Over the last month I’ve been busy out of the region with team meetings, training and looking ahead at some of our strategies for the future over the short, medium and longer term.
RYA teams have been sharing what we’ve achieved and learning from what others are doing, and going forward I’m now firmly back in the region as we head into a really busy period.
This includes the upcoming BYS (British Youth Sailing) Regional Junior Championships for the Midlands, which I’m really excited to be supporting again.
The windsurfers are at Glossop Sailing Club this Saturday (10 June) along with our Regional Performance Manager, Tim Hall, who many of you will know.
Then I’m at Rutland Sailing Club the weekend after (17-18 June) where we have really good numbers in particular for the Rookie fleet, which has entries from a number of different clubs, including a couple of newcomers to the event.
I’ll be there with the delivery team looking after the fleet – making sure we have lots of fun and learning! – and also chatting to parents and clubs about how they can make the most of OnBoard and build it into their activities. We also of course have the Coached Regatta and Championship fleets at Rutland for youngsters wanting to test their skills and compete.
There’s something for everyone so please do share our event guide and sign up links with your junior section and parents because there’s still time to enter!
Visit from CEO Sara
Also coming up this month, I’m looking forward to welcoming RYA Chief Executive Sara Sutcliffe, who has lined up visits to a variety and breadth of clubs to find out more about activities in the region. Sara is keen to meet club members and take questions about RYA activity, so if your club is hosting a visit, be sure to attend.
Members of our RYA Midlands Regional Volunteer Team will also be meeting Sara on her travels and it will be a good opportunity to share with our CEO what boating is all about in the Midlands.
Aspiring female instructors
Our Aspiring Female Powerboat Instructor programme has been supporting a dozen women to build their confidence and skills. The first wave of participants are now busy doing their homework with the aim of taking the RYA Powerboat Instructor Course later this month.
Good luck to everyone with gaining this qualification. Those taking part in the programme signed up for a variety of reasons but all with the same goal of taking this expertise back to their club or centre to get more involved supporting activities. The next group will be taking the course towards the end of this year or early next season.
Learning challenge
I personally have also been learning new skills! Last year I had a go at winging and I’ve been doing some more of that this year to get better at it.
I’ve also just done a one-day RYA Radar Course. This was classroom-based but we also had a chance to apply what we were learning on the water.
As well as gaining useful new skills, I enjoyed being a learner again, and I find that taking these opportunities helps to keep me engaged with the sport.
If you’re looking for a course, remember we have our RYA Midlands Instructor Courses and CPD booking hub. This currently includes an RYA Dinghy Senior Instructor course in October and Winging Instructor courses early next year.
Could you be thinking about doing something different or taking a course at some point this season? It could be as simple as trying helming instead of crewing during the summer flotilla, or entering a club race for the first time.
My challenge for you this month is to have a think about trying something new!
And finally…
Nominations have now opened for the RYA Club of the Year Awards supported by Gallagher, with a change to the usual format and four new categories… could your club be our Community, Green, Active or Young Person’s Club of the Year? It’s easy to take part and anyone can nominate any club, find out more at RYA Club of the Year Awards.
Until next time,
Ben.