It was great to see so many of you at our RYA North East Affiliated Clubs Conference at the beginning of the month. A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to represent their club at what we hope was an enjoyable and useful day at Catterick Racecourse, as the year draws to a close and we look ahead to a new one.
If any of you were unable to make it to the conference but would like to catch up with myself or a member of the regional team, please do feel free to get in touch as we are always pleased to hear from you and here to help!
Instructor courses
We’ve been busy organising next year’s instructor training programme and a number of courses are now bookable, including for would-be RYA Dinghy Instructors.
We have an RYA Dinghy Instructor Course at North Yorkshire Water Park in March 2023, plus at the same venue in February, a Dinghy Instructor Preparation Day for anyone who’d like to find out more about the course first, and a Dinghy Instructor Pre-Entry Assessment Day.
For instructors and powerboat drivers meanwhile, there is an opportunity to update on current good practice and improve your personal boat handling at Scarborough on Saturday 28 January. There is also an RYA Safety Boat Course at Scarborough, 14-15 January 2023 for anyone wanting to upskill for providing safety/support cover for sailing or windsurfing sessions, training, racing or events.
For details and booking for all our courses visit our hub for RYA North East Instructor & Race Coach Courses & CPD. And if your club or centre has an interest in running instructor training, for your own team or as an open course, please contact us so we can incorporate your needs into our planning.
Grant support for training
A joint initiative by the RYA North East Regional Volunteer Team (RVT) and Martin Boatman Legacy Fund aims to support clubs, classes and individuals within the region who want to access training or courses with the aim of increasing participation or membership.
Grants of up to £250 are available to support volunteer development across all aspects of boating and – via the Martin Boatman Legacy Fund managed by RYA Coaching Development – for young people aged under 30 who want to become race coaches or further develop their skills: Find out more.
Regional Training Day
Plans are also shaping up for our RYA North East Regional Training Day at Catterick Racecourse on 1 April 2023, which will provide all the latest updates and ideas to help your team get set for the new season. Look out for when bookings open shortly after Christmas and share the date with your instructors and volunteers!
I’ll be posting updates in my monthly blog and you can also keep up to date with all the latest news in our RYA NE Instructors & Coaches group on Facebook, or by following @RYANorthEast on Facebook and/or Twitter.
Vote for our Club of the Year finalist
Voting is now open for our RYA North East region Club of the Year finalist! Find out more about Otley SC and its hugely successful ‘heart of the community’ ethos in our special report – and remember to cast your vote for the 2023 RYA and Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year Award, supported by Gallagher, to help them bring home the trophy!
Well done also to Pennine Sailing Club, who will receive a Certificate of Commendation for their environmental work when the awards are presented theRYA Dinghy & Watersports Show at Farnborough International Exhibition Centre in February 2023.
Thank you to all our volunteers
It was wonderful to see four of the region’s most dedicated club members honoured in this year’s RYA Volunteer Awards. I’d like to add my personal congratulations to Ian Holden from Scaling Dam SC and John Ledger of Derwent Reservoir SC on their awards for Lifetime Commitment, and to Fiona Spence (Ripon SC) and Jason Riby (South Shields SC), who were recognised for their Outstanding Contribution.
If you haven’t already done so, I thoroughly recommend taking the time to read about our RYA North East region RYA Volunteer Award recipients, who have shared their stories with insights into what motivates them to give their time and why they find volunteering rewarding.
A huge thank you all our volunteers across the region for their hard work during 2022 – whether that’s on the water or in one of those vital but less visible roles behind the scenes or on shore. Look out for when nominations open for next year’s awards as they are a great way to recognise those who go the extra mile at your club!
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year,
Sam.
