Susie's Scoop May

Hello,

At the time of writing, the sun has come out and we have had some glorious evenings. I’ve seen lots of photos of champaign conditions, I just hope this continues although I fear I may have just cursed the weather!

Discover Sailing

It’s fantastic to see families and young people visiting the clubs in our region as part of RYA Discover Sailing events and open days. Haversham Sailing Club’s recent Discover Sailing open day saw 194 people out on the water. Everyone at the club came together and got involved. From gallery and bar volunteers who of course impressed the visitors when they were asked do they sail, which of course they all said yes. Through to being looked after on the water with helms aged from 15 to 70! The club has already attracted some new members as a result of the day, which is fantastic.

However, on the flip side, a big benefit of running a smaller Discover Sailing event, through targeted small groups, is that clubs can focus on giving a more personal experience too. The RYA believes that this can also help give a higher level of conversation and growth of your club. Plus, of course, this is less volunteer resource heavy on the day, which is particularly important if you think your club may struggle to recruit volunteers to help run an open day.

The RYA Discover Resources can really help your club run a successful open day and identify which local audiences you want to connect with.

And finally on the topic of open days, I know I’ve said this before, with the Olympics taking place this summer, this always helps drive an interest in sports and inspires people to learn something new. 2024 is a great year of potential for club growth.

Discover Sailing resources really can help clubs to run a successful day. You can find all the information here.

Regional Junior Championships

As I’m sure many of you have heard, the RYA has recently completed a comprehensive review of the British Youth and Junior Pathway, which highlighted the need to deliver change within RYA programmes to best support young sailors moving forward.

This included a recommendation to decongest the calendar, support activity where it is already being successfully delivered, and work more closely with existing regional events to increase the access to high quality coaching and racing on a regional level.

As a result of this review, this year’s Regional Junior Championships (Dinghy) in England have been cancelled, which of course includes the event in Weymouth.

The plan now is to work more closely with existing regional events to increase the access to high quality coaching and racing.

Thank you to Duncan West

I am sad to announce that Duncan West, Regional Performance Manger, has left the RYA South team. I would like to thank Duncan for all his hard work over the many years we have worked together. He has worked with countless clubs in the region, and supported numerous junior sailors to develop their racing skills and reach their full potential. And of course, this has all been accomplished with a big smile on his face and a can-do attitude. Many of our older sailors who have come through the ranks will have benefited from Duncan’s expert coaching.

But not only this, he has helped so many young people and their families to stay involved in the sport for the sheer joy of taking part and getting out on the water. His passion and belief is that everyone can enjoy getting out on the water, no matter skill level.

I wish Duncan all the best for the future which includes staying active with coaching and training with clubs in the South and South West regions. His contact number remains the same.

Please do get in touch with me if you have any questions, I am always looking for people to help support the region.

Funding

A funding webinar is taking place on Monday 20 May, 7:00pm-7:45pm. Discover all about the funding that is available, including the RYA Funding Database with thousands of available funds, plus Funding Support Officers will be on hand to help your organisation. Pre-registration is required. Book here.

Training and courses

A National Judge Course is taking place at RHA House in Hamble on 11 May. More details here.

Do remember to regularly check the events area on the website for all the latest courses taking place. You can find the South events here.

Training Centre Inspections

If you are also a Training Centre, your inspector will be getting in touch soon to organise a date to visit and see your club in action. It is well worth while organising a time when you will have lots of activity taking place, as this gives a really good opportunity to gain constructive advice whilst giving the inspector a chance to see the range of activities that take place. I’m always happy to help provide advice in the run up to these inspections.

And finally….

Save the date now for next year’s RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show, taking place over the weekend of 22 – 23 February, once again at Farnborough International.

Until next time,

Susie