For the first time since 2020, just shy of 60 instructors, volunteers, and race coaches came together at the Anderson Centre, Chorley, for an annual regional training event. It was fantastic to get everyone together which for many has been the first time since covid-19, and it presented a great opportunity to introduce winging to the event, which we hope to be a feature for many years to come.
Of course, April also sees the start of the Senior Traveller series, with the first event at Leigh & Lowton on April 25th. If you haven’t got the dates for the series in your diary, here’s a quick reminder:
25th April– Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club
16th May- Burwain Sailing Club
June 6th- Bolton Sailing Club
June 27th- Hollingworth Sailing Club
July 18th- Southport Sailing Club
September 5th– Delph Sailing Club
September 26th– Elton Sailing Club
Further details and the notice of race can be found on the Facebook group Northwest Dinghy Sailors Senior Traveller Series The Sailability Series will also return on April 25th, June 6th, and June 27th. For more information on this series, contact Disability Development Officer James Wheeldon.
The Northwest Junior Travellers will also be live soon, with three events in May, two in June, two in July and one in October. All the details and the dates will be posted here.
The series will kick off at Budworth Sailing Club on May 1st, the Early May Bank Holiday. Please encourage your clubs to attend mass; it’s a great family-friendly club at Budworth and the perfect way to spend a Bank Holiday.
Other Event Opportunities
I am excited to see the return of the iconic Southport junior 12-hour race. The race has not been run since 2019, and it’s great to see it back, and I am keen to support it.
If you are unfamiliar with this event, it is a Junior 12hr race for Under 21 around Southport Marine Lake from 8 am to 8 pm on Saturday, June 24th. Each club, class, or junior association can enter a team and compete with other clubs nationwide. Support Southport by getting your entry in ASAP. Enter Now
For adults looking for that competitive team event, the British Keelboat League is back with events around the UK. It is a rock-up-and-race format, so get your team together and pick one of the events happening across the country. Check them out here.
In other news
In other news, the Sailing Scheme Trainer Selection is in the region for the first time since I have been in post. If you fancy yourself as the instructor’s instructor, get down to the selection days on the 13th and 14th of April. For more information, contact me.
Training centre Inspections
For our 100 training centres, you will receive an email from me towards the end of April with details of who your inspector is for the financial year from April 1st- March 31st. Please contact your inspector as soon as possible to arrange a mutually convenient date to conduct the annual inspection of your training centre facilities. Select a period over the summer when you are busiest so you and your inspector can get the most out of the visit and see your clubs buzzing with activity.
Don’t forget Discover Sailing
A big thank you to everyone who has signed up for Discover Sailing; we have more clubs signed up than any other region, which is great to see. However, many Northwest Clubs still haven’t taken advantage, and it’s not too late! Whilst you can request Discover Sailing resources at any point, if you want to have these resources ahead of your open days and learn to sail opportunities, you need to order these before May 7th, which is the next printing deadline.
And finally… a big thank you to everyone who entered our first Photography Competition last month; we were overwhelmed by the number of entries. Congratulations to Rachel Ward, who was announced as the competition winner.
The competition is back this month with an Easter twist. Please get involved and send us your photos from the water by Sunday, April 30th. Photos should be sent to comms.nw@rya.org.uk
Northwest and Northeast join forces
Sam Usher RDO for the Northeast will be moving on from his role at the end of June, and the role will be covered by myself in a caretaker capacity until April 2024.
I am looking forward to working together with the Northeast, to share best practice and unite two great teams so we can provide the best possible support on the ground to help us develop participation across the North.
Good luck and happy sailing!
Adam
