Susie's Scoop - November 2022

Hi everyone, 

The clocks going back seem to have brought about a change in the weather too, bring wet and windy conditions for the start of November. Despite this, clubs are still be in full swing which is great to see. The colder months is also the perfect time to tackle those niggling jobs that you have been putting off or putting a winter maintenance programme in place. 

Clubs are also busy gearing up for winter activity. Here is a handy list of ideas that your club may want to introduce for members who are less keen to go out onto the water in the next few months.

Unfortunately, there have been reports of dead swans within our region, likely to be the result of bird flu (HPAI). If you discover more than three dead waterbirds at any one location, then please inform DEFRA and your local authority. More information can be found here.

South Affiliated Clubs Conference 
The conference is just days away now! Taking place on Saturday 12 November at the National Oceanography Centre. You can now sign up for your FREE ticket here.

This is our event of the year and is a really valuable day for anyone involved in organising club activities, whether volunteers or committee members. We have a range of workshops, listed below, and over 20 RYA staff in attendance so lots of networking opportunities with RYA staff along with other clubs from our region. 

A reminder of the workshops: 
Addressing member needs, motivations and providing the right experience 
How to welcome a wider range of members
Making volunteers experiences meaningful
How the RYA’s new Club Management Compliance Toolkit can help manage your club
How to secure funding 
Increasing yacht racing 

Regional Instructor Training

The photo at the top of this blog shows the participants at our recent Skills Development Day at Lymington Town SC.

Do keep an eye on the RYA training area on the RYA website, as this is where all our South courses and CPD will be advertised. 

At the moment we have a Powerboat Safety Boat Development Session taking place at Chichester YC on 26 November. It costs £25pp, more info here.

Instructors, Coaches and Volunteers from clubs and training centres alike are invited to a day of shore and water-based activities for the Regional Training Day (formally Instructor Training Day).The day will take place on 11 March 2023 at Thorney Island with bookings to open in the New Year. 

I very much recommend that clubs start to plan for next season’s activities over the winter which includes making sure you have enough coaches including those with Race Coach Level 2 qualifications. Please contact Duncan West if your club would like to run a course.  

Regional Race Officer Course 
A RYA Regional Race Officer course will take place at the Royal Southern YC on 11th – 12th February 2023. This course is ideal for anyone interested in learning more about current race management, and will cover how the Racing Rules of Sailing apply to everything from radio-controlled racing through to trans-ocean events.  

Those who are interested but do not want to do the exam are also welcome to attend. (Although it is the exam result and course attendance which fulfils one of the requirements to be appointed as a RYA Regional Race Officer). Prior experience in race officiating is an advantage but it is not compulsory as the course will teach everything needed in order to officiate at club events. 

Instructors for the weekend will be Royal Southern Sailing Manager James Ripley and Peter Saxton, RYA South - Regional Race Management Coordinator. Costs £85pp. Book here.

RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 
Tickets are now on sale and there is a fantastic offer for RYA members to go free. Perhaps your club could organise a minibus to bring several people? Last year, Brading Haven YC were able to use a minibus provided by an organisation on the Isle of Wight so it might be worthwhile investigating if a local business, group or council can help with transport. 

The RYA Club of the Year is currently in the final stages with the Panel. As always, the winners will be announced at the show. 

Time to Talk 
As mentioned last month, a new Time To Talk online session will take place on Thursday 17th of November at 7pm – 8pm. 

This is a great opportunity for us to come together and review our experiences of 2022 and any challenges which we are now facing. Principals and Chief Instructors will find the update on inspections and instructor training/development Centre of particular interest. Book here. 

Supporting young sailors 

RPM Duncan West, has been busy with the start of the winter training for the BYS Regional Training Groups. As you may have seen from our South social media, there has been lots of action taking place at Hayling Island SC (with Toppers above during their residential camp at HISC), Warsash Sailing Club, Royal Lymington Yacht Club. Really great to see so many youngsters taking part. 

I am pleased to report that Polly Schafer, the South’s Development Officer, has started visiting the OnBoard recognised clubs in our region. If your club would like to find out more about this fantastic programme then please email Polly.

Two OnBoard Development Days will take place next year, at Emberton Park SC on 25 March (book here) and Lymington Town SC on 18 March (book here). Both cost £25pp. 

We are also busy planning a regional OnBoard Development Day which we hope will take place early next year. Watch this space! 

The Together Fund
The Together Fund is a continuation of the Tackling Inequalities Fund that was set up by Sport England to help the sport and physical activity sector through the pandemic. The RYA has now been awarded a further £195,000 to support venues in England running programmes which engage with: Lower socio-economic groups, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities, Disabled People and People with long term health conditions. Sport England are now also supporting communities and organisations affected by the cost-of-living crisis.

There is no deadline for applications, but projects must be delivered by September 2023 for this current funding round. Find out more information about the Together Fund and if your organisation is eligible here.  

Dates for your diary – 2023
RYA Training Conference - 4-5 February
RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, Farnborough International - 25–26 February 
Regional Training Day (formally ITD), Thorney Island - 11 March
OnBoard Development Day, Emberton Park Sailing Club - 11 March
OnBoard Development Day, Lymington Town Sailing Club - 18 March

Joint South and SW Regional Junior Championships for windsurfers, venue tbc, 10 -11 June
BYS South Regional Junior Championships for dinghy sailors, Oxford Sailing Club – 17 - 18 June

Lymington Sailability are still on the look out for a new Chairperson. If you would like to find out more about this role then please contact vice-chair Tom Morton by emailing hello@lymingtonsailability.com