SOUTH EAST REGION Newsletter Issue No 29 Winter 2007

CHAIRMAN'S ANNUAL REPORT 2006 ing centres. My own club has run an instructor course every year for the past ten years, which is Regional Development on reason why we now have plenty of instructors At the beginning of April, Andy Hooper started and senior instructors. But we are the exception. his role as the Regional Development Officer To improve instructor numbers, Andy intends to for the South and South East regions. Of run more courses over the coming year, and to course he had a solid foundation to build on, ensure that course costs do not put off volunteers, thanks to the many years of excellent work put particularly younger ones who are still studying. in by Jim Ellis as Regional National Coach, and He has also organised an Instructor Conference on his team of coach/assessors and powerboat 10 March at Chipstead SC. All instructors – trainers, and by Sam Smithson as Regional Paul Rayner OBE please put this in your diaries. Windsurfing Co-ordinator. RYA-SE Chairman The region currently runs three youth training The RDO role is a demanding job to take on. But those of you fleets – two of Optimists and one of Toppers. As I indicated in who have met Andy will already have recognised the enthusi- last year's report, they are not asm and ideas he has brought to his role. Initially much of his being sufficiently used to time has been taken up with getting a feel for the region, its meet their maintenance and clubs and training centres, and the issues it faces. replacement costs. Bookings have dropped even further A major task has been deciding how and where to set up On- this year, with only six clubs board Centres in the region to give more youngsters at school hiring the fleets, all over the the opportunity of . Onboard has been implemented summer holidays. The re- very successfully in several RYA regions and now it is our gional committee discussed turn to get a slice of the action. Each Centre is based at an the reasons for this, and con- RYA Training Centre which provides the basic experience, cluded that it reflected in- and can build links with other training centres and clubs to en- creased purchase of youth courage youngsters to develop and keep on sailing. Each has boats by clubs, and perhaps Stuart Bishop is the new On- an Onboard Development Officer; there is Sport England fund- also availability of other Board Development Officer ing for half a post, so one of Andy's tasks was to secure fleets, such as those of Sea (ODO) for East . He has matched funding. Scouts. The problem now 16 years experience sailing in appears to be not availability and around the South East, After all the preparation, the first Onboard Centre is about to of boats - but transporting and has also worked at train- start in the east of the region at Dover Watersports. Stuart them. We are therefore ex- ing centres in the UK and Bishop has been appointed as the ODO and starts work very amining the idea of locating abroad. soon. Andy already has plans for a second Onboard Centre trailers which could carry a Now Stuart is looking forward towards the north of the region. range of youth boats around to meeting all OnBoarders at the region. The RYA-SE their local clubs and training For Onboard to work, it has to be supported by training oppor- present youth fleets have sev- centres, and developing the tunities at club level. This in turn requires trained and commit- eral years of life in them, but OnBoard programme for them ted volunteers, in particular instructors and senior instructors. are unlikely to be replaced. and their local communities. Although the region has always been well off for these, there Continued on page 2 Contact Stuart on: is a need for more - particularly senior instructors - if we are to [email protected] support Onboard and increase the number and quality of train- Tel: 01304 212880 Also in this Issue . . . . Honda RIB Page 3 Zone News Page 6 Regatta & Zone Champs Page 4 OnBoard Page 7 South East World Champions Page 5 Regional Events & Courses Page 8

Page 1 Cruising Cruising is a major activity in the region, and involves a lot of Racing work for volunteers. Maintaining contact with clubs and cruis- ing yachtsmen generally, representing the region on commit- A major change towards the end of the year was the resigna- tees, responding to consultations and organising regional tion of Bruce Bonar as Zone High Performance Manager. seminars are but the obvious tasks. Tony Chamberlain, the Over the past three years, Bruce has made a tremendous contri- previous regional cruising representative, bought himself a bution to youth racing in the region, and we wish his succes- new yacht and has decided to spend more time cruising on it. sor, Paul Wren, well in taking on this challenging post. (His We very much miss his expertise, though I can quite under- profile is on page 1) stand that he wants to spend more time actually sailing than talking about it. I too would welcome that opportunity! Regional youth racing

In another part of the woods, reorganisation was taking place. Now that youth squad racing is being carried out at Zone level, A review of all RYA committees showed that there was a good the region has sought to find a complementary role. We have deal of overlap between Cruising and Legal and Government concentrated on the other end of the spectrum, encouraging Affairs Committees. A joint review by the two recommended novice young sailors into representative racing through the re- a merger into a new Cruising and Government Affairs Com- gional and Topper Regattas (reports on page 4). mittee (CGAC). This took effect following the RYA AGM in These are inter-area competitions with trophies, with each of November, and I am a member of that new committee. Anoth- the six Areas of the region fielding a team. The region pro- er outcome of the review was the setting up of the cumbrously vides three boats for each team, but a team can be of any size named Offshore and Coastal Cruising providing the Area brings sufficient extra boats. As a result, Panel to provide an effective link be- the 2006 Optimist Regatta had 35 competitors and the Topper tween cruising yachtsmen and CGAC. Regatta over 50. The important thing is that all entrants should It includes regional representatives be novice sailors with no more than two full seasons' sailing. covering the UK coastline. The 2007 Optimist Regatta will be on Saturday 8 September at Chipstead SC, and the Topper Regatta on 20 October at Bough For this Panel to work, it was essen- Beech SC. My thanks to Brian Stanley and his helpers for run- tial to get the right person to represent ning these events over the past few years. the region, and I am delighted that John Crone, a former member of the Another successful - but rather different - event is the RYA regional committee and Honda Youth RIB Challenge for 8-12 and 12-16 year olds. John Crone was born on Tyne- immediate past Commo- This demands skill in powerboat handling on a small tight side. He started sailing aged 15 - dore of Sovereign Harbour course against the clock. Clubs that enter hold their own heats a GP14 with wooden hull, Yacht Club, has agreed to and the winners enter the regional final, held in 2006 at Pid- and boom and cotton ! take on this role. Anyone dinghoe (report on page 3). The regional winners go to the who has seen the new Sov- national finals, held at the Southampton Boat Show. Now that Since 1971 he has been in Sus- ereign Harbour clubhouse this event is becoming established, more clubs and groups of sex, as commodore of Bexhill will appreciate John's dy- clubs are offering youth training for this event, and the region SC and - since 1998 - at namism and commitment. is encouraging this. The 2007 Regional Final will be on Satur- Eastbourne’s new Sovereign John will become the main day 21 July at Piddinghoe. Harbour YC, where he became cruising contact in the re- Commodore and the driving gion, but I am sure will Seminars force behind their magnificent wish to build contacts The regional club officers' seminar held on 25 February 2006 new clubhouse. more widely with cruising was well attended and comprised a number of important pres- clubs and yachtsmen, par- entations. For clubs that were not able to attend, reports of the John is married, with a mutinous ticularly on the Thames presentations were included in the Winter 2006 special edition family of two sons. While he and the Medway. I also of the regional newsletter. We shall not be running a seminar loves to his 32’ cruiser/racer imagine that he will want in 2007, but there will be a Cruising Seminar in 2008 (see both sides of Channel, he hates to spread the committee above). Red Tape and bureaucracy from work – currently I am cov- either side! ering the District Marine Environment Safety Committees and the Environmental and planning issues are becoming an increas- Dover Search and Rescue Committee, and Steve Davies, John ingly important part of the regional committee agenda. Some, Skellorn and Tom Sims cover the three PLA Thames User like wind farms in the Thames, are obvious and of major im- Consultative Forums. portance. The Government has recently announced approval of Thanet and the Thames Array, a monster of 300 turbines For the future, we are planning to run a Regional Cruising compared with the 30 of Kentish Flats. Meanwhile problems Seminar early in 2008. The planned date is 2 February 2008 remain. There are still concerns about radar visibility of small and the proposed venue is Chipstead SC, near Sevenoaks. yachts within wind farms, and the use of red lighting to Please put this in your diaries now. the pylons for aircraft which unfortunately spills downwards, while inability to lock the windmill rotors remotely is a major restriction on conducting helicopter search and rescue within wind farms.

Page 2 sailors, it could have undesirable effects - for example on In dealing with initial wind farm proposals, it became clear dredging or the use of anti-fouling. I am a member of the that those planning them had no idea where cruising took South East River Basin District Liaison Panel (which works place. So the RYA, drawing on the expertise of cruising with the Environment Agency to implement the Directive) and yachtsmen in the regions, has drawn up a Cruising Routes At- represent all the recreational water users. las of UK waters. So when installations which could affect cruising are proposed, we have information readily available Public relations on where cruising actually takes place. This will be even more important if and when proposals come forward for wave or You will see from my report above that we in the RYA South tidal generation installations, which - unlike wind farms - can- East region are heavily involved in fighting your corner to not be sailed through, and therefore form major obstacles to combat local, national and EEC restrictions on our boating and navigation. in promoting our sport through recruitment of sailors and their training. All this means keeping close to the governmental Work continues on the current round of Coastal Defence Strat- movers and shakers and spreading our message to young peo- egies and Shoreline Management Plans. Constant vigilance is ple, and the schools and colleges that they belong to. Sailing is necessary. Last year, the consultation on the Strategy for River Britain’s most successful Olympic sport, which gives us a Ouse to Seaford Head contained options that would have great platform to build on. But we have to become more pro- flooded Newhaven and Seaford SC! RYA HQ, the region and fessional in our communications as there are a lot of sports out the club worked together to object, and the preferred option there, all competing for media time, dwindling lottery funds, now maintains the present sea defences, allowing the club to the ear of the authorities and the hearts of young people. So continue. today, we rely heavily on modern communications to spread our message. These include not only newsletters like this one, Something which could have a major impact on recreational but also emails and websites. RYA-SE has its own website water sports in future is the implementation of the Water (http://www.ryase.org.uk) and we now also have a link on the Framework Directive. Although it is directed at improving new RYA website (http://www.rya.org.uk/Regions/SouthEast) water quality, and is something that should be welcomed by all South East youngsters shine in Mark Lambert (Newhaven & Seaford Sailing Club), took Honda RIB Championship line honours for the second time in 2006. But he is now 16, so we look for a new winner in 2007. In the 8-12 age group, Ad- Would you let your 8 year old child race a 50hp motor am Bermingham (aged 11) from Wilsonian Sailing Club blew boat? Well, the Royal Association does! The RYA away the competition. He will be the one to beat this year! Honda RIB Championship is an annual event for children in two age groups: 8-12 and 13-16. These youngsters drive a Ken Ellison, who organizes this annual competition for the powerful boat around a demanding course, involving a high RYA, commented that “There has been a continual improve- speed slalom, Man Overboard drill and reversing round a bu- ment in skill over the six years of the competition. In particu- oy. The fastest helm in each group could win for their club a lar, the ‘water cowboys’ in the 13-16 age group have learnt 4.8m Ribcraft RIB with a Honda 50hp engine on an Indespen- that boat handling skill is far more important than sheer speed” sion trailer - worth many thousands of pounds.

In Augusr last year, 11 young competitors chosen by their sail- ing club (10 boys and a girl) gathered at Piddinghoe near New- haven to vie for selection to represent the South East Region at the national final held at the Southampton Boat Show on Sep- tember 23. There they competed with other regional winners from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Piddinghoe is Newhaven & Seaford Sailing Club’s RYA centre for sail train- ing, and is where this event will also be held this year on Fri- day July 21. For details, contact Ian Lambert of NSSC on contact him on (mobile) 07730 547349 (home) 01273 846189

The Royal Yachting Association created this competition in 2001 as part of its new Youth Awareness Campaign to at- tract a new generation of children into boating. Since then, the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship has evolved into one of the top youth powerboat competitions in the UK, giving young children and teenagers the opportunity to develop powerboat handling skills in a safe, controlled environment. RYA experts have designed the course, which is a time trial that tests boat handling skills to the limit. There is an RYA Instructor in the boat with the competitor who assesses performance and adds time penalties for mistakes, such as hit- ting a buoy or revving the engine too fast. 2006 winners

Page 3 Optimist Regatta Chipstead RYA South East Zone Champs

September 2006 Bewl Valley Sailing Club Thirty five young novice sailors competed at Chipstead in The RYA South East Zone Championships was held on Satur- the annual RYA South East Region area Optimist competition. day 30 September and Sunday 1 October 2006 at Bewl Valley Each of the 6 areas was represented and there were sufficient SC . The club put on a fantastic show for the 130 entries (over boats for everyone to compete in all 4 races, held in sunny con- 140 sailors), this included a fantastic 30 entries in the windsurf ditions and light airs. The racing was close and the race officer commented on how well all the youngsters started. The first race was in light and shifty conditions and a certain amount of luck came into play to find the right side of the beat to sail.As the competition continued the wind filled in and everybody enjoyed some close sailing. The day finished with a parents race with cheers or was it geers from the shore. The team com- petition was won jointly by East Kent and regions. The first team only fielded 2 competitors and the other fielded 10 but their average score was virtually the same so the trophy was shared. In the individual competition Ben Hogan from Chipstead narrowly beat two other local boys Philippe Marr and James Burnett. The 2007 event will be held on September 8th at Chip- fleet. The biggest fleet was the Toppers followed by the Oppies stead S.C. and then the windsurfers. The event got off to a rocketing start on Saturday and three races were completed for all fleets with winds increasing from 8 to 14 knots over the course of the day. The windsurfing fleet had a morning training session before beginning to compete for the Championship title later in the day . The windsurf fleet had an action packed two days; the conditions were tough for the younger competitors but all showed great tenacity and determination, resulting in some spectacular racing. Sunday brought bigger breeze but - with 20-30 knots on the course - sailors still braved the conditions to get in some races and, for some, a bit of swimming. The Top- per fleet was dominated by Freddie Connor from Bexhill Sail- ing Club, who showed a high standard of racing from the moment the first starting gun was fired. Julia Beck placed sec- ond, and finished as the highest placed girl in the Topper Fleet, proving an inspiration for many young female junior sailors. Racing in the Optimist fleet was full of excitement, Oliver Cooper from Wraysbury Lake dominated proceedings counting four first places; second overall was Christopher Taylor from Wraysbury; and third overall - in his last year in the optimist class - from Weirwood SC was Matthew Goacher. Everybody who took part in the event is to be congratulated for the stand- RYA-SE Topper Regatta ard of sailing that was displayed in pretty challenging condi- tions, the sportsmanship showed by the sailors was also Another successful event at Bough Beech on September highlighted by a number of observers, and all the sailors are to 9th 2006, with over 50 boats sailing in a fresh breeze, with be congratulated for sailing in the spirit of the sport. The host some gusts causing the occasional capsize. club organising team did a fantastic job and coped brilliantly 2007 event will be on October 20 at Bough beech with the highest entry this event has had for over three years.

Topper winners at Bough Beech

Page 4 Sevenoaks sailor is World Champion nals that there will be a battle royal for the single British slot in the class for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The pair’s previous best at the Elliott Willis, aged 23, who lives in World Championships came in 2005 when Sevenoaks, has won Gold at the 470 they finished sixth. class World Championships in Rizhao, China. In doing so, he has become the “We’ve been knocking on the door for a first Brit since 1988 to win the world quite a while and have been beating some title in this Olympic double-handed of the top guys - but not all at the same sailing dinghy. time,” Willis explained. “It’s a huge confi- dence boost for us to know that we can go Elliot sails with helmsman Nic Asher, out there and beat the biggest names in the aged 21, and they defeated 86 other class when it really matters.” competitors, including defending World Champions Nathan Wilmot and Elliot started sailing at age 9 at Chipstead Malcolm Page of Australia, and Skan- sailing club near Sevenoaks in a little Opti- dia Team GBR’s own Nick Rogers and mist dinghy, and states that his parents Joe Glanfield, who had won silver at have been the most influential persons in the Athens Games in 2004 and gold at his sailing career. Elliott switched to the the recent Olympic Test Event in 470 class dinghy in 2003, and his declared Qingdao, China. (Elliott and Nic came aim is to win Gold for Britain in 2008. His 3rd) great strengths are technique and consist- ency, and he will need all of these first to Elliott and Nic’s first ever triumph get nomination for Britain and then bring over their experienced team-mates sig- back a medal from Beijing.

Ashford girl crowned double World Sailing Champion. Members of the 2006 Volvo RYA GBR Youth Worlds team and former rivals, they have teamed up and changed class in British youth sailor Sophie Ainsworth, 17, from Ashford in anticipation of the 2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Kent, has won gold twice over at the World Sailing Champion- Championship due to be held in Kingston, Canada in July this ships, held in Argentina January 21st -27th. This is a double year, when the racing dinghy replaces the 420 as the dou- honour for Sophie, who becomes not only Ladies World ble handed class. Champion but also Under-19 World Champion on the same day. RYA Youth Racing Manager, Simon Wergan, was thrilled to hear of the girls’ success. “I am delighted that Sophie and So- Only six months after swapping their 420 class sailing dinghy phie have done well here, proving that their winter training has for a new 29er class, Sophie Ainsworth with helmswoman So- really paid off. They have only been sailing together for a phie Weguelin from Lymington - both members of the RYA short time and the boat is still relatively new to them so this Youth Squad - earned top honour two times over, and bring result is a true testament to their hard work, perseverance and home two gold medals. talent. I think this pairing have plenty more in the tank, and I look forward to working with them in the future.” The 2007 29er World Championship marked the first interna- tional competitive event this newly paired-up crew have sailed The two Sophie’s were not the only British girls’ team to take together, and with only a winter’s worth of training behind home some silverware. Sarah Martin and Nicola Groves joined them they have proved they can already hold their own among their team-mates in celebration, adding a silver medal to the the World’s best. heap after finishing second in the women’s 29er category.

Port of London News Marinas: Proposed for Dartford and Thurrock. RNLI: Gravesend has had 90 callouts in the previous RYA-SE is actively engaged with the PLA to repre- 12 months, and is proposing to introduce the Atlantic sent RYA members interests. 25 to get better performance in rough conditions. New yacht routes: PLA want to publish recommend- RNLI ‘central’ has moved from Wapping to Waterloo ed routes for yachts between Medway and London, Pier, and averages 1 call per day. primarily to keep inbound vessels away from the jet- Princes Channel: about 1/3 of dredging is now com- ties on the north shore in Sea Reach and the Tilbury plete dock entrance. Existing routes are published in PLA Olympics 2012: PLA is pushing the use of the Leisure Users guide and Admiralty charts. RYA-SE Thames for bulk transport etc. There may also be will be on the proposed subcommittee to agree any more river-based events in the run-up to the Olym- changes. pics. Greenwich Regatta: The regatta held over the full River Rents: PLA will review once the existing work tide barrier closure was a great success, and it is pro- on houseboat licence fees is complete. posed to repeat this in 2007.

Page 5 Paul Wren - Champion of our young Paul is an RYA dinghy and keelboat coach assessor and has been involved in performance training programmes and race sailors training development at all levels for over quarter of a century. There’s a new face at the top of competitive youth sailing in His son Jordan (14) is a keen Topper sailor, having been a the South East with the appointment of Paul Wren (43) to the member of the RYA Eastern Regional Topper squad in 2004. post of Royal Yachting Association (RYA) High Performance As Paul explained “This has given me the added advantage Manager for the East and South-East Zone. He will be leading that I’ve seen competitive sailing from both the parent’s side and co-ordinating the coaches running the regional and zone and the competitor’s side. My role is as much about educating youth squads, from which future Olympians are picked. parents on what to expect as overseeing the teaching of the Part of his new job will be to encourage youngsters. It’s my job to encourage more sailing clubs to join the elite Volvo youngsters coming into the sport to get Championship Club scheme. He will also involved in the competitive side. be overseeing youth sailing in both East “It’s our job in the racing division to pro- Anglia and the South East. duce the youngsters who go on to the Ol- Paul is a passionate dinghy sailor through ympics. But there’s also a wide aspect; we and through. Born in a flat over a boatyard mustn’t forget and that’s giving them so- on the Norfolk Broads, he could almost cial skills and confidence in their own scull a dinghy before he could walk. His ability, and the ability to form relation- father was a boat builder from whom he ships with other people; all of which we has inherited much of his love of wood achieve through the squad structure and and boat building. Today, he and his wife the discipline required to get there ” . Anita sail a (which he rebuilt), Prior to his new job, Paul was an IT man- on Hickling Broad, where he is the current ager, working as production manager with Commodore of Hickling Broad Sailing Performance Sailcraft, manufacturer of the Club. He also owns and races the first of dinghy range. On first leaving school he worked at Jeck- the highly competitive Norfolk Punts. ells’ of Wroxham on the chandlery side, then joined sail mak- He has sailed 420, , Wayfarer, and Laser 4000 in club er Mike McNamara, before a four-year stint at the UK Sailing and regional regattas and competed in both national and Academy on the Isle of Wight as an instructor and site manag- world-class Wayfarer regattas. He is a past member of the er. Wayfarer Class Association committee and was chairman of Courtesy of Garth Cooper, RYA -Eastern Region the Technical Committee. Zone News Coaches, they will talk about how most effectively to prepare your sailors for RYA squad programmes, and deliver practical advice on keeping the Fun in the FUNdamentals of Did you know? Sailing/Coaching Dave Cockerill Questions 12.45 Lunch and Revalidation There are 25 Zone Squads in the 6 English Zones 13.30 Hands on Approach – The afternoon will utilise some ex- Each squad has 6 squad weekends over the winter period: pert coaches to deliver a more interactive session on boat han- dling manoeuvres and tactical toolbox Dave Mellor Questions - Zones: North, South, East, West, South East and South West 15.30 Update and AOB Paul Wren (some are combined) Other conferences - Squads: Optimist, Topper, , and Windsurfer 25th February RYA House, Hamble This involves 303 boats and 365 sailors and 150 week- 24th February Mountbatten Centre Plymouth ends. And then there are the National Junior and Youth 11th March Royal Corinthian, Burnham on Crouch Squads……..…….. So when you contact us about Zone Squads by phone or email it www.ryaracingevents.org.uk really helps if you start by telling us which Zone and which Class you are needing to discuss! This is the address for the new much more secure website for entering RYA Youth Events. Your first chance is for the Youth Nationals and your second one is for the Eric Twiname Champi- Sailsmart Conference 2007 onships 10th March at Datchet Of interest to both coaches and sailors ! Youth Nationals 2007—NO late entries 10.00 Arrival and Revalidation – tea and coffee April 9th—14th 2007 Hayling Island SC To revalidate your qualification please bring your logbook, pow- You MUST pre-enter and pay for this event ONLINE er boat level 2 and a valid first aid certificate when you register 10.30 Welcome Paul Wren, RYA High Performance Manager Eric Twiname Champs—for Zone Squad 10.45 The FUNdamentals of Training - This session will be de- livered by some of our most experienced National Coaches, who 12 and 13 May Rutland Water Sailing Club are themselves all seasoned campaigners. They will deliver The Eric Twiname trust pays for your entry practical examples of putting together the building blocks of a Laser 4.7s will also be represented at this event successful, motivating, and achievable training programme. For

Page 6 RYA-SE helps Adur Sailing Club 3) Subsidised training given by West Sussex Schools Sailing Association, resulting in several of the club members becoming powerboat instructors Adur Sailing Club is a youth members club in Shoreham-by- sea at the council-run Adur centre. They asked for assistance in their bid to raise funds. While the club has a high quality club fleet of Toppers, Trios and Fevas and runs sessions over high tides for young sailors at a low cost, the income from these sessions is not sufficient to cover the increased running costs caused mainly by increased insurance premiums.

First, the fleets were re-valued in line with depreciation, and a reduced cost negotiated. Unfortunately, thieves then sawed off the stern from the primary safety boat and stole the engine!

Three grants were applied for through the Adur Youth Com- munity. As a result, they now have: 1) New safety boat 2) Funding for a residential weekend at Cobnor, which will raise income Saw point! OnBoard: Volunteers Needed! join the OnBoard programme. This funding is mainly from sponsorship and from SportsMatch, with the clubs or volun- This new RYA initiative to get more people sailing - and par- teers providing the matched funding, and has been used for ticularly youngsters - is going from strength to strength. Jon Senior Instructor, Dinghy Instructor and Assistant Instructor White anticipates that by the end of 2006, all six RDOs in Eng- training, Powerboat Level 2 and First Aid training. land will be in place. The existing RDOs are working hard on the OnBoard programme. There are now 9 OnBoard partner- The RYA is aware of the issue of clubs and centres which ships up and running across all RYA regions, involving 26 could be part of the OnBoard programme but are a bit too re- clubs and training centres and 156 schools. Since April 1st mote from others to be joined to a partnership. After the 2005, there have been over 20,000 young person sessions main OnBoard partnerships have been established, further con- through the programme. In the second phase, it is planned to sideration will be given to some form of ‘outreach’ scheme to start to measure regular participation, defined as 10 sessions. include such clubs and centres Volunteers are key to OnBoard, and the volunteer training OnBoard has now come to the South East. Stuart Bishop has grants made through OnBoard Development Officers and part- been appointed ODO (OnBoard Development Officer) for nerships have been highly successful. 28 grants totalling Kent and based at Dover Watersports. He will shortly be con- £14,000 have been made to clubs, including some aspiring to tacting clubs. His profile is on page 1. REGIONAL RULES ADVISERS RYA is looking to find a Regional Rules Adviser in our re- gion. The first Rules Advisory course was on 27 January. Re- The RYA Judging and Umpiring Group have produced a new gional Rules Advisers will hopefully be able to run 2 or 3 Course to address the problems of poor adherence to the Rac- courses in March or April, and then act as the Rules Adviser in ing Rules and the resolution of disputes without the necessity their region, similar to the role of the Regional Race Manage- of going to protest. This will increase the sailors understanding ment Coordinator. South East Region contact is Robert Owens of the rules and resolve disputes in a more timely, informal, less adversarial and positive way. Sussex Sailability Volvo Car Discount www.volvocars.co.uk Sussex Sailability, which is If you’re in the market for a new part of RYA Sailability based car, you can get an excellent deal at Sussex Yacht Club, has re- through the RYA Members’ Scheme operated by prominent ceived a grant from Golden sailing supporters Volvo. De- Sacs for £50,000. This will be pending on the model, there are used to purchase a second So- savings to be made on the pur- nar, a new safety boat and chase price and free extras like modifications to the South- metallic paint, over and above wick club house for disabled whatever deal you strike with toilets and changing facilities your local Volvo dealer. (Please note that you must have been a RYA member for not less that 6 months in order to qualify for this benefit) For details on the offer, and to receive full terms and conditions, please contact RYA marketing on 02380 604213

Page 7 Training Courses

RYA Regional Training Conference South East Region – Sat 10th March 2007 – Chipstead Sailing Club (10 – 4) Cost is only £15 (Lunch is included in the price) Speakers include: Andy Hooper - Regional Development Officer David Ritchie – National Dinghy Coach Plus Guest Speakers Contact: [email protected] or Sport Development (tel: 0845 3650405) for a booking form

South and South East Regional Courses Where courses are specified to volunteers only, they will open to all if spaces appear nearer to the date. If you are running a course for volunteers and need help filling it or would like one at your club and you have some interested parties, please contact: [email protected]

Volunteers Powerboat Instructor Wilsonian Sailing Club – Sat 3, 10, 17th March - £150 – Contact: [email protected] Dinghy Instructor Chipstead Sailing Club – Sat/Sun 3/4 & 17/18th March – £tbc Contact: [email protected] Bough Beech – 12-17th August - £tbc Contact: [email protected] Dinghy Senior Instructor CYE and Arun YC – Sat/Sun 27/28th Jan and 10/11th March – £300 - Contact: Thomas- [email protected] Bough Beech – 13th to 17th August - £tbc Contact: [email protected] Endorsement Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club – Date and Price £tbc Contact: [email protected]

Open to all Windsurf Conversion Course Aquasports – 17th March – free – Contact: [email protected] Windsurf Senior Instructor Course Aquasports – 21/22nd April -£tbc Contact: [email protected]

Forthcoming Events RYA-SE Cruising Seminar Chipstead SC Feb 2 2008 Contact: Jan Gillon at [email protected] Sussex Reagatta April 6 -8 Sovereign Harbour YC, Eastbourne contact: Brighton Marina YC E-mail [email protected] Team 15 Windsurfing - 5 Events Wilsonian GP July 1 April 29 Race 1 at Bewl Windsurfing Contact:Jill White 01892 891000 Medway Marathon July 8 June 10 Race 2 at Aqua Sports Contact: Sam Smith- Medway Regatta – July 16-17 son 01737 644288 - Keels July 18-22 June 24 Race 3 on Hove Lagoon Contact Harvey July 22 Race 4 at Hythe & Saltwood Contact: Phillip Eastbourne Extreme windsurfing Hards July 14 – 15 contact email: [email protected] October 6-7 Race 5: T15 Champions Cup & Action Day Weekend Contact Sam Smithson 01737 644288 Honda RYA South East Regional Final Piddinghoe July 21 Contact Ian Lambert on (m) 07730 547349 (h) 01 273 846189

Gravesham Thames Trophy Sept 15 Contact: Steve Davies Email:[email protected] Web: gravesendsc.org.uk Abrasive RYA-SE Optimist Regatta Chipstead SC Sept 8 2007 Contact: Jan Gillon at [email protected] RYA-SE Area Topper Regatta Bough Beech Oct 20 2007 Contact: Jan Gillon [email protected]

Edited and Produced by Tony Rix, 24 The Brow, Friston, East Sussex BN20 0ES Tel: 01323 422477 Email: [email protected]

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