Susie's Scoop March 2020
And now with spring truly on its way, we can really look forward to some great boating! We've got some great opportunities for training, and discussions to help you organise your club sailing and racing.
The RYA Dinghy Show was a resoundingsuccessful with the thousands of visitors focusing on their dinghy plans,ideas, and ways of improving their performances. It has also been a great networking platformfor the clubs. We are also pleased to welcome Chichester Yacht Club and Dell Quay Sailing Club as the latest clubs to join our OnBoard scheme.
Read on for our latest news and dates.
Instructor Demand Survey
We know how important it is for you to have sufficient numbers ofqualified RYA Instructors to meet current and anticipated levels of demand forinstructor courses. To help you with this we want to better understandwhere there is demand for more instructors, as well as the barriers that arebeing experienced to becoming an instructor.
So we would be very gratefulif you could complete a short survey so we can capture your views on this importanttopic. We will use this to help with planning instructor courses in theregion and with identifying clubs that need support with training instructors.
This information has been sent to all clubs that are TrainingCentres, but if you haven’t seen it you can also view it online.
Regional Conferences
Our Regional Conference is being organised by the Regional Race Management Coordinators and Regional Rules Advisors. Attendance at a Conference once every four years is a requirement for re-appointment for Regional and National qualifications, so make sure you don't miss out. Our conference is being held at the Holiday Inn in Southampton on 28th March. Book here.
Dinghy Senior Instructor Course
We will be running our next Dinghy Senior Instructorcourse for the south on 31st March to 3rd April. The four day course will be held at OxfordSailing Training Trust, and you can book it now. Once again the cost is still £230.
The aimof the course is to help candidates,as experienced instructors, to become competent to plan, organiseand manage courses within the RYA National &Youth Sailing Schemes and,indeed, to see if they are ready to take on this role. This willinvolve sessions afloat as well as group discussions. The course will help candidatesto understand the requirements of RYA Training Centrerecognition and will highlight theneed for the SI to be patient and resourceful as well as being able toconfidently manage people and situations.The overall aim of the Senior Instructor is to facilitate courses that areenjoyable, safe andinformative.
Panerai Challenger Trophy - Exclusive Opportunity for OnBoard venues
Nominations for the Panerai Challenger Trophy 2020 are now open. This is an exclusive opportunity for RYA OnBoard venues. If you have a young sailor or windsurfer within your organisation that has used the power of being on the water to overcome something significant then please consider making a nomination. Please note the Panerai Challenger Trophy is only open to RYA OnBoard venues.
The overall winner will receive £10,000 for the venue and £5,000 for the individual. Three runners up will also receive £5,000 for the venue and £2,500 for the individual. This trophy has proven to be life changing for many of the past finalists and their supporting venues have been able to develop youth participation with the help of their award funding.
For more information and to read the Trophy Terms please click here. To make a nomination, click here.
RYA Strategy and Future Funding Engagement work – a reminder
I justwanted to remind you about our tool kits for giving you a unique opportunity toinfluence the support we provide to you and to shape the future direction ofthe RYA. These tool kits will help you identify the challenges andopportunities. Each toolkithas some questions and tasks which will help you discuss, draw out and capturethe relevant information and ideas. If you are in a hurry try our 30 minute version,or if you have a bit more time you can use our more comprehensive two hourversion.
Thesetoolkits are intended to be used by a group so we suggest they would be good touse with a committee or steering board. Or perhaps they could be allocatedto a relevant working party made up of people who may be interested in thefuture of the sport. However they are completed, we are looking forward tohearing what you have to say.
As I havealready mentioned we are approaching a significant time for the RYA. We are currentlymid-way through our 2017-2021 strategic process and are already building greatambitions for the following four years, and we want you to be part ofit. It’s imperative that we better understand the challenges andopportunities which you have within your venue to ensure we can provide thebest support possible for you and your venue going forwards.
Have alook at the Youth Insights document, to aid yourdiscussion and our video - RYA Strategy Engagement Toolkits video. Westrongly suggest that you watch this before starting to complete the activitiesin the toolkits.Pleasenote that we are sending this toolkit to club contacts along with Sailabilityand OnBoard leads. Therefore, please note that your club may receive multipleversions of the toolkit and you may choose to complete all with a focus on theassociated programme(s), or complete one which encapsulates them all.
Onceagain, it will be great to hear back from you as soon as possible so that wecan get going with absorbing the information that you provide and create anaction plan to help your club, and incorporate this information into our new2025 Regional Plan.
Development Forums 2020 – another one added!
The threetopics that we highlighted during our three rounds of Development Forums inJanuary, February and March were so successful that we have decided to run anadditional round in April! There’s been a great demand from the clubs so we areputting on three more April dates across the southern region.
Our topic next month will be entitled ClubMember Satisfaction and Retaining your Club Members.Therewill be one taking place near you:
31stMarch Isle of Wight
6thApril Southampton area
7thApril Chichester
Get venue information and book yourplace now. Once again the sessions willtake place between 1830 and 2100 and refreshments will be provided. The sessions are free of charge.
Instructor Training days
We’vejust added another Instructor Training Day to our calendar. This one is being held at the Guernsey SailTraining Trust at Guernsey Yacht Club on 22nd March.
Theday event aims to bring instructors from across the Islands together to stay upto date with RYA news and developments. While giving opportunity to refresh andenhance your own personal skills and knowledge with a choice of both on and offthe water sessions.
The event is delivered by experienced specialists from theRYA South’s Regional Dinghy Coach and Trainer Team so you’ll be able to tap into the best knowledge in region and gain tips from the top! Theday is available to all instructors that are qualified in: Dinghy, Windsurf andPowerboat disciplines.
The cost of the day is just £25.00 and thisincludes tea/coffee & lunch. To encourage younger instructors we have 2 discounts in place; under 25’s pay areduced fee of £17.50 and instructors under 18 pay just £5.00!
*** Don’t forget thatyou can still book our Southampton Instructor Training Day which is being heldon Saturday 28th March 2020 at Southampton University NationalOceanography Centre. Go to the bookings webpage to secure yourplace. ***
Dinghy Show is a great success
Thousands of dinghy sailing enthusiasts from across the UK, and further afield, flocked to Alexandra Palace, London over the weekend of 29 February-01 March for the 69th RYA Dinghy Show, in association with Yachts & Yachting.
RYA Director of Sport Development Alistair Dickson wrapped up the show by saying “We were delighted to see 8,000 people joining us for another fantastic show. Once again the unique atmosphere was really buzzing as visitors browsed over 100 dinghies, shopped for the latest kit and gear, enjoyed talks from the industry’s biggest names and caught up with life-long sailing friends”. Hosted by Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ayton and the British Sailing Team’s Sam Whaley, the theme was ‘A World of Opportunity - see where dinghy sailing can take you?’ The show boasted a brand new layout with over 170 exhibitor’s filling the halls across four new zones: shopping & equipment, buy a boat, holidays and training, and clubs and classes.
For 2021, the RYA Dinghy Show will take place at a new location and will be held at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre over the weekend of 27-28 February.
Discover Sailing – get planning for your summer sessions
Clubs arestill signing up for this year’s Discover Sailing days, the new name for themerger between Push the Boat Out and Try Sailing that we have run in previousyears.As thereare only a limited number of spots available don’t miss the chance to have yourvery own Open Day.
It’s a great chance to show your club off tonewcomers, and give people a chance to get on the water – for some it will befor the very first time! We’veclosed our bookings now for events that are being held before 30thJune but you can book now and get your subsidised club pack of promotionalgoodies if you are planning on holding an event during July – September.
DiscoverSailing 2020 will run from 10th April through to 30 September. Use thisopportunity to benefit from increased national promotion that sailing gets duringthe big events that are going to make people want to give sailing a go. The Olympic Games are coming up on 24 July-09August, and other high profile events like the America’s Cup World Series (4-7June) and Sail GP (14-15 August) are also great attractions for inspiring alove of sailing.
There’s aDiscover Sailing map which will be updated as each club signs up toDiscover Sailing on our webpage and clubs and centres will be able to amendtheir event details themselves. Have a look here. To makethe most of your open days you can also have a look at our seminars in February which includeDiscover Sailing. There is also a Discover Sailing webinar which tookplace at the end of January but you can watch it here at any time.
Discover Instructing and Coaching
We arelooking for clubs to work with in order to help you to develop people’sinterest in getting involved instructing and coaching. To give you club contacts a taster ofinstructing and coaching we can arrange for an RYA coach to come along to yourclub to run a fun day out on the water that will be engaging too.
It is a greatfirst step towards becoming an Assistant Instructor and will help your club meet its needs for deliver qualitysessions for members by increasing the numbers and skill levels of theclubs' delivery workforces.
Aftercompleting the Discover Coaching day, the next step for participantsis to consider attending a Race Coach Level 2 course, or an instructorcourse at assistant or dinghy level. If your club would like to host oneof these days for your club volunteers please complete our applicationform.
Rent our Gazebo and make a real impact
I thoughtI would remind you about our eyecatching event gazebo that we have for hire toclubs. If you are planning any outdoorevents this coming spring and summer this is a great chance to get your hands touse our gazebo as a centrepiece to your attraction or promotion. It willreally help you to draw attention to your cause.
The 3m x 3m gazebo hasgreat graphics and is branded 'Go Sailing'. Contact me to book it. The gazebois stored at our HQ in Hamble – so you just need to collect and returnit. There’s no charge!
Lots of clubs and organisations have alreadyused it and drawn some crowds! Just give me ashout.
Futures Webinars – you can still watch them
OurFutures webinars are still available to watch online. The ‘Future of Sailing’ webinar seriesaddress current trends affecting boating and watersports. Aimed at clubs, classassociations and anyone who has an interest in the future of sailing, thethought-provoking sessions feature key findings from the Futures Project, commissioned by British Marine. We were really pleasedwith the take up of the last one with around 200 participants.Forpeople who missed it the webinar can be watched on YouTube.It alsosits here with the rest of the Futures Series.
SAVE THE DATE – diary dates for the year
Date tobe advised: OnBoard Development Day, designed to support the lead instructorsand key individuals involved in the running of the OnBoard programmes acrossthe region. The OnBoard Development days are a brilliant event and everyonegoes home full of new ideas! To find out more contact your OnBoardOfficer KatieTomsett.
1st July: OnBoard FestivalPortsmouth
4thJuly: OnBoard Festival Isleof Wight
We’llconfirm the clubs for both these events soon
5thDecember: Affiliated Clubs Conference– venue to be confirmed
These arean important opportunity for RYA Affiliated Clubs to learn more about the RYAservices that are available and how these services can benefit your club andmembers. Watch this space for our announcement of a new location in theSouthampton area, plus all the details of the event.
26/27September. British Youth SailingSouth and SW Champs at Weymouth and Portland National SailingAcademy. We will be running three fleets, Championship Fleet, CoachedRegatta Fleet and OnBoard Fun Fleet. The event as a whole is a festival for alljunior sailors who are learning to sail in club boats, through to squad sailorsin Recognised Junior Classes. With the three different fleets there should besomething for your level of sailing. Along with prizes for event winners, therewill be a range of prizes for sailors exhibiting the British Youth SailingValues and Behaviours and showing a passion for the sport. There is also theClub Trophy for the club that has the most entries at the event. Entry willopen in July and last entries by 20th September. More information.
Keep in touch!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and keep sending us your stories of achievements, new membership initiatives, and events through which you have encouraged newcomers into sailing.
Please don't hesitate to contact me, Susie Moore, I’m the Regional Development Officer for the South. All other contacts in the region can be found on the RYA south web pages.