The RYA website has a Covid-19 Hub which includes key information for clubs, recreational boaters and training centres. The RYA Legal and Government Affairs team is working hard to interpret government announcements and understand the detail to provide us with accurate information. For instance, if it is OK to go for a bike ride can we go for a solo sail?
Free offer for RYA affiliated sailing clubs: keep your members engaged whilst following government guidelines on social distancing.
Virtual Regatta (eSailing) Inshore provides players with an opportunity to race against friends, fellow sailors and real-world Olympic champions. All UK players will automatically be entered into the exclusive GBR eSailing National Championship, racing the same challenges, seasons and playoffs as the eSailing World Championship and ranking both nationally and globally.
For a free 12 month VIP pass for for your club, send the following information to celia.edgington@rya.org.uk :
Please note that the MSBA business meeting scheduled for 31 March has been cancelled for obvious reasons. The next meeting will be on 30 June at Medway Yacht Club, 7pm, viruses permitting.
The bridge continues to be non-operational for leisure traffic due to the failure of Network Rail to replace the ancient motors. A temporary generator is only being used to lift for commercial traffic. Network Rail have told the MSBA that Kingsferry Bridge may not be fully operational until 25 April or potentially the middle of May.
Please advise Peter Norris (peter@msba.org.uk), of any rallies or events that are scheduled to take place between now and the end of May, which require passage through Kingsferry bridge, as he is working with Network Rail to find a solution so that the bridge can be navigated at weekends and Bank Holidays.
Medway Council are seeking volunteers to retrieve life rings from under Sun Pier and anywhere else you can find them on the river. To make it as easy as possible for volunteers, we can arrange collection of the life rings you have retrieved from anywhere that is convenient to you. Please contact adam.taylor@medway.gov.uk
Come and visit Medway Yacht Club for our first event of the season. It is open to everyone and free of charge: you can go for a sail with an experienced club member. If you already have some sailing experience, you can try a different class of boat. If you are an absolute beginner and you would like to try the great feeling of sailing on River Medway, this is an unmissable opportunity!
Also try our Stand Up Paddleboard with one of our instructors, guiding you for your first experience on a board!
Medway Yacht Club offers a warm welcome to all new visitors and members, we have a new training programme including sailing on regular basis, powerboat, paddle and shore based courses. We are family friendly with a strong focus on our junior and youth sailing pathway, but we also offer a lot of learning and racing possibilities for adults.
Jeremy Batch is always good news. Next time you sail past the O2 “Dome” or fly over it on the cable-car, look to the opposite bank and you will see the site of the largest private dock in Europe, the birthplaces of the hydraulic crane and the modern lighthouse, the yards where “bad buoys were made good” and HMS Warrior was launched, and the wharf where Brunel’s first steamship had her engine installed. You will be passing the departure point of fleets [great and small] which set-up the first permanent English-speaking colony in the New World, established the most powerful multinational corporation that has ever existed, and towed the floating harbours that made the D-Day landings possible. Here the Cutty Sark unloaded tea and wool, and here many of her sisters were built. Come and find out more!
We are all invited to these excellent Kent Cruising Association “Winter Warmer” talks, which are held at 8pm at the Dog and Bear, Lenham, near Maidstone. It’s a good idea to book a meal (by 5pm please) on 01622 858219 for 7pm, before the talk. A special CA menu is available.
The MSBA Business Meeting scheduled for 31 March has been cancelled.
The Medway & Swale Boating Association exists to support the local boating community. We are looking for new committee members, especially someone to take on the role of Secretary. We also need someone with good IT skills. The committee meets monthly and is in constant communication. If you would like to learn more please contact the chairman, Brian Corbett, at chairman@msba.org.uk