May 2022
This season promises to be much more ‘normal’ than the past two years. I hope that your club is able to take advantage of the resulting opportunities for bringing members together for a very successful summer.
Regional fleet now available
Following the introduction by the South-West Regional Volunteer Team of a regional fleet of six training optimist dinghies and a coaching package to help develop junior sailing at clubs, applications are now welcomed. Use of the boats will be on an annual loan and includes six days of volunteer training. Selection will be based on the long-term goals of the project and the needs of the club.
If you feel that your club would benefit from this fleet and you would like an application form, or to discuss ideas, seek assistance in the preparation of your plan or find out more information on other available grant funding please, please contact me. Applications must be made by the end of May – we aim to get the boats into clubs by the end of June.
OnBoard/John Merricks Sailing Trust Awards Scheme
Applications for the OnBoard/JMST Awards for 2022 close on 20 June.
Do you know a youngster who displays enthusiasm, drive, talent and commitment to the sport and doesn’t have the opportunity or financial backing to achieve their goals? Don’t miss this chance - encourage them 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.
Affiliated Clubs Conference in Taunton
The venue for this year’s Affiliated Clubs Conference is just off the M5 in Somerset, so it’s very accessible, wherever you are in the region. Queen’s College, Taunton has an excellent theatre setup and lovely catering hall as well as classrooms for breakout sessions and a hall for trade stands. There is a huge amount of space in a really nice facility, and we’re looking forward to welcoming you.
The theme of the event this year is The Member Journey and workshops will focus on people at different stages of their membership, from volunteering to training and more. We are looking for clubs to discuss case studies on how they engage with their members, including social sailing and women on water groups, so if you would like to get involved in supporting delivery of one of the sessions, I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Make sure 05 November is in your diary now!
Inspections
Every small boat training centre in the south-west will by now have had an inspector allocation email. Please get in touch with your inspector so we can complete inspections during the summer. This is especially important as in many cases, due to covid restrictions, we haven’t been able to see on-water practical tuition for the last couple of years. If you have any concerns before the inspection, you are very welcome to run anything past me in advance.
You can download the inspection report form from the Document Bank on the RYA Training Support Site, where you will also find the RYA Recognition Guidance Notes. The site is packed with useful information, so checking in from time to time will help you to stay up-to-date with the newest RYA Recognition Guidance and Training Notices.
Junior racing news from Regional Performance Manager, Duncan West
First of all, well done to everyone who took part in the Eric Twiname Championships from 30 April to 02 May. It was great to see so many youngsters out enjoying the sailing (working so hard in testing conditions) and the socialising (with all the kids and parents having such fun, after two years of not being able to).
The entries for the Junior Championships will be open very shortly. Please keep an eye on social media for announcements. The dates are 11/12 June at Oxford Sailing Club for the windsurfing and 18/19 June at WPNSA for the dinghies.
We are looking for a host club for the 2023 Regional Junior Championships, on the weekend of 17/18 June. If you are interested let me know.
RDO Rob Howlett
07876 330374
rob.howlett@rya.org.uk