RYA Midlands Blog – January 2023

Happy New everyone! It’s been great to see so many Boxing Day regattas alongside winter events around the region encouraging people onto the water despite the weather, and we have lots to look forward to as we head into 2023, including the ongoing Bartley Beast and upcoming East Midlands Mini Series at Burton, Notts County, Staunton Harold and Ogston.

These events are good value for money with either free or nominal entry fees and they’re a great way to catch up with friends and stay engaged with the sport over the colder months, so let your members know about them. We’re also sharing the details of events around the region on our social media @RYAMidlands on Facebook and Twitter so if your club or centre is hosting one let us know!

Save the dates – and get booking!

  • RYA Midlands Regional Training Day Rutland SC on Saturday 25 March for anyone involved in delivering on-water activities, including instructors, race coaches and Sailability/disabled sailing volunteers. As ever it will be a really good day and a chance to catch up with latest updates, get on the water with the Regional Training Team, and tap into expertise from HQ. Bookings are now live here.
  • RYA Training Conference supported by GallagherThis is the first weekend in February for Training Centre Principals, Chief Instructors and Senior Instructors, with updates from the RYA and wider industry and an opportunity to connect with exhibitors and other delegates.  
  • RYA Sailability Conference – Booking is live and tickets are free for this event on Saturday 11 February at Wyboston Lakes, bringing together the Sailability community and those who support sailing for disabled people, to refresh skills and get set for the season ahead.
  • RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show – Now encompassing not only sailing but also other watersports including SUP and winging, get inspired for 2023 with your members at Farnborough International, 25-26 February.

Instructor Training Programme & CPD

Our Instructor Training & CPD programme is developing well and the first of these courses are just starting to go live as we head into the New Year so keep a lookout at RYA Midlands Instructor Courses & CPD and via our RYA Midlands Instructors group on Facebook. 

Courses now booking for you to share with your teams include opportunities for DIs who want to advance their ticket, with a Senior Instructor course in March and a Double Handed Top Up, 11-12 March.

If you as a club or centre are interested in running a course or have a need for one, get in touch asap with our Sailing Development Officer Tom Davenport who is planning our training schedule to help kickstart the season and support your team’s requirements.

Instructor and RYA Advanced Dinghy Instructor course participants on the patio at DWSC learning about spinnakers on a rigged boat.

Female powerboat instructors

Our Midlands project to inspire more women to become RYA Powerboat Instructors has had such a high level of interest that we are now looking forward to getting two groups, with half a dozen participants in each, on the water for introductory days at Carsington in February and March.

These will develop skills and a provide a taster of what is involved in powerboat training, and hopefully encourage those taking part onto a course later in the year to become RYA Powerboat Instructors.

And finally…

It would be brilliant if we could all get behind our Club of the Year finalist Rudyard Lake SC. The public vote closes atmidday on Monday 23rd January… please do find out more about what makes this club special and show your support!

Until next time,

Ben.

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