Maldon Yacht Club launch petition Save Our Sailing

HUNDREDS of protesters have signed a petition in a bid to save a sailing club’s base which is earmarked for beach huts. The SOS – Save Our Sailing – campaign has been launched to try prevent Maldon Yacht Club losing its premises near Promenade Park. Earlier this year, the Standard reported the 79-year-old club was in danger of shutting up completely due to Maldon District Council’s plans to use the land for projects to boost tourism. Paper and online petitions have been set up to gather support. A spokesman said: “The SOS Save Our Sailing banners were put up on Friday. “Our club decided to bring it into the public eye. Hopefully it will help our case. “Our club is worth fighting for so thank you to all the people that have signed it. “It’s a waiting game now, but hopefully we will know more soon.” He added: “The sailing clubs on the Blackwater are being very supportive, which we thank them for. “It’s great for us to know how many people are with us and hoping to help us change Maldon District Council’s mind and let us go on for five or ten years, or work with us. “What a wonderful Christmas and New year that would make. In the meantime, people are still sailing and enjoying the river.” Maldon Liberal Democrats have supported the group by setting up an online petition on their behalf which has attracted more than 1,000 signatures. Lib Dem general election candidate Colin Baldy said: “The yacht club has done its own paper petition so one of my volunteers has set up an online petition with the yacht club’s permission. “Maldon Lib Dems are supporting Maldon Yacht Club’s fight against eviction from their base. “Community groups such as the yacht club are vital in raising the quality of life for local residents. “Maldon Yacht Club were not properly consulted before they were issued with the eviction notice from Maldon District Council. The council says they want to install more beach huts on the site, so this decision seems to be all about money.” For details of the petition, visit change.org/p/maldon-district-council-stop-mdc-evicting-maldon-yacht-club.

Poole to lymington and home

RYA Webinar- How to grow volunteers at your sailing club

Is your sailing club one of the 52% of RYA Affiliated clubs who are telling us that a ‘lack of volunteers’ is the number one constraint to increasing membership? Or perhaps you feel your club is in a vulnerable position due to a small number of people doing the majority of the work? The RYA has taken an extensive research project to find out why volunteering is such a challenge for many of us and what we can do about it. On Thursday 05 December at 7.00 pm, members of RYA Affiliated sailing clubs and other organisations are invited to hear the insights from this research by joining a free RYA webinar focused on volunteering. RYA Director of Sport Development, Alistair Dickson explains: “Our sport always has been and probably always will be reliant on the support of passionate and motivated volunteers. Our research has been a real eye opener in terms of understanding what motivates or prevents people from volunteering and how clubs can amend their volunteer management processes to match”. As well as hearing these findings, club members will also have the opportunity to listen to the experiences of other venues who have managed to successfully increase their number of volunteers. “As in our previous webinars, we’ll be joined by an expert panel to discuss the findings and you’ll have the chance to ask questions which can be answered live. If you can’t join us, please sign up anyway and you’ll be able to hear the recording after the live show” Alistair concluded. The webinar will be about an hour long and is a continuation of the RYA’s Futures Webinar Series.

Ben Ainslie and INEOS TEAM UK join Great Britain SailGP Team

Draycote Dash 2019 || On board with RS 800 1144

HUGO BOSS returns to the UK

Siemens NX creating Britannia's digital twin

HM Coastguard calls for skippers to update systems following yacht sinking

The UK Coastguard has called for the skippers of commercial and pleasure craft to keep a vessel’s registration details up to date following the sinking of a sailing yacht off the Indonesian coast. The incident that prompted the plea occurred last Friday 22nd November. The Australian maritime authority (JRCC Australia) received a HF DCS Distress alert from what appeared to be the UK registered vessel, Asia. HM Coastguard in the UK, were duly informed and investigations commenced, searching relevant databases for the vessel’s contact details. None were found on the UK register. However, the UK Coastguard, which can monitor beacon alerts globally, had noticed that a US registered EPIRB, (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) had been activated in a similar area as the HF DSC Distress. Identification Making contact with the skipper’s wife, the HM Coastguard used the identification number of the beacon to confirm that it was the one carried onboard the distressed vessel, Asia. It was also confirmed that the yacht was registered in Malaysia and was on passage to Thailand with four people onboard, including two British citizens. Contact was then made with the Malaysian authorities to coordinate assistance to the stricken vessel. The following morning, after extensive investigation work by the UK Coastguard, the skipper was contacted and confirmed that the vessel had sunk after hitting an object in the water. All four crew had got onboard the RHIB tender, discovered they were 55 nautical miles north of an Indonesian island and headed toward the nearest point of land. The crew are now safe and well and receiving assistance having been met by the Marine Police at Bima. Keeping details up to date If the registry details of the vessel had been kept up to date it would have helped determine the location of the vessel and enabled a more rapid rescue response. In this instance, no harm was done and HM Coastguard Controller David Jones, who coordinated the overnight investigation in the National Maritime Operations Centre, says: “We are relieved to hear that the crew are now safely ashore. This incident demonstrated good international working between the UK Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, JRCC Australia, JRCC Jakarta, USA Mission Control Centre and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.” If any of a vessel’s registry details change, both the new country of registry and the old need to be informed. To seek advice, contact the UK Beacon Register via gov.uk/406beacon or email ukbeacons@mcga.gov.uk. The RYA is also highlighting its own advice and information about beacon use at www.rya.org.uk/go/beacons.

Top 7 Trimarans 2019 - 2020 ✪ Price & Specs

Royal recognition for boating's unsung heroes

Some 47 volunteers were recognised for their exceptional dedication and achievements in boating at the RYA Volunteer Awards on Friday (22 November) by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. The awards were presented to volunteers from as far afield as County Down to Torquay at the prestigious annual awards ceremony held at One Great George Street, Westminster, London. The RYA Volunteer Awards are divided into four categories: RYA Awards, RYA Community Awards, The Francis Elkin Award and the Family Award. The RYA Community Awards are presented to outstanding individuals for their commitment and services to boating at club or grassroots level. Individuals are nominated by clubs, centres or organisations and awarded across three categories: Lifetime Commitment, Outstanding Contribution and Youth. Sheena Barrow was presented with a Lifetime Commitment Award for her dedication to Orford sailing Club where she has been particularly effective in recruiting youngsters and giving them the opportunity to get out on the water. “I’ve always had a passion for sailing since I was 11 and I’m now 72! I think kids are really lucky if they do get a passion for something and for me it’s always been the water and messing around in boats” she said. Abbie Brown was receiving a Youth Award for her achievements in her role as Junior Commodore and Assistant Instructor at Donaghadee Sailing Club. “From volunteering I think you learn good life skills, good teaching skills and how to be kind” she explained “When I was younger, I learnt how to sail with people who were volunteers so it’s a great way to give something back”. Francis Elkin AwardJan and Richard Gaskell were recognised with the 2019 Francis Elkin Award, given each year in recognition of a significant contribution in time, effort, and personal endeavour to enable people with disabilities to become involved in sailing. Jan and Richard have developed and promoted Westbere Sailing Opportunties (WSO) while also running the Westebere Frostbite Sailing Association (WFSA) for the past 17 years and are dedicated to helping people with disabilities get out on the water. Family Award The RYA Family Award is presented to a family group deserving of recognition for the impact they have made both as individuals and a family. This year it was awarded to the Hotchkiss Family- Ian, Sue and their children Sarah and Joe Hotchkiss from Clevedon Sailing Club. The family has been involved in the running of the club since 1947 when Ian’s parents Bryon and Jean founded the club and played an active role. Since then the family’s commitment to CSC and day-to-day management over 70 years has been described as ‘epitomising the concept of volunteering within the sport’. “Both the children were cadets there so they’ve grown up at the club, I was a cadet there, as well as my brothers and husband” said Sue. “From a family point of view it’s been lovely to watch us come through it, then the children come through it and to actually give so much back to the club and to be recognised for it” she concluded. Jonny Cormack, Paul Kimmens and Robert Lamb were awarded for their commitment and services to boating and the RYA at a national level. James Allan, RYA Scotland CEO attended the event and concluded: “Our sport genuinely would not exist if we didn’t have the cadre of volunteers across the clubs and organisations, no matter what boating it happens to be you’re involved in. “The volunteer commitment really is so important- it’s the bedrock of everything our sport depends on in the UK”. Nominations are now invited for the 2020 RYA Volunteer Awards. For more information visit www.rya.org.uk/go/volunteerawards

The CO. of TS Bulldog S/Lt (SCC) Martin Phillips RNR won gold medals with the Great Britain Blind Sailing Team in Canada.

The Blind Sailing team returned from Canada in September after defending their world title at Kingston Yacht Club in Eastern Canada. Despite unpredictable and often hazardous conditions the GB team took gold and silver medals to become 2019 world champions. The racing was over six days with over 14 Races of around an hour in endurance. Entered in all three sight categories, the GBR team retained the Team Cup and took individual medals in each sight category. As a warm up to the Worlds, Martin and the B2 team competed at Weymouth winning the Pursuit Race and also winning a heat of the national; Keel Boat league.

Team Aurora at the Scottish Islands Peaks Race 2019

Top 5 Small Sailboats 2019 - 2020 ✪ Price & Specs 1