund. This fund aims to help groups offer sailing opportunities to people from lower socio-economic groups and culturally diverse communities, and to those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. 

RDYC will use the money to support a voyage on Ocean Youth Trust’s ‘Prolific’ for some of Dartmouth Academy’s low socio-economic, Covid-19-disadvantaged pupils in 2023. The aim is to enthuse the youngsters to follow a career pathway in the marine industry, and the club will be working with South Devon Marine Academy to maximise this. 

More good news is that there’s still money in the Together Fund, and the previous deadline has been lifted. This means that if your club has a good project that could help some of the Fund’s priority audiences to enjoy time on the water, you can still send in an application. Please contact me if you’d like some advice.

Junior racing news from Regional Performance Manager, Duncan West
Don’t miss the closing date for applications for the SW BYS Regional Training Groups (RTGs) – it’s coming up on 11 September. We have BYS RTGs for Topper, Optimist, RS Feva, ILCA 4 and Bic Techno sailors.

Introducing the SW Class reps for our BYS Recognised Classes
Topper - Sean Semmens arearep.southwest@itca-gbr.co.uk 
Optimist - Elaine Hakes southwest@optimist.org.uk 
RS Feva - Dave Stubbs southwest@rsfeva.org.uk   
ILCA (all classes 4, 6 & 7) - Tim Hulse training@laser.org.uk 
Bic Techno admin@techno293.org.uk 
RS Tera - Peter Solly southwesttera@gmail.com 

Please do contact your respective regional rep for information about Regional Open Training and racing events, or visit the class websites. 

RDO Rob Howlett  
07876 330374
rob.howlett@rya.org.uk