June 2022
It’s a busy time in clubs, and it’s great to see so much on-water activity once again.
RYA Club Census 2022
It’s that time of year again; your club will recently have received the annual Club Census documents. We know that it’s a busy time, and census response is not your favourite activity, but the results are crucial for the RYA’s strategic planning, especially with regard to what support we provide for you.
To help, this year’s census been made shorter, with more drop-down sections that are easier to complete, so it will be quicker to fill in than it has been before. Not only that, but if your club subscribes to the online Sailing Club Manager, you can use that to send the RYA all your data directly without filling in the census at all!
As the Affiliated Clubs Conference is slightly earlier this year, on 05 November, we’d really appreciate it if you could get your statistics in as soon as possible, so that we can be ready to show you what’s happening in the region when we meet up in Taunton.
OnBoard/JMST Awards 2022
This is your final call to action if you know a youngster who displays enthusiasm, drive, talent and commitment to sailing or windsurfing and doesn’t have the opportunity or financial backing to achieve their goals. Entries for the OnBoard/JMST Awards for 2022 close on 20 June - don’t let a deserving young sailor miss the chance to apply for a single-handed junior pathway boat/board (Optimist, Topper, Laser 4.7, RS Tera and Bic Techno 293OD) which they will keep for their exclusive use for two years, before it is donated to your club to enable other young sailors to benefit in the future.
Funding Portal
The RYA has invested in a Funding Portal that clubs can access free of charge to search for funding opportunities.
I’ll be honest and say that until recently, I’d not had time to log into it myself, but now I have, I really think that you should too – I’m very impressed with this really good tool. It can be quite specific if you choose to be when entering your details, what you’re trying to fund and your location, and you get email updates too.
This Portal is on trial for the first year, so please take a look and let us know if you’ve used it and whether it’s been successful for you – then we’ll know whether this is something the RYA should continue to offer in the future.
South West Yacht Time Correction Factor adopted nationally
The South West Yacht Time Correction Factor (YTC) is an entry-level rating system for club keelboat and cruiser racers allowing them to race against each other easily, competitively and fairly. It was first developed in Falmouth by a core team of retired mathematicians and scientists, led by RYA SW Regional Chair Chris Davis. Great news for the south-west is that the YTC has now been adopted nationally by the RYA and Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), and the core team will continue to advise and support both organisations as they roll it out.
Junior racing news from Regional Performance Manager, Duncan West
The South/South West Regional Junior Championships windsurfing event went very well at Oxford Sailing Club on the weekend of 11/12 May, with good numbers attending, including new sailors. The sun shone and a breeze blew perfectly. It was great to see Emma Labourne, lead windsurfing coach in the SW Regional Training Group, there to watch the sailing. Congratulations to the south-west sailors who took the top four slots in the 6.8 fleet.
We’re now looking forward to next weekend (18/19 May) at WPNSA for the dinghy event, and weather forecast is looking good!
Applications for the 2022-23 British Youth Sailing Regional Training Groups are now OPEN. Check this page too for more information.
RDO Rob Howlett
07876 330374
rob.howlett@rya.org.uk