Welcome to the RYA Yorkshire & Humberside website

This site aims to provide information for anyone considering taking up the sport of sailing, as well as keeping the already well established sailing community informed about regional events on and off the water.
The site contains information about finding clubs in your area, where you can receive training from RYA qualified instructors or where you can just take the family for their first sailing experience.

Breaking News

A word from the Laser Performance Northern Rep: Duncan Adams... newsletter

It’s that time of year again and we have another action packed programme organised for you!

Yorkshire/Humber Instructors Conference

Saturday the 13th of March 2010
at West Riding Sailing Club

Laser Performance, Topper and RS Racing are bringing their latest dinghies, Barnet Marine are bringing their 460 RIB and Ultra Sport are bringing their new Bic plastic windsurf board for you to try!

It’s another great opportunity to get 45% off RYA publications and to network with other Instructors.

We have lots of prizes on offer – there is even a prize for the club/centre who brings the most Instructors so spread the word!

With experienced coaches running a mixture of shore based workshops and sessions afloat there is something for everyone – we look forward to seeing you there!

Booking form (pdf)    Program (pdf)

Triple Olympic Gold Medalist Ben Ainslie presents inspirational young sailor with Young Sailor of the Year award

13 year old Emma Labourne from Barrow upon Humber was presented with the prestigious RYA Yorkshire and Humberside Young Sailor of the Year Award 2009 at the Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show on Saturday 9th January.

The RYA Regional Young Sailor awards recognise the outstanding achievements of young sailors across the country and were presented by sailing legend Ben Ainslie, himself a previous winner of the award.

Emma, who is a member of the RYA National Junior Windsurfing Squad, was voted RYA Yorkshire and Humberside Young Sailor of the Year 2009 last autumn by the unanimous verdict of the Regional Committee.

Emma was amongst thirteen RYA Regional Young Sailor of the Year winners to receive their awards at the Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show. These young sailors have made a significant impact on youth sailing, ranging from gold medal winning achievements and overcoming adversity, to the huge amount of hard work and effort they give back to their clubs.

Emma and her family were treated to an action packed VIP day at the show, thanks to Pantaenius Yacht Insurance.

Regional Young Sailors of the Year presentation at the London International Boat Show

Thirteen of the UK’s most talented and dedicated young sailors will be honoured at this year’s Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show on Saturday 9th January.

They will be presented with their RYA Regional Young Sailor of the Year Awards at the show and among the regional winners will be 17yr old Gary Rutherford from Sunderland (winner of the RYA North East Award) and 13 yr old Emma Labourne from Barrow upon Humber (winner of the RYA Yorkshire and Humberside Award). At just 13 years old, Emma will be the youngest recipient at this year’s Award Ceremony. Fantastic achievements all round and a testament to all the dedicated training that takes place every weekend in sailing schools across the UK.

Other announcements at the London International Boat Show include the name of the winner of the YJA Pantaenius National Young Sailor of the Year Award and the winner of the RYA Yachtmaster of the Year Award. The RYA Yachtmaster of the Year Award will be presented by HRH The Princess Royal to the yachtsman or yachtswoman who has excelled and achieved the highest marks in the RYA Yachtmaster qualification in 2009 – one of the most highly sought after qualifications in the boating industry.

For more details about Royal Yachting Association and the London International Boat Show, plus discounted ticket opportunities please visit www.rya.org.uk

NE OnBoard CO-ordinator - Vacancy
WOULD YOU LIKE TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION IN SAILING AND WINDSURFING?
The RYA is looking to contract an OnBoard Co-ordinator for the North East region.  OnBoard is an RYA project which increases the number of children and young people learning to sail and windsurf, and who subsequently participate in these sports regularly.

For further information, and details on how to apply please contact Suzie Blair suzie.blair@rya.org.uk  tel: 07771 642 933 or catherine.ferguson@rya.org.uk
Application and job description is available at:  www.rya.org.uk/aboutus/jobvacancies/Pages/default.aspx

Closing date for applications:  Friday 8th January 2010
Interview date: Friday the 29th January 2010

Background details can be found here...

Windsurf Instructor Courses 2010

Windsurf Senior Instructor course
25 – 28th March 2010 @ Carsington Watersports
Cost £265 or £125 for volunteers.
Kit will be provided but people can also bring their own.
Booking via 01629 540478 or email enquiries@carsingtonwater.com
Pre requisites
Candidates must first be an RYA start windsurfing instructor and must fulfil the following criteria prior to the SI course:

• Minimum age 18;
• Evidence of two seasons full-time instructing as an RYA Windsurfing Start Instructor.
• Recommendation by a Principal of a Recognised Training Centre. 
• A valid first aid qualification (RYA small craft or equivalent). Service training is considered adequate.
• RYA Safety boat certificate

Racing Instructor endorsement
8+9 May 2010 @ Carsington Watersports
Cost £40.  The cost of this course is subsidised by the RYA.
Kit will be provided but people can also bring their own.
Booking via 01629 540478 or email enquiries@carsingtonwater.com

• Pre requisites
• Minimum of Start Windsurfing Instructor
• You must be in possession of a valid RYA Instructor Card to confirm your qualification is registered with the RYA. (If you have never received a card, please consult with the windsurfing trainer who ran your course)
• You must have experience of running at least 2-3 Start Windsurfing Courses prior to submitting a course booking form

(This course has replaced the T15 Coach course)

Regional Racing Rules Advisers programmes:
Winter 2009-2010

Would your club benefit from an evening talk from our regional rules advisor?    Further details here...

Two local sailors honoured in RYA National awards

Two local sailors have been honoured with Lifetime Commitment Awards by the RYA (Royal Yachting Association).

Dennis Altoft of Ripon Sailing Club and Ron Clark of the White Rose Sailing Association were presented with their awards by HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony in London last week.

Both men were nominated for their awards, in secret, by their respective committees.

“I was so surprised when I received the letter,” exclaimed Ron Clark. “I was the last person in the whole club to know!”

“Ron has been a member of the 50 year old White Rose Sailing Association (WRSA) for 40 years, by far the longest serving member,” explained Jenny Byers on behalf of the WRSA Committee. “Any problems at all, we always say “ask Ron” and he always understands the problem and what has to be done. We have come to rely on Ron as the ‘father’ of the club and many members do not realise just how much he does and has done over the years behind the scenes. Every successful club needs a ‘Ron’!”

Until recently, Ron’s dedication to the WRSA was mirrored by his wife Patricia who unfortunately died a few years ago. “I would very much like to pay tribute to my wife and the support she gave me over the years,” said Ron. “I would also like to thank Di Weatherall, the Commodore, and her committee. My sister accompanied me to the presentation and The Princess Royal was so nice and very welcoming.”

Dennis Altoft, from Ripon Sailing Club echoed Ron’s thanks. “I feel very honoured to have been nominated for the award. I’ve been a member of Ripon Sailing Club for 36 years, since it was just a wooden hut and at 77 years of age I hope I have many more years left to serve!”

“Dennis is a true gentleman,” said Ripon Vice Commodore Jenny Clark. “His enthusiasm is infectious and he is a mine of information. The fact that we have a continual flow of sailors, from novices through to our racing fleet, thereby keeping the club alive, is largely due to Dennis’s efforts. Despite being retired, he continues to devote his time and energy to the club and recently helped with a major club improvement project. In all, Dennis continues to do his bit, year after year. We’d be lost without him!”

Rod Carr, RYA Chief Executive said, “The RYA is delighted to make these awards to Ron and Dennis in recognition of their enthusiasm and promotion of our sport and their years of contribution to the region’s sailing scene. The work and voluntary time that all 49 RYA winners put into our sport is simply outstanding and it is my pleasure to recognise and celebrate this through these awards.”

Humber Mouth Yacht Club secretary receives national award

John Clegg, past Commodore, Training Principal and Secretary of the Humber Mouth Yacht Club, was presented with a Lifetime Commitment Award by the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) last week.

John, who in his own words, has been Secretary of the Humber Mouth Yacht Club for more years than he cares to remember, was nominated for his award in secret by the Club Committee.

“John has been involved with Humber Mouth Yacht Club for the past 42 years,” explained Club Commodore, Sue Culton. “During that time he has steered the club through quite a few changes, successfully established the sailing school and over the years has introduced hundreds of youngsters to the sport. In fact John is the main-stay of the club and he is passionately interested in training young people. He always gives generously of his time and he and his wife have worked tirelessly for the club and its members.”

The Commodore’s last comment was echoed by John himself after receiving the award from HRH The Princess Royal at the ceremony in London.

“I would very much like to thank everyone who I have worked with at the club over the years,” said John. “Receiving this award is truly a team honour. In particular my thanks go to my wife Kay who has been such a support, both to myself and to the club.”

Rod Carr, RYA Chief Executive said, “The RYA is delighted to make this award in recognition of John’s enthusiasm and promotion of our sport and many years’ contribution to the region’s sailing scene. The work and voluntary time that all 49 RYA winners put into our sport is simply outstanding and it is my pleasure to recognise and celebrate this through these awards.”

ONBOARD COMMITMENT AWARD FOR LOCAL SAILING OFFICER

Liz Wrigglesworth, from Crofton, Wakefield received one of the first ever RYA RS Sailing OnBoard Awards last week in recognition of her outstanding work as the Yorkshire RYA OnBoard Development Officer (ODO) at a special ceremony held at the Rose Bowl, Southampton.

Liz was awarded the ‘Commitment’ award, recognising her efforts to go the extra mile, working with sailing clubs and centres, involving and encouraging schools to take up the sport, and motivating volunteers. She has hosted a number of fun filled OnBoard festivals this year, even stepping in when two of these were outside the OB area she covers.

Liz, 22, oversees five local OnBoard sailing clubs in the area, providing young people ages eight to 18 with the opportunity to get into sailing and windsurfing.

“I am really pleased and proud to have won this award, which came as a complete surprise at the dinner,” said Liz. “Working as an ODO in Yorkshire can often be a challenge as we do not have a big sailing culture, but there are some great sailing clubs around and I enjoy working with them to raise the profile of sailing in the region. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to start sailing at a young age and it's great that I can now help give more young people that opportunity.”

Victoria Lenz, RYA OnBoard manager said: “The work done by the 30 OnBoard Development Officers across the country is pivotal to the programme and we have introduced these awards to recognise all the hard work the team put in to making it such a success. Liz is a dedicated and respected member of the team who presents an extremely positive example for OnBoard and the RYA. She always goes out of her way to help her clubs and ensures she is available to support them. She goes the extra mile to inspire people to get involved with sailing and windsurfing. Many of whom remain a permanent participant of the sport.”

The Commitment Award was one of three presented at the OB annual conference dinner; prizes were also awarded for Performance and Innovation. Proud sponsors of the awards were RS Sailing who presented the three winners with specially commissioned trophies to mark their achievements.  These perpetual trophies will go on to be presented to future winners of the RYA RS Sailing OnBoard Awards.

Goodison named Athlete of the Year at Skandia Team GBR awards

 
Britain’s sailors celebrated their bumper year in style at the fourth annual Skandia Team GBR Awards Dinner, held at the DeVere Hotel, Wokefield Park, on Friday (20 November), with Laser star Paul Goodison collecting the top prize of the evening.

The 31-year-old picked up the British Olympic Association’s Athlete of the Year Award for sailing after adding the World and European titles this year to his Olympic gold from Beijing, and remaining unbeaten in five of the six regattas he sailed in during 2009.

Both sailors and support staff were honoured at the event, celebrating the team’s achievements during 2009 which saw a total of 52 medals won at World and European Championships and ISAF Sailing World Cup events.

The first prize winners of the evening were announced by Trevor Hatton of team silver sponsor Accenture, who unveiled the winners of the ‘Accenture Rewards and Recognition Programme’ for 2009.

Now in its fourth year, this incentive scheme encourages Skandia Team GBR sailors and support staff to vote to decide which of them had  this year best displayed one of three of the team’s core values of ‘Passion’, ‘Committed to Excellence’ and ‘Gold Driven’.  Cash awards of £1,500 were up for grabs for the each of the four winners, and £500 each for the runners-up and the top-voted Development Squad sailor in each category.

Head Physiotherapist Chris Gordon picked up the overall prize for ‘Passion’, while Pete Cunningham, head of the Sports Science team, was chosen as the person most ‘Committed to Excellence’ for the fourth successive year, jointly claiming the prize this time with the team’s Technical Projects Manager Peter Bentley.

Nick Dempsey was voted as the most ‘Gold Driven’ of the team, chosen for his focus and determination in bouncing back from his fourth place in Beijing last year to claim the World Championship title in home waters in September.

RS:X Youth World Champion Izzy Hamilton was crowned Skandia Team GBR Development Squad Sailor of the Year, having been voted upon her peers as the sailor deemed most talented and committed.

The ‘Golden Funnel’ award for coaching excellence, was presented to Finn coach Matt Howard while the evening also saw performance bonus cheques handed out by RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park to numerous sailors who’d medalled at major regattas during 2009.

“The evening is really the one opportunity we take every year to celebrate the success of all our fantastic sailors – and indeed the support staff – but particularly the sailors,” explained Park on the significance of the evening for Skandia Team GBR.

“We’re often not very good at that – we spend the majority of the other 364 days of the year focusing on the little differences between winning and losing and trying to fill that gap.  But this is the one day a year we say let’s let our hair down, let’s celebrate the great success and also reward those who’ve brought home the medals and done such a fantastic job for Great Britain.

“We’ve ended the year on a high, and we’ve ended the year successfully and have certainly reinforced our position as being the top Olympic Classes sailing nation in the world.”

Check out video from the Skandia Team GBR Awards Dinner at www.skandiateamgbr.com

Full list of winners:
British Olympic Association Athlete of the Year:
Paul Goodison (Laser)

Skandia Team GBR Development Squad Sailor of the Year:
Izzy Hamilton (RS:X)

Accenture Rewards and Recognition Programme:
“Passion”
Winner:  Chris Gordon (Head Physiotherapist)
Runner-up: Harvey Hillary (49er coach)
Development Squad winner:  Alison Young (Laser Radial)

“Committed to Excellence”
Winners: Peter Cunningham (Head Sports Scientist) & Peter Bentley (Technical Projects Manager
Development Squad winner:  Alison Young (Laser Radial)

“Gold Driven”
Winner: Nick Dempsey (RS:X)
Runner-up: Paul Goodison (Laser)
Development Squad winner:  Mark Andrews (Finn)

‘Golden Funnel’ Award for Coaching Excellence
Matt Howard (Finn coach)

Performance bonuses presented to:
Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell – SKUD
(Gold – IFDS World Championships)

Paul Goodison – Laser
(Gold – World Championships; Gold – European Championships)

Luke Patience & Stuart Bithell - 470
(Silver – 470 World Championships)

John Pink & Rick Peacock – 49er
(Silver – 49er World Championships)

Nick Dempsey – RS:X
(Gold – RS:X World Championships)

Iain Percy & Andrew Simpson – Star
(Star European Championships)

Paul Brotherton & Mark Asquith – 49er
(Silver – 49er European Championships)

Ed Wright – Finn
(Bronze – Finn European Championship)

Nick Thompson – Laser
(Bronze – Laser World Championships)

Bryony Shaw – RS:X
(Bronze – RS:X European Championships)

Helena Lucas – 2.4mR
(Bronze – IFDS World Championships)

Dennis Altoft (Ripon Sailing Club) receives his award from HRH the Princess Royal, President of the RYA

HRH the Princess Royal, President of the RYA, presented the annual RYA Community and RYA Awards at the 2009 RYA AGM on Thursday 19 November
A total of 49 volunteer awards were presented to winners hailing from across the UK from as far afield as the Isle of Wight to Scotland.
Forty-nine Community Awards were projected across three categories recognising; Lifetime Commitment, Outstanding Contribution and Youth.
All the winners enjoyed a celebratory lunch and were presented with a commemorative medallion and certificate by HRH, The Princess Royal.
Rod Carr Chief Executive of the RYA said: “Every one of the Award winners has exceeded the reasonable expectations of their fellow volunteers, club members and the boating community in general and the amount of work they put in is outstanding. These people are an inspiration to us all and it is my pleasure to recognise and celebrate their sheer hard work and commitment through these awards.”

To see more about these awards and a short video of the event look here...

Climb OnBoard at Otley Sailing Club

Otley Sailing Club has been awarded the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Yorkshire OnBoard Club of the Year trophy for 2009 after a successful year of youth training.

As a climax to a fantastic sailing season, RYA OnBoard Development Officer, Liz Wrigglesworth, visited the final training day of the season and surprised all the sailors and volunteers by presenting them with the award. Liz said “This award is to recognise all the hard work of Otley Sailing Club’s instructors and volunteers. Without them the OnBoard scheme simply wouldn’t happen, and these young people wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go sailing. The whole club should be proud of what they have achieved this year.”

Following an OnBoard taster session at the beginning of the season for students from three local schools, the regular youth training club has been going from strength to strength with as many as 35 members attending.

“We run the "Otley Pirates" Youth Sailing Club on a Sunday Morning, explained Antony Cam, Club Training Officer. “The club is open to anyone who is confident in the water, regardless of age or ability, and is run under the RYA's OnBoard scheme.  All attendees receive instruction in sailing, in fun and safe sessions run by RYA Qualified Instructors and Volunteers.”

The youth club has seen so many new members this year that it has now been split into two sections. The newer members are developing their skills working through the RYA stages, whilst the more advanced sailors are moving on to race training with the hope that they will be able to progress on to club and regional racing.

The members of Otley SC hope to continue their good work next season. They plan to encourage more of their young sailors into club and squad racing, as well as integrating the OnBoard and Sailability schemes to allow more young disabled sailors to access the youth club.
Anyone interested in joining the fun at Otley can get OnBoard by visiting the club’s website at www.otley-sailingclub.co.uk or by contacting the RYA Yorkshire OnBoard Development Officer, Liz Wrigglesworth, on 07789 271810 (email: lwrigglesworth@wakefield.gov.uk)

Run by sailing’s National Governing Body, the RYA, OnBoard is a highly successful industry supported grass roots programme which seeks to make sailing easier to get into for young people. Over a ten year period the programme aims to introduce a minimum of 500,000 children to sailing in the UK, converting over 10% of them into regular participants. So far it’s nicely on track. For more information about how to get involved in sailing visit the RYA’s website www.rya.org.uk or the OnBoard website www.ruob.co.uk.

The Eric Twiname Memorial Trust and 'Start to Win'
Earlier this year, the Eric Twiname Memorial Trust was generously assigned the author's copyright of 'Start to Win', written by Eric Twiname in 1973. Out of print for over 20 years, Adlard Coles (now Adlard Coles Nautical, part of A & C Black Publishers) have recently republished this classic - now in its 3rd Edition and substantially re-designed, with a Foreward by Ben Ainslie and an
updated Rules section by Bryan Willis to accord with the 2009-2012 ISAF Rules.

Read more here...

currently on offer at Amazon.com

Fantastic achievements of our northern windsurfers in the recent RYA/UKWA National Windsurfing Championships held down in Weymouth at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy.

Special praise should go to 13yr old Robert York (pictured right) from Covenham Sailing Club who nailed the boys 6.8m class ahead of stiff competition.

The competition took place over the 31st Oct/1st Nov and the winds on the second day made further racing impossible, therefore the results of the classes were decided by the races on the saturday.

From my post last week you will notice that our regional "Ones to Watch" were:

RS-X Youth under 19 (class places in brackets)
George Bowles - North Lincs (4th overall, 3rd men under 20 and 1st place RSX Youth)
Connor Bainbridge - Halifax (12th overall, 7th men under 20 and 5th RSX Youth male)
Cloe Bennett - Rotherham (20th overall, 6th place female under 20 and 6th RSX Youth female)

7.8m Techno (class places in brackets)
Joe Bennett - Rotherham (8th overall and 6th boys under 17
Luke Raistrick - Wakefield (2nd overall and 2nd boys under 17)

6.8m Techno (class places in brackets)
Emma Labourne - North Lincs (8th overall and 2nd place under 15 female)
Max Bushell - North Lincs (3rd overall and 3rd place boys under 15)
Robert York - Covenham (1st overall and 1st place boys under 15)
Robert Griffiths - North Lincs (5th overall and 4th place boys under 15)

Fantastic results. In all, 40 competitors took part in the combined Techno fleet and well over 100 competitors took part in the event in total.

Robert York
Picture credit Jon Parker (RYA)

Young powerboating enthusiasts from around the UK will be taking part in the national finals of the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship on Sunday 13th September at the Southampton Boat Show.

Among the competitors in this fantastic competition will be the regional winners from last month’s RYA Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Final.

In the regional final back in August, 12 year old Alex Almond from Brough became the region’s junior Honda RIB Champion and he will compete at Southampton for the first time in the Junior final against other 8 to 12 yr olds from around the UK.
In the Youth Class, 16 year old Daniel Walton from Goole won the Regional Youth Class and he will also be travelling down to Southampton with his eye on winning the national prize for the youth class (13 to 16 yr olds).

Each age group will be racing for the coveted champion’s title as well as one of two 4.8m Ribcraft RIB powerboat with a 50hp Honda four stroke engine complete with an Indespension trailer and Icom IC-M505 VHF radio – one complete RIB package for each class.

Each competitor needs to manoeuvre around a pre-set course in the quickest time, which includes elements such as man over board, reversing around a buoy and high speed boat handling, testing their skill, control as well as speed. Any mistake could incur a time penalty meaning the difference between the title and coming in amongst the field.

Andrew Norton, RYA Motor Cruising Projects Manager and Event Director said: “There has been some exceptional talent take to the water throughout the competition this year so I’m expecting some fierce competition and exciting races across both classes at the final.”

The 2009 champion will be named at the winner’s presentation held on the Honda stand (C62) at 18.00, where the winners will receive their prizes, presented to them by Honda UK’s National Sales Manager Steve Morris and the RYA’s Deputy Chairman Tom Blackburn. Jason Purvey, Sales and Marketing Director for Ribcraft and representatives from Icom and Indespension will also be on hand to congratulate the champions.

Now in its eighth year the Championship allows youngsters to demonstrate their skills as expert boat handlers and improve their skills in a safe, controlled environment. To ensure safety at all times each child is accompanied in the RIB by a competent adult/instructor.
Thanks to Championship sponsors Honda, Ribcraft, ICOM and Indespension Trailers.
For more information about the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship, details on how to get involved and a list of regional finals scores visit www.rya.org.uk

For more information, please call Liz King (RYA Yorkshire & Humberside PR Communicator) on 07850 819804 or email liz@visiblemedia.uk.com

Goodison takes first World Championship gold

Sailing Olympic champion Paul Goodison has added a long-awaited first World Championship title to his belt, claiming an emphatic gold at the Laser Worlds which drew to a close in Halifax, Canada, on Wednesday (26 August).

In spite of losing two days of the six day event – one day with too much wind courtesy of Hurricane Bill, the next with too little – the 31-year-old kept his cool throughout to add the world title to his Olympic and European crowns. 

More images of the Championships can be found here...

Yorkshire Centre of the Royal Meteorological Society -If you are interested in attending this talk please register for a place on this website.  There are a limited number of places available, so early registration is advisable.
The first speaker is BBC's Paul Hudson, on 26 November 2009.  The future programme is still very much in its infancy, but topics that have been proposed include climate change, gardening and weather, sea breezes and cloud formation, weather and art and weather and photography.  Other possible talks include climate/meteorology relating to buildings, energy and observations.
We are intending to cover a wide range of weather related topics and hopefully some of your members (or their family/friends) will find one or more of them of interest. We are pitching the level at the old 'Horizon' level (A-level or first year degree) which people should find well within their grasp. 

If we can get enough attendances from the sailing world there is a good possibility of getting talks more specific to sailing; weather and sport, forecasting, reading the weather from the sky, etc, so please encourage your members to attend.

Are you a Level 2 Race Coach who is interested in becoming a Dinghy Senior Instructor?

There has always been a pathway from Race Coach to SI, however attending an SI Course having only completed the race coach training is a big step for most people. SI course attendees are usually experienced Dinghy instructors however we realise that attending a five day course is a big commitment and not always viable for those volunteers working in clubs.

A Senior Instructor can be Chief Instructor at an RYA Training Centre and as such supervises and manages instructors delivering sessions from the RYA Schemes. The RYA is putting on two day bridging Course that will help Race Coaches learn more about Training Centre operations and most importantly about the sessions that a Dinghy Instructor delivers from the National and Youth Sailing Schemes. This course is designed to assess the differences in knowledge and help fill any gaps. At the end of the course you will receive guidance as to the nexts steps to SI.

The course will be taking place at Grafham Water centre on the 19th/20th September. Places are limited (minimum numbers will be required to make the course viable), but if interested please submit a basic sailing/coaching CV (Contacts Below) and a covering letter detailing why you would like to become an SI. The deadline for this is 1st September. The course will cost £100 and will include coaching, use of facilities, equipment and resources, all meals and accomodation on the Saturday night. If you are involved in developing adult sailing at your club you may be able to ask your Regional Development Officer if there is any funding available to subsidise the course cost.

It’s time for the
RYA York’s & HumberEnd of Season BLAST!

It's a fun informal training day for all RYA Dinghy and Windsurf Instructors

Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club
Saturday the 17th of October 2009
(10am – 4pm)

Get some personal skills input from Top Coaches
Try out different boats & boards
Meet other instructors
It’s your End of Season REWARD

All that for just £5 and that includes your lunch!
There are LIMITED PLACES so book now so you don’t miss the fun
Booking forms must be in by the 5th of October 2009

A great opportunity not to be missed – see you there!

Poster (PDF)    Booking form (PDF)    Programme (PDF)

Regional courses - Sptember 2009 onwards

For courses at Pugneys Country Park please contact: Pugneys directly 01924 302360  pugneyscp@wakefield.gov.uk
For all other courses please contact: Suzie Blair:  RYA Development Officer - North East and Yorkshire 07771 642933 suzie.blair@rya.org.uk

Wake up and get onboard
Ten young sailors from the Wakefield and Featherstone area had a great time when they took part in the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Yorkshire OnBoard Festival and visited the National School Sailing Association Regatta at Bridlington.

The youngsters, from RYA OnBoard partnership clubs and schools including Pugneys Country Park Sailing Centre, West Riding Sailing Club and St Thomas’ Junior School, learned about tides and waves and how the wind affects the sea.
After watching the start of the regatta it was time for the Wakefield youngsters to take to the water in Wayfarers and Teras, and for all of them this was their first taste of sailing on the sea, a big leap from Pugneys Country Park!
Although the aim of the visit was to gently introduce the youngsters into sailing a few informal prizes were awarded!
On Monday ‘Wettest sailor of the day’ went to Daniel Thompson aged 9 from Normanton who has sailed at Pugneys Country Park Junior Club for the past year after attending a summer holiday course at the centre.
Following that, on Tuesday ‘Best wave surf in a Tera’ went to Daniel Watson aged 10 from Featherstone, who started sailing in September 2008 with St Thomas’ school through the school’s OnBoard programme.

“This was the first OnBoard festival in the Yorkshire region and all the participants and instructors had a fantastic time,” said Liz Wrigglesworth, the RYA Yorkshire OnBoard Development Officer. “It was a great opportunity for the young sailors to get a taste of a large National Regatta, hopefully it has given them something to aspire to in the future.”

Run by sailing’s National Governing Body, the RYA, OnBoard is a highly successful industry supported grass roots programme which seeks to make sailing easier to get into for young people. Over a ten year period the programme aims to introduce a minimum of 500,000 children to sailing in the UK, converting over 10% of them into regular participants. So far it’s nicely on track. For more information about how to get involved in sailing visit the RYA’s website www.rya.org.uk or the OnBoard website www.ruob.co.uk.

Attached photographs:
Image 1 - Participants at start of day 1, Left to Right back row: Tom Robinson, Sam Jackson, Middle row: Fiona Sharples, Tom Hill, Morgan Cerrone, Nicola Dinsdale, Caroline Goldsbrough, Front row: Daniel Thompson, Abigail Yare, Hannah Thompson, Edward Yare
Image 2 - Tom Hill and Nicola Dinsdale in a Tera
Image 3 - Pippa Nottingham, Elena Trowsdale, George Fealy and instructor Tim Dean in the wayfarer

Goodison makes it five in a row at Laser Europeans

Olympic sailing gold medallist Paul Goodison staked a confident claim ahead of this month’s Laser World Championship by clinching his fifth straight European title in Sweden today (Saturday 8 August).

The 31-year-old from Rotherham notched up a convincing win after six days racing in Landskrona, bouncing back from a disappointing opening day where he was disqualified for a premature start in race one, to claim overall victory.

The Skandia Team GBR sailor is now unbeaten on the international circuit since taking gold at the Beijing Olympic Games a year ago, winning his comeback event at the French leg of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in April, before adding further World Cup titles to his belt in Holland and Kiel in May and June prior to his latest European success.

“I was surprised at how early after coming back after my break after the Games that I started getting back to winning again,”  Goodison explained, “and when you’re sailing well that obviously helps with the confidence. “

Of his Europeans performance, he recalled: “I was pretty annoyed after the first day here when I was black flagged in the first race and then dropped from fourth to eighth in the second race.  I gave myself a kick up the backside and refocused and managed to sail pretty well for the rest of the week to get a good lead heading into the last day today.

“I didn’t sail particularly well today I did enough to keep off the Croatian and the Cypriot who were the only ones who could beat me, so I’m pretty chuffed and it’s great to be European Champion again.”

Goodison has a quick turnaround in the UK before heading out to Canada early next week in preparation for the World Championship, where he’s hopeful his form will continue.

“Since coming back from the Games, the Worlds has been the one win I’ve really wanted and the whole year has been geared towards preparing for that,” Goodison explained.

“Although I can’t go there thinking that the title’s mine, I’m pretty happy with the way I’m sailing so there’s no reason not to be confident of doing well there.”

Lymington’s Nick Thompson also scored a top five finished for Skandia Team GBR at the Laser Europeans, while RYA Volvo National Youth Squad sailor Robert Holmes won the Under 19 Laser European title, with fellow youth sailor Alex Mills-Barton second.

Meanwhile, up the Swedish coast in Varberg, Skandia Team GBR’s John Gimson and Ed Greig finished their first ever Star World Championship on Saturday in 29th place out of the competitive 86 boat fleet.  USA’s George Szabo and Rick Peters took the World Championship title.

For full results from the Laser European Championship, visit http://www.nordicweek.se/resultat_2009.asp, or http://www.giveandgo.se/vss/racing_results.asp for the Star World Championship final standings.

For all the latest news on Skandia Team GBR’s sailors in action around the world visit www.skandiateamgbr.com

RYA Club and Coach conference 5th or 6th December 2009

The RYA Club and Coach Conferences are aimed at all those with an interest in or involved in delivering, planning or coordinating club training, racing and coaching for both juniors and adults.To reserve a place go to www.ryaracingevents.org.uk and follow the link on the left hand side for coaching courses.  You can then fill in an online application for the conference of your choice
The conference should inspire committees, active volunteers and coaches with new ideas to start planning their next season's programme.
There will be updates from your RYA High Performance Manager and RYA Regional Development Officers on what is new including essential information for your club on any funding available.
There will be a choice of workshops so you can select the one most relevant to your needs and guest speakers on specialist topics.
It is also an opportunity for coaches to revalidate their Level 2 Racing Coach Certificate.
It is free to Volvo RYA Champion Clubs or for clubs working with their Regional Development Officer/Regional Club Coach to develop adult participation; otherwise it will be £10 per person.
The conferences will run from 10.00 to 16.00
(click the image to download the poster)

Team15 – North Zone final at Covenham – Sunday 12th July

For the final time this summer, young windsurfers from all over the North of England will compete in the RYA North Zone Team15 event. The fleet will collect at Covenham Reservoir (between Grimsby and Louth) this weekend for the deciding event, to see which club takes the RYA North Zone Team15 Championship 2009.
For more details and to gain access to the club please call Derrick Hall at Covenham Sailing & Windsurfing Club on 07795 397874 or email derrickhall@hotmail.com

RYA Team15 Windsurfing Competition 2009 - North Lincs Invaders leave the fleet in their wake

Round three

The Derwent Devils welcomed the Team15 fleet to Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club on Sunday 28th June for the third event in the four match series. This was the first Team15 event ever to be held at the Reservoir and some members of the fleet had difficulty finding the correct county never mind the right lake! However, everyone arrived safely, to one of the windiest sailing clubs in England; on Sunday however, the wind chose to have an off-day. Despite the light winds, grey skies and drizzle the competitors had a fantastic weekend, training and racing, thanks to the hospitality of Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club.

Despite a variety of holiday and exam commitments, 44 youngsters (all 15yrs and under) took part, separated into classes by sail size. As usual, the biggest fleet was in the 3.5m class with eighteen young windsurfers all battling to be first. Six members of the newly formed Derwent Devils took part in this class, ranging in age from eight year old Charlie Tose, the youngest member of the Team15 fleet, up to fourteen year old Izzy Bolt and Lottie Philips. The winner of the 3.5m fleet was eleven year old Oliver Anderson from Pugneys Pirates, winning four out of the five races. Oliver was chased in every race by Jacob Newton and Lewis Russell from North Lincs Invaders.

The competition in the larger sail classes was equally well fought, especially in the 4.5m class, with the North Lincs Invaders scoring a clean sweep from 1st to 5th place. First and second places in this class were separated by just one point between 12yr old Charlotte Seal and the eventual winner, 11yr old Jordan Houran. Max Bushell continued the winning form for North Lincs by winning the 6.8m class but the Invaders did not have it all their own way and the crown in the 5.5m class went to 13yr old Kathryn Durham from Pugneys Pirates.

For the third time in the series the team prize went to North Lincs Invaders who are now leaving the other North Zone Team15 clubs in their wake. With one more event left in the four match series the North Zone 2008 Team15 Champions look invincible in 2009.

The next round of the RYA North Zone Team15 championship moves to the far south of the zone in July, when the competition calls in at Covenham Reservoir, Lincolnshire on Sunday 12th July

RYA Team15 results
Derwent Reservoir (to 5th place)

3.5m
1.  Oliver Anderson                             Pugneys Pirates
2.  Lewis Rssell                                    Nth Lincs Invaders
3.  Jacob Newton                                 Nth Lincs Invaders
4.  Benjamin Calvert                            Pugneys Pirates
5.  Jack Dunn                                      Nth Lincs Invaders

4.5m
1.  Jordan Houran                                Nth Lincs Invaders
2.  Charlotte Seal                                 Nth Lincs Invaders
3.  Jack Lennon                                   Nth Lincs Invaders
4.  Ben Welch                                      Nth Lincs Invaders
5.  Max Butler                                      Nth Lincs Invaders

5.5m
1.  Kathryn Durham                             Pugneys Pirates
2.  Robert Griffiths                              Nth Lincs Invaders
3.  Lewis May                                      Nth Lincs Invaders
4.  Noah Knapton                                Derwent Devils
5.  Alex Baldock                                  Covenham Cyclones

6.8m
1.  Max Bushell                                   Nth Lincs Invaders
2.  Joe Dickinson                                 Covenham Cyclones
3.  Luke Raistrick                                Pugneys Pirates
4.  Robert York                                    Covenham Cyclones 
5.  Tom Harding                                  Pugneys Pirates

Supported by industry leaders Neilson, Tushingham/Starboard, Windsurf magazine, Boards magazine and Neil Pryde, T15 was set up by the RYA to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grass roots level. Fun and informal training sessions take place at T15 clubs all over the country for kids up to the age of 15, which are run weekly by specialist RYA coaches. The T15 inter-club championship takes place regionally over the summer adding a competitive edge and race training for those keen to hone their skills. Kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low – to find your local club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400.

DINGHY INSTRUCTOR TRAINING COURSE

20 – 24TH July 2009

SAILING AT GRIMWITH RESERVOIR IN THE HEART OF THE YORKSHIRE DALES

 AND STAYING AT BEWERLEY PARK CENTRE FOR OUTDOOR EDUCATION

COST £320 (includes food and accommodation)

Pre entry assessment planned for Fri 26th June (pm)

Please apply as soon as possible to erica.caswell@northyorks.gov.uk
Tel: 01423 711287 (day)/ 01423 712154 (evening)

RYA Yorkshire & Humber Yearbook   PDF version for download

RYA INTRODUCES NEW TEAM15 AMBASSADORS

In a bid to encourage even more youngsters to sign up to Team15 (T15) and to help in the education of young sailors, many of whom are new to windsurfing and windsurfing competition, the RYA has signed up ‘Team15 Ambassadors’.

The new ambassadors are made up of youngsters from the RYA Zone Squads, who typically range between eight and 15 years old and are tasked with helping develop their Team15 club by promoting Team15 and the RYA pathway and Zone Squad programme to other young sailors.

The ambassadors will also represent the RYA at Team15 inter-club events and act as a point of contact for the sailors who may have questions about the zone squad and other training opportunities.

One of the new ambassadors from the RYA North zone squad and has been a member of Team15 for three years said: “I am 11 years old and love windsurfing. Being a member of the RYA North Zone Squad I feel there are lots of skills that I can pass on to my Team15 friends. I am happy to help out and get involved promoting the Team15 initiative to others; I have already introduced 4 new children to come and join our Team15 club this spring.”

Gillian Wright, RYA Windsurfing Development Officer said: “The ambassadors are a great way for the youngsters to share their skills and knowledge with other young sailors.  All the kids taking part as so enthusiastic, but with some events having 50 plus competitors they are going to have their work cut out for them.”

The first Team15 Ambassadors were presented with their certificates and specially designed rash vests at a recent Zone Squad training weekend.  The ambassadors included:

Rob Griffiths               (North Lincs Invaders)
Robert York               (Covenham Cyclones)
Lewis May                 (North Lincs Invaders)
Jack Bailey                (Team Astbury)
Emma Labourne      (North Lincs Invaders)
Max Bushell              (North Lincs Invaders)
Ruben Lansley        (North Lincs Invaders)
James Bloor              (Team Astbury)
Ben Stone                 (Team Astbury)
Catriona Hards         (Hythe Hotshots)
Cameron Moffatt      (Bewl Blasters)
Jack Trollope            (Alton Water Wipeouts)
Matthew Barton        (Alton Water Wipeouts)
Emily Hall                  (Notts County Outlaws)
Sarah Jackson         (Team Astbury)
Luke Raistrick           (Pugneys Pirates)
Rich Wardle              (Team Astbury)

So if you’re a windsurfer in one of the RYA Zone Squads and would like to apply to become a Team15 ambassador, then email team15@rya.org.uk for an application form.

T15 was set up by the RYA to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grass roots level and is supported by industry leaders Neilson, Tushingham/Starboard, Windsurf magazine, Boards magazine and Neil Pryde.  Fun and informal training sessions take place at T15 clubs all over the country for kids up to the age of 15, which are run weekly by specialist RYA coaches. Kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low.

The T15 inter-club championship takes place regionally over the summer adding a competitive edge and race training for those keen to hone their skills.

To find out how you or your local club can get involved in Team15 visit: www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400.

Windwise Live Tour 2009!

Simon Bornhoft Boards Magazine Technique Editor
Architect of ‘Fastfwd’ the RYA coaching methodology for improver to advanced windsurfers.
Author of RYA Intermediate & RYA Advanced Windsurfing books
 
Windwise Live 2009!

Simon Bornhoft invites you to a unique interactive audio-visual windsurfing seminar show at a fabulous location near you this summer!
 
A special night of pure windsurfing indulgence! Don’t miss this illuminating, informative and entertaining evening.
From beginners to waves sailors this is a must for all windsurfers! This summer evening will give you an interactive, insightful and very enjoyable night hosted by one of the worlds most experienced coaches.
 
You’ll discovery how YOU really learn new skills! Find out what ‘Secrets of the Pros’ are actually useful for the recreational windsurfer!
Windsurfing myths and mysteries expelled! Interactive sessions on what truly makes the difference on the water.
Skills Training, Body Mechanics and a fresh motivating approach to your windsurfing!

Plus all attendees will get their own personal progress plan and much, much more!

Are YOU up for the challenge and ready to bring YOUR windsurfing alive in 2009!

Why not bring a friend and introduce someone new to windsurfing!

download the details here

RYA Dinghy Performance Sailing Module – for Dinghy Instructors
09:30 – 17:00
These weekends are intended for Dinghy Instructors to aid with their personal skills development and work towards becoming an Advanced Instructor. The course is heavily subsidised by the RYA so it’s a bargain at only £50 plus vat!

1. 27 & 28 June                       Pugneys Country Park                  pugneyscp@wakefield.gov.uk or 01924 302360

2. 18 & 19 July                         Rother Valley Water Sports        watersports@rvcp.co.uk or 0114 2471452 ext 1

3. 15 & 16 August                   Wykeham Watersports                info@wykehamwatersports.co.uk or 0845 4560164 

4. 12 & 13 September           Venue TBC                                        Depends upon demand...                       

Places are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment – Booking form and course fee to be sent to RDO
For further information please contact David Clarke: OneDBClarke@aol.com

Please download, complete and return your booking form to secure your place:
booking form Pugneys    booking form Rother Valley      booking form Wykeham

Rotherham youngster sails to RYA Eric Twiname glory

Young Wingfield windsurfer Chloe Bennett is celebrating after landing a top prize at the 2009 RYA Eric Twiname Championships – one of Britain’s biggest events for the country’s brightest junior sailing talents.

Now in their 23rd year, the Championships are the pinnacle of the racing calendar for the RYA Zone and Home Country squads, which are the first rung on the ladder towards Olympic Classes sailing.

Some 226 sailors – all aged between eight and 15 and representing the nine RYA Zone and Home Country squads - descended on Rutland Water this weekend (9-10 May) in a bid to help their Zone land the coveted Eric Twiname Shield and be named the top RYA Zone.

And 15-year-old Chloe enjoyed an excellent weekend winning the top girls’ trophy for the Bic Techno 7.8 class. Her victory also meant that Chloe helped her Zone, the North Zone, to third place overall in the race for the Eric Twiname Shield.

Although breezes of 15 plus knots guaranteed a cracking first day of racing on Saturday, the wind wasn’t quite so willing to play ball on Sunday and with no further racing possible on day two the overnight leaders in the dinghy and windsurfing classes were crowned 2009 RYA Eric Twiname champions.    

Duncan Truswell, RYA Youth Racing Manager, said: “The standard of racing on Saturday was the highest I have seen at this event for some years. In some shifty, gusty winds, sometimes over 20 knots, all the sailors did really well to hang in there and keep focussed for the full four races and it was great to see the level of skill being displayed.

“This is testament to the work the sailors have put in with their coaches over the winter and the fact that the RYA Eric Twiname Championships is held in such high regard by everyone. I was really impressed this weekend.”

John Derbyshire, RYA Racing Manager / Performance Director added: “The RYA Eric Twiname Championships are a fundamental rung in the development ladder for the young sailors, some of whom will have started at the absolute grassroots through the RYA’s OnBoard and Team15 programmes and for those who we hope will eventually go on to represent Britain as seniors at the World’s biggest Olympic Classes regattas.”

Full results and further event information can be found at the RYA Racing Events website at www.ryaracingevents.org.uk

North Lincs SC - RYA Club of the year award  
Windsurfers from North Lincs played a major part in the regions recent Twiname success:
Bic Techno 4.5
1) James Bloor (Astbury)
2) Sarah Labourne (North Lincolnshire & Humberside SC)
3) Cameron Coghill (Nottinghamshire County SC)
Winning Zone: West
Bic Techno 5.5
1) Henry Bloodworth (Queen Mary SC)
2) Ruben Lansley (North Lincolnshire & Humberside SC)
3)  Guy Dixon (Oxford SC)
Winning Zone: South East
Bic Techno 6.8
1) Emma Labourne (North Lincolnshire & Humberside SC)
2) Max Bushell (North Lincolnshire & Humberside SC)
3) Zak Page (Croft Farm)
Winning Zone: North
Bic Techno 7.8
1) Tom Squires (Oxford SC)
2) Chloe Bennett (N/A)
3) Thomas Addison (Hythe & Saltwood SC)
Winning Zone: South East
Windsurfing overall winning Zone:
1) South East
2) North
3) South West

RYA Sailability Disability Awareness Training Day

It’s FREE to everyone involved in working with anyone with a disability at a club or centre. This is a great opportunity to break down the barriers on disability access and find out current best practice techniques. 

Saturday 6th of June at Otley Sailing Club (09:30 – 15:00)
Please contact Peter Fox to book on: Hyginbarwick@aol.com  0113 257 8411
Directions: http://www.otley-sailingclub.co.uk/location.htm

          RYA Sailability: Making disability plain sailing! www.rya.org.uk/sailability

Meet your County Sports Partnership (Reminder)

Dont miss this great opportunity to find out how your local CSP can help support your club this season.
All Clubs and Centres are invited to attend this meeting, refreshments and a light buffet will be available, please arrive at 18:45 for a prompt 19:00 start.

A maximum of 2 delegates per club are invited, please confirm your attendance at least 3 days prior

Agenda

• Who is your CSP and how can they help you

• Local funding advice

• Support in promoting your club

• Sport England’s Active People and Market Segment data

• Coach CPD courses

• Future working relationship
  
  Agenda and meeting dates in this PDF grouping and meeting location in this PDF

The first “Themed Round” of funding form Sport England’s 09-13 Strategy is Rural Communities:
New Fund to Promote Sports in Rural Areas
Sport England has announced that its new £10 million fund to create sporting opportunities for people in rural areas is now open for applications. This is the first in a series of themed funding rounds aimed at increasing community based sports. The Rural Communities Themed Round is designed to give a wide range of organisations, from local authorities to sports clubs and smaller community groups, an opportunity to develop and deliver new and innovative projects to overcome barriers to both participation and supply of sporting opportunities. Successful bids will make significant contributions to two of Sport England’s strategic outcomes:
·         Growing participation in grassroots sport.
·         Sustaining participation by improving the quality of people’s sporting experience.
The minimum grant available is £10,000, but in order to maximise the positive effect on sport in rural areas, Sport England is explicitly encouraging high value, high impact projects. A significant proportion of the successful bids are expected to be projects requiring National Lottery funding of more than £500,000. A detailed application prospectus for the Rural Communities Themed Round is available on Sport England’s website.
The closing date for applications is 30th June 2009.
http://funding.sportengland.org/funding_programmes/rural_communities1.aspx

Sport England Strategy        Sport England information pack       Sport England in the community

• Sport England Strategy – gives you an overview of their 09-13 strategy identifying the priority areas – GROW - SUSTAIN – EXCEL
• Sport England Information pack for Sailing -  breaks down the data from the Active People 1 survey in relation to GROW & SUSTAIN
• SE Funding in the community -  explains further their new funding streams
• Rural Communities Themed Round – this is the press release launching the first “Themed Round”
• Q&A Rural Communities Themed Round – More information on the first Themed Round
  

RYA Press Release

14 April 2009
Less than week remaining to enter 2008 RYA Youth Nationals
Bowles & Masters vie for RYA Volvo Youth Nationals supremacy at Largs 

The battle for windsurfing supremacy is hotting up as George Bowles and Ali Masters sit neck and neck in pole position after day two of the RYA Volvo Youth National Championships and Trials at Largs Sailing Club.

With blustery, wet conditions testing the sailors to the max, it was 16-year-old Bowles from Brigg that enjoyed the best return from today’s three RS:X races (Tues 14 April) to ensure that 2008 European RS:X Youth silver medallist Masters was not going to have everything his own way in the Youth Nationals gold quest.

With Masters, 17, heading the overnight leaderboard, Bowles posted scores of 2, 2, 1 to Masters’ 3, 1, 2 to put them level on nine points apiece after five races.

However, Bowles, who only stepped up to the RS:X board from the smaller Bic Techno last September, is not getting carried away by his early regatta success.

He said: “I’m definitely really pleased with the way things have gone so far; my goal for the week was just to try to do the basics right. It was very gusty today and my consistency is probably the thing that’s pleased me most so far and that’s what I’ll be looking to carry on for the rest of the week. My first event on the RS:X board was only last September so I have surpassed my expectations after the first two days but we’re not even halfway through yet and there is still a long week ahead.”

To keep up-to-date with all the news as it happens in Largs visit www.ryaracingevents.org.uk and sign up for the new results email alerts to get the latest results straight to your inbox and via the popular Youth Nationals blog.

Backing Sport in your Community
Sport England launched its new Small Grants Programme on the 1st of April, and an enhanced version of the popular Sportsmatch scheme
Read more here....

Keeping you up to date with events and news from around the Y&H region:
RYA Yorkshire and Humberside newsletter Spring 2009 click here to download or view (pdf file opens in a new window)

National Multi Class Regatta 2009 - August 14th - 16th - Rutland SC more details here.

West Yorkshire Generic Coach Education Programme    Course list   Booking form

Windsurf Senior Instructor Course
When:  22nd - 25th May
Where: Pugneys Country Park

RYA Disability Awareness Training
On Saturday the 23th of May at Otley Sailing Club and On Sunday the 24th of May at Calvert Trust Kielder we will be running the RYA Disability Awareness Training Course.This is FREE and open to anyone with an involvement in training anyone with a disability at their club or Centre, a great way to get up to date advice and support. For more info please contact Suzie Blair, RDO
Mobile: 07771 642933
E-mail:   suzie.blair@rya.org.uk

Funding Opportunities 09-13
Sport England have announced their new funding strategy which focuses on three key areas of development:
Grow
New regular sailing participants (youth & adult)
Sustain
Supporting existing regular participants (youth & adult)
Excel
Improved talent development (primarily youth)
Sports clubs, voluntary and community organisations, local authorities and education establishments will be able to apply to these four open-access funding streams:
Up to £30 million will be invested via regular themed funding rounds that meet specific needs of community sport
£7 million will be available in small grants of between £300 and £10,000 to support sporting projects across England
£3 million will be distributed through Sportsmatch
£5 million will be invested, through a new Innovation Fund, in projects that identify and pilot new ways of promoting and supporting grassroots sport
Where do you fit in? For more information go to: www.sportengland.org  Go to ‘Get Funding’ and then ‘How funding works.’
Also contact your local County Sports Partnership for information on local funding and advice:

Meet your County Sports Partnership

Don’t miss this great opportunity to find out how your local CSP can help support your club this season. All Clubs and Centres are invited to attend this meeting, refreshments and a light buffet will be available, please arrive at 18:45 for a prompt 19:00 start.

A maximum of 2 delegates per club are invited, please confirm your attendance at least 3 days prior

Agenda

• Who is your CSP and how can they help you
• Local funding advice
• Support in promoting your club
• Sport England’s Active People and Market Segment data
• Coach CPD courses
• Future working relationships
•  

Laser Northern GP - Download the events listing here... (xls file)

RYA Raymarine Yorkshire and Humberside Young Sailor of the Year title 2008

Dean Crangle, winner of the RYA Raymarine Yorkshire and Humberside Young Sailor of the Year title 2008, was presented with his prestigious award at a ceremony at the London Boat Show last week. A fantastic achievement for the 16 year old who received his award for his hard work at Thornton Stewart Sailing Club.

Get OnBoard with Pugneys!

Pugneys Country Park Watersports Centre held its annual prize-giving on Saturday 13th December and became the surprise recipient of an award itself!

RYA (Royal Yachting Association) OnBoard Development Officer Liz MacDonald presented Centre Manager Steve Cerrone with the Yorkshire Regional OnBoard Achievement Award for the Centre’s work with young people in the region.

“The RYA OnBoard scheme works with a number of clubs across the region but Pugneys was the first to get started,” explained Liz MacDonald. “Over the past summer Pugneys alone has introduced over 300 new youngsters to the sport of sailing and 20 of these youngsters are now regular attenders at the Pugneys sailing and windsurfing club.”

“We are very pleased to be the recipient of the RYA OnBoard Achievement Award and to be recognised for the work we do as a team at Pugneys,” said Steve Cerrone after the award ceremony. “I would like to pay tribute to all the parents and staff who make it all possible, especially at the Saturday Club, and most importantly the young sailors. This year has been particularly successful for Pugneys and we have current and past young sailors and windsurfers who are now members of National Training Squads but perhaps the biggest congratulations should go to Helen and Sarah Burgess who won the 405 National Championships earlier this summer. This year our young windsurfers have travelled as far afield as the Scottish borders and the dinghy sailors have competed in events across the country from Weymouth to Scotland. Fantastic achievements all round.”

Ward Councillor June Drysdale agreed and supported the RYA OnBoard Achievement Award, “The facilities and the commitment of the staff here at Pugneys are fantastic. Everyone has the children at heart.”

These feelings were echoed by Mrs Kate Earp whose son Matt has just completed his Dinghy Instructor Course at the centre. “I would like to say how wonderful the facilities are and most importantly how great the staff are.”

Plaques were presented to every team member in the Junior Windsurfing and Sailing sections and then the climax of the award ceremony came when the names of the Overall Winners of the Windsurfing and Sailing sections were revealed.

The RYA Team15 Cadet of the Year award went to 10 year old Matthew Carey from Halifax who attends Bradford Grammer School.

“Choosing one overall winner was very difficult,” said Windsurfing Team15 Instructor Roy Peacock. “Matthew’s personality and his ability to mix in with the other team members were most important.”

Pugneys Dinghy Cadet of the Year was 16 year old Robert Gair from Wakefield who attends Queen Elizabeth Grammer School.

“This year the Dinghy award could have gone to an one of four or five candidates,” said Pugneys Dinghy Instructor Tim Dean. “In the end it came down to personality and Robert’s encouragement to others and his willingness to help.”

“Coming here to Pugneys is great fun,” said Robert. “I have just completed my RYA Assistant Dinghy Instructor Course and next summer I hope to do my Instructor Course.”

This comes on top of Robert’s packed summer schedule which includes completing his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award on board a Tall Ship in 2009.

Pugneys Country Park Watersports Centre is open all year except Christmas week and attracts young people from Wakefield and the surrounding area, some from as far afield as Doncaster and York. Everyone is welcome.

“We will be working with more local schools in 2009,” explained RYA OnBoard Development Officer Liz MacDonald. “Any teachers or Partnership Development Managers who want further information can get in touch.”

Call Liz MacDonald on 07789 271810 or visit www.ruob.co.uk for more information.

Bewerly Park & Gybe to OnBoard

Bewerly Park & Gybe to OnBoard
Bewerly Park Centre for Outdoor Education in partnership with the volunteer ran ‘Gybe Scheme’ have just become OnBoard in North Yorkshire.
Sailing and windsurfing at Ripon Race course, Farnham Lake and Grimwith Reservoir, in the Yorkshire Dales the partnership have been working together to get more local young people afloat.

Becoming OnBoard has encouraged them get to also RYA recognition for windsurfing and in turn to introduce more structure to their regular sessions, helping children to work through the Junior Windsurfing and Youth Sailing Scheme’s. They have also been able to purchase more buoyancy aids and wetsuits for the younger children and new windsurf boards to help the budding windsurfer’s progress and develop their skills further.

Since signing up to OnBoard the ‘Park & Gybe’ partnership have strengthened their links with the Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club, based at Grimwith, and they are now offering regular youth training sessions on Saturday mornings. They have been recruiting club members as volunteers to help out with the teaching, rescue cover, rigging, launching etc, and with the building of the YDSC shiny new clubhouse starting this really is an ideal venue to introduce more young people to sailing and windsurfing and to keep them doing it!

Sam Cook (as seen below in the Comet with some Giggling Girl Guides) who runs the Gybe Scheme said, “We are very excited to be OnBoard and are really looking forward to getting more local youth groups afloat next year, flying the OnBoard flag int’ Yorkshire Dales!”.

OB at Pugneys Country Park

Over the past month, 10 students from St Thomas’ Junior School in Featherstone have been setting sail at Pugneys Country Park. The year 6 pupils were introduced to sailing through the National ‘OnBoard’ scheme which aims to introduce more young people to the sports of sailing and windsurfing. Staff from the school also got involved when they attended Pugneys for a sailing course earlier in the year.

The twice weekly sessions were arranged by Tim Butler and Heather Hudson – year 6 teachers from the school, and Yorkshire’s OnBoard Development Officer - Liz McDonald. All was made possible by funding from Sport England’s ‘Sport Unlimited’ programme which was used to pay for the instructors and boat hire at Pugneys.

“The sessions were a great success and participants thoroughly enjoyed themselves”, said Liz. “None of them had been sailing before, the OnBoard scheme and funding from Sport Unlimited made the sport more accessible to these local youngsters. It was fantastic to see them progressing each week and tackling the challenges set for them.”

 The weather was not always kind to the youngsters; the strong winds of the last day in particular proved challenging. However the students’ enthusiasm was not dampened as they learnt a range of skills over the 10 sessions, including rigging, steering and capsizing. RYA Stage 1 certificates will be presented to the participants at school, proving they are now competent sailors.

St Thomas’ Junior School hopes to continue with the scheme and give more students the opportunity to go sailing in the spring.

If you would like more information about the OnBoard scheme, and how you can get involved please contact Liz McDonald.
Tel: 07789 271810
E-mail: lmcdonald2@wakefield.gov.uk

Taster Day at Otley Sailing Club

48 primary school children from the Otley area attended Otley Sailing Club on at the end of October, for their first taste of dinghy sailing. Two sailing sessions were run throughout the day by volunteers from the club, as part of the National RYA (Royal Yachting Association) OnBoard scheme. Through the scheme, the club hopes to encourage more local youngsters and their families to get involved with the exciting sport of sailing.

The children heard about the taster day when Liz McDonald, Yorkshire’s OnBoard Development Officer, and Antony Cam, Senior Instructor from the club, joined forces with the local School Sports Co-ordinator David Nutt. They kick started the scheme in Otley by visiting four local primary schools to give a sailing presentation to all year 5 and 6 children.

The weather was less than ideal with strong gusty winds and intermittent drizzle. However, it did not put off the budding young sailors. Judging by the squeals of delight heard from the bank, the club’s two man ‘Access’ dinghies were a great hit. Experienced sailors from the club were also on hand to give rides in their larger, faster dinghies.

“The taster day was a great way to begin promoting sailing within the Otley area” said Liz, “We could not have hoped for a better response from the local youngsters and it was fantastic to see so many of them out on the water. The volunteers from the club did a great job to keep everyone safe and happy throughout the day.”

At the end of their sailing sessions all the children were invited to join Otley SC’s regular junior sailing club, held on a Sunday morning from September to November, and a Thursday evening from May to July. 11 of the youngsters were so keen they returned the next day to get out on the water again!

If you would like any further information about the RYA OnBoard scheme, or Otley Sailing Club, please contact Liz McDonald.
Tel: 07789 271810 E-mail lmcdonald2@wakefield.gov.uk

www.rya.org is the home of the National RYA website, it contains a huge ammount of information for anyone involved in sailing, from novice to Senior instuctor and beyond.