This year’s On the Water Event will see the RIBs from Medway Watersports once again taking to the water showing the public what the sport has to offer and training available.
Category: Training
First Aid course at RCPYC, 28 March
FIRST AID course at the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club, Dover with its spectacular views over the harbour. The course will be run by Dr Bob Hadley, a CA member who sails out of Dover. You will need the latest edition of the First Aid Manual, which can be bought on line for £4.75. The course will run from 9am to 5pm with tea and coffee on arrival and also in the afternoon. Cost including RYA certificate and handouts £22.50 per person. Lunch can be ordered and paid for separately on the day. To BOOK call Clifford on 07803 727350
Tom Banks
Tom Banks oversaw the development of youth and adult sailing within the local community for over 25 years. During this time he dedicated his weekends to provide recreational sailing and racing for young and old alike. He inspired a dedicated team of volunteers at what is now the Medway Watersports Centre.
Tom’s funeral will take place on 3 March 2015 at 1000 hrs. It will be held at Medway Crematorium, Robin Hood Lane, Chatham, ME5 9QU. A wake will take place afterwards at Medway Cruising Club.
RYA Race Management Seminar, Erith, 15 Jan
If you’d like to become a race officer for your club, here is your chance. The two day course covers all aspects of race management from course laying, timing, starting and finishing sequences together with protest procedures and all subjects within the RYA race management guide.
Support Medway Watersports Centre
Medway Watersports Centre, which provides youth training, is no longer run by Medway Council. Trevor Peen asks you to vote for the Trust’s application for a grant to refurbish their changing rooms. Instructions for voting for Medway Watersports
Could your club use help from the RYA? Winter Workshop on 13 Nov at Medway YC is about Funding.
This series of workshops covers a number of topics within Club Development and is your opportunity to hear the latest from the regional team of RYA Development Officers, meet other clubs and share good practice. They are completely FREE for all RYA affiliated clubs.
The workshops take place in October, November and January at Medway Yacht Club and other venues. Click here for venues and dates. Each workshop will begin at 7pm. Please encourage a variety of members and committee members to attend from your club. To book your place please email Sam Rowe (sam.rowe@rya.org.uk) or Andy Hooper (andy.hooper@rya.org.uk)
Save Cliffe Lakes for sailing: object today!
Today is the last day to object to Brett’s proposal to “ecologically enhance” Alpha Lake by filling it in, which would result in loss of the lake for sailing. Many kids from the Medway area learn to sail and windsurf on the lake but this activity is not mentioned on their proposal. Please register your objection.
Save Blue Circle Sailing Club!
Simon Pugh has contacted us to ask for help. Blue Circle Sailing Club is just on the edge of the Thames Estuary in Cliffe. The club is a small lake sited within an area of natural beauty and has been there since 1957. Unfortunately the landlord of the lake is seeking planning to fill in the lake to an un- sailable depth which will close the club completely. Many Medway/Swale boaters or their children have learned to sail at the club.
PLEASE register your objection to closing this sailing and windsurfing facility. The quickest and easiest way to object is to click on this link or paste it into your browser address bar.
Then fill the form in with your objection. Don’t forget to choose OBJECT from the drop down box. To see details of the application you can click on this link which also gives other ways to object.
http://www.planningfinder.co.uk/search/near?radius=5.0&postcode=RM18+8RS&order=reference_desc
Reference MC/14/0818
Meeting Paves Way for Repairs to All Tide Landing at Queenborough and restart of Even Keel Project
(press release from MP Gordon Henderson’s office)
At a meeting last Thursday, initiated by Gordon Henderson MP, the various groups involved in Queenborough Harbour came together to reach agreement on the way forward over ownership and management of the All Tide Landing which paves the way for immediate repairs to be undertaken to enable its use by Easter 2014 for both local yachtsmen and visitors.
This will also open the way for the Southern Water sponsored Sheppey Even Keel disabled yacht training project to restart in June 2014 something which local MP Gordon Henderson has been keen to see happen.
Mr Henderson said “We were bitterly disappointed that the Even Keel project was unable to take place last year because of problems with the All Tide Landing. I am delighted that local organisations have come together to ensure the necessary repairs can be made and I am hopeful that Even Keel will take place this year.”
The meeting was chaired by Hon Ald John Burke on behalf of the MP who said “I am pleased we were able to get all parties round the table and reach agreement so harmoniously on so many long standing issues and difference and I thank all concerned for their goodwill in doing so which made my role as Chairman so much easier.”
Geoff Reed- Director of QHT said “Queenborough Harbour Trust is delighted to work with Queenborough Yacht Club and other organisations in order to ensure the long-term viability of Queenborough’s All Tide Landing.” His colleague Patrick Moore thanked Gordon Henderson MP for his initiative and John Burke for his excellent chairmanship in achieving such a successful outcome.
Dave Price – Commodore of QYC said “ I am delighted with the outcome which I hope now puts to rest recent adverse publicity which inaccurately represented the position of Queenborough Yacht Club who have been seeking this outcome for some time.”
Queenborough Town Council and Swale Borough Council will now be monitoring progress and helping to ensure this potential boost to tourism on Sheppey is successful and that Sheppey Even Keel recommences in June under the sponsorship of Southern Water.
Sue Simpson – Mayor of Queenborough Town Council said “We are pleased to see that a compromise has been reached by all parties as the All Tide Landing is a great asset to Queenborough and we look forward to it reopening this Easter.”
Tim Bell of Sheppey Even Keel said “The disabled in Swale will be excited to learn that this much needed disabled yacht training scheme can once again start-up safely this June, I can’t wait to get going.”
Yacht Design Course
Yacht Design Course 6 evenings – Jan to March 2014 Central London and Southampton
The International School of Yacht Design (ISYD) is running a Yacht Design Course over 6 evenings in Winter 2014. The course ran successfully in 2013 and this year is being offered as a ‘RYA Member offer’ for RYA members but the course is open to all and there are likely be members of your Club who might well be interested who are not RYA members.
Many attendees are interested in understanding the basics of stability and seaworthiness, or the aerodynamics of sails or the effect of hull surface roughness on performance plus many other topics from modern materials to the strength requirements of mast, boom and spreaders. Others are interested in understanding the design of their yacht, either to improve the yacht’s performance by modification of the hull, keel, rudder or sail plan, or simply to become a better sailor. The course is also of interest to those who want to learn how to evaluate the performance of a yacht based on its main data, for instance when buying a new yacht. A smaller group of interested course participants are those who ultimately want to design their own yacht.
Lectures will be held in Southampton on starting on Wednesday January 29th and in Central London on Thursday January 30th, 2014 and on successive Wednesdays/Thursday for 6 weeks but omitting the week of Feb 17th which is half term. The Lecture time is 18.00-22.00.
There are further details on the ISYD website – www.isyd.org – including the lecture syllabus and registration/payment details. Registration and payment needs to be made by December 15th as places are limited.