Category: Dinghy sailing

RYA Dinghy Hire Fleets

Would your club like more youngsters on the water for race training, regattas and fun weekends? Contact the YTF (Youth Training Fund) which manages 6 Fevas, 6 Teras and 12 Optibats for the RYA London and South East region. Start off in the Oppies, move on to a Tera or just get straight into a Feva which is a high performance, double handed dinghy with spinnaker. The Fevas come with training sails as well as mylar racing mains. All boats are fully equipped to be ‘rigged, launched and sailed’ and come on stacker road trailers. If the Fevas are too racy, try the Tera which is gaining popularity. Otherwise you have the fantastically reliable Optibat, the real starter boat which leads on to the Optimist and other classes which can be seen all over the world. 

  • Oppies on a trailer
  • Fevas on a trailer
  • Fevas racing on the Thames
  • Optibats
  • Teras

RYA L&SE Hire Fleet Charges 2019 5 days 2 days
Optibats (1 trailers with 6 boats) £300 £180
Teras   (1 trailer with 6 boats) £390 £230
Fevas     (1 trailer with 3 boats) £300 £180

Download a Booking Enquiry form from RYA website or contact Pip Deverson at ryalsehire@ryalse.org.uk  or mobile 07768 240467

Blackstakes buoy gone for good

The cylindrical yellow buoy on the south side of Saltpan Reach has again been removed by Peel Ports without notice, this time permanently. The Blackstakes buoy was a racing mark, located to keep boats well away from the LNG Terminal, as we are constantly exhorted to do by Peel Ports. As in 2016, the unexpected removal of the buoy has caused unnecessary inconvenience to clubs which race in the Medway estuary. Enquiries by Medway YC and the MSBA elicited the response from Peel Ports that the buoy was considered “not commercially viable” and today a notice to mariners was belatedly issued. The two adjacent commercial mooring buoys (Saltpan Nos. 8 and 9) have been given a fresh coat of yellow paint (see photo) but this does not mean they are a replacement for Blackstakes. There has been no explanation of why the clubs were not notified in advance of the buoy’s removal.

Blackstakes has gone. Don’t use these nearby yellow mooring buoys as a replacement.

Adult sailing sessions at Medway YC, Saturdays

Medway Yacht Club is running “adult sailing sessions” on Saturday mornings. The participants can sail their own boats or clubs boats and one instructor will be on water giving advice and training. The informal session is open to all the sailing abilities and levels, from beginner to advanced. It will give a chance to spend time on water, to learn new skills and techniques, to try new boats or simply warm up and try the rig tuning for the afternoon racing. The informal sailing sessions start at 9.00 and finish around 12.00. The price is £5 per session.

Commodore’s Hard closure (updated)

Medway Council advise that Commodores Hard slipway will be CLOSED to all users for essential safety repairs from 1st June to 1st July 2019. PLEASE DO NOT USE THE SLIPWAY DURING REPAIRS. The nearest public launch sites (apart from nearby Gillingham Pier) are Queenborough and Herne Bay. Medway Council 01634 333333

UPDATE 21 June: Owing to delays, the Hard will remain closed until 13 July. 

Push the Boat Out in May 2019

If you are interesting in getting out on the water on the Medway, why not pop along to the following clubs on their open days in May:

Scroll down to earlier posts for details of each of these events.