Menai Strait sailors in final for UK's best club

A MENAI Strait sailing club is set to fly the Welsh flag at the Royal Yachting Association Club of the Year finals. Port Dinorwic Sailing Club (PDSC) won the award series' heart of the community category in the regional finals in recognition of 60 per cent of its members living nearby and its opportunities for young people. The award saw it go forward to the UK event, with a public voting process opened on Monday, November 23 that will close on Monday, January 25. Noel Bristow, Commodore at PDSC, said: “I am honoured that the hard work of the club over this and previous years has been recognised by the RYA and that we are the Welsh finalist for the RYA Club of the Year 2021. "I am especially pleased that we have been recognised as being “Heart of the Community” as we are a very local club, situated at the heart of the village and with over 60 per cent of our members living within 10 miles. “We are a very family orientated club, with many either sailing together or racing against each other. Our younger members are given lots of opportunities to take on responsible roles including race officers, organising special race days, youth reps and helping at work parties.” The club's nomination page on the Royal Yachting Association Club of the Year website says: "With some 20 per cent of members from the village and 64 per cent living within 10 miles, this club plays an important part in its local community. This is a strength which it actively sought to build on during a difficult year, ensuring there was a wide variety of activities on offer to keep members engaged when they couldn’t get on the water such as eSailing, online training, model building and boat restoration. "In a year where it has been difficult to keep active, this club has seen 58 per cent participation in activity from their members since restrictions initially eased, proactively interpreting and following guidelines to get members back out on the water as soon as they could. In particular, it boasts a strong junior and youth section."