Portsmouth charity the Tall Ships Youth Trust hopes new rapid Covid test will help them once again set sail

The Portsmouth based Tall Ships Youth Trust provides sailing opportunities for young people to help develop confidence and interpersonal skills. Chief executive, Richard Leaman, is hopeful that a new Covid test will soon enable disadvantaged children to once again set sail. He explained: ‘We are the only industry which has not been able to operate at all for a whole year. This is at a time when the demand for this experience is through the roof. ‘The impact of the pandemic means there are a lot of children who mentally are in a bad place and would really benefit from the experience we can provide.’ With 70 per cent of staff furloughed to cut costs, the charity is reliant on donations and has set up an appeal on it’s website to raise £200,000. Richard said: ‘The longer this goes on the more increasingly difficult things become for us. We have so far raised £150,000 but we need to reach our £200,000 target to help see us through.’ Uncertainty still remains as to when the charity will be able to once again set sail. While children can return to education settings from Monday March 8 the earliest date in the government’s route out of lockdown for which people can potentially mix indoors with other households in a leisure setting is May 17. However the charity hope their investment in a new Covid testing kit could pave the way to once again getting back on the water. Richard added: ‘There is now a rapid Covid test which trials show is 98 per cent accurate. We would be able to test the children on the dockside, get a rapid result, and we could then create a Covid free bubble which would provide a way forward to get these kids out.’ The ICGene rapid Covid test is currently undergoing further trials which are being monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) – the same governing body which recently approved the Pfizer and Astrazeneca vaccines. Richard said: ‘It’s frustrating the trials are taking so long to conclude as this test has the potential to not only allow us to sail again but to also open up other parts of society and to enable us to get better at living with Covid.’ The charity recently received a donation of £2,500 from the Maximus Foundation UK. Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so via the charity’s website.

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Find your sense of adventure with the RYA Dinghy Cruising Trails

Dinghy sailors can be inspired to explore the British Isles with a new ‘Dinghy Cruising Trails’ initiative, launched at the virtual RYA Dinghy Show today (28 February 2021). The initial six trails are at Ullswater, Largs, Rutland Water, Milford Haven, Brownsea Island and Hickling Broad with many more to come as the initiative progresses. All trails are under six miles and each trail has been selected because launching is free or available at nominal charge. “We know this is the summer of the staycation and this is a fantastic low-cost way of using your dinghy with family and friends and whilst exploring our beautiful coastline and inland waters. Dinghies aren’t just about racing, it’s about discovering the great outdoors!” explains RYA Programmes Manager Michelle Gent. Each trail comes with it’s own map and instructions including distance, safety, sailing times and launch sites. They are also packed with information, details of navigation or anchorage, who-knew- that facts, insider visits, wildlife spotting, and stellar views or best picnic spots and more! Some even link to the national curriculum. “I’m imagining grandparents with children, families or young adults. I hope these trails will give people confidence to do something a bit different and experience some adventure” Michelle continues. Just the beginning….RYA Dinghy Trails competition The six published trails are just the beginning. The RYA is inviting dinghy sailors to submit their own dinghy cruising trail suggestions with the winning trail designed, framed and available to download on the RYA website. “With so many miles of easily accessible water we know that people have their favourites spots and we’d love to hear them. We see this as a long-term project with the number and range of trails continuing to expand and we want you to be a part of it!” Michelle concludes. Submit your dinghy cruising trail here before 31 March 2021. Find more information about the RYA Dinghy Cruising Trails. For all enquiries contact dinghytrails@rya.org.uk

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RORC Confident Overnight UK Offshore Racing To Return in 2021

Following on from the UK Government's Roadmap out of lockdown’ on Monday 22nd February, the RORC Committee, working with the RYA and Government, is confident that overnight racing will return for the 2021 RORC Season’s Points Championship. Some changes will be necessary for the early part of the season, but unless the recovery from the pandemic changes, the world’s largest offshore championship will go ahead, including the 49th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race. “Whilst the RORC would like to run our full programme of races, the reality as a consequence of the pandemic is that the RORC Easter Challenge, Cervantes Trophy and North Sea Race are cancelled. However, with COVID-19 protocols in place, the club intends to organise a RORC Spring Series during April and May. We are also considering an additional longer race for Two-Handed Teams,” commented RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone. Fastnet Race Likely to have COVID Protocols “The Rolex Fastnet Race is expected to be a fully crewed race, but more than likely to have some COVID-19 protocols for crews to follow. Our meetings with immigration authorities in both the UK and France have been positive and productive, and we continue our discussions with the RYA and health professionals on minimising risk to our competitors. Throughout this pandemic, our partners in France have never wavered in their commitment to give all competitors a fantastic welcome when they arrive in Cherbourg,” continued Stone. RORC Spring Series The 2021 RORC Spring Series will consist of three long day races, starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line. Designed to last between 6-8 hours, the permitted crew is expected to be up to 80% of the IRC certificate allowance, which is to be confirmed in March following further consultation with the relevant authorities:- RORC Spring Series 1: Saturday 03 April RORC Spring Series 2: Saturday 10 April RORC Spring Series 3: Saturday 01 May The 2021 RORC Season’s Point’s Championship is scheduled to continue with regular offshore races from late May through to September, including the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race, starting from Cowes on Sunday 8th August.

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SailGP: Expanded season and opportunities for high-performance female sailors announced

Season 2 of SailGP will feature eight global events from April 2021 to March 2022 and the competition has boosted its focus on gender equity by creating opportunities for high-performance female sailors. The racing will start in Bermuda on April 24 and 25, before the teams meet will square off in events across three continents and the season concludes with a Grand Final in March 2022. The Grand Final will take place in San Francisco and the champion will be determined in a single $1 million winner-takes-all final. SailGP - Season 2 Grand Prix Events - Live on Sky Sports Bermuda Grand Prix April 24 and 25 Italy Grand Prix - Taranto June 5 and 6 Great Britain Grand Prix - Plymouth July 17 and 18 Denmark Grand Prix - Aarhus August 20 and 21 Spain Grand Prix - Cadiz October 9 and 10 New Zealand Grand Prix - Christchurch January 29 and 30, 2022 United States Grand Prix - San Francisco March 26 and 27, 2022 This season, after racing in 2020 was suspended, is much anticipated. New Zealand will be making their league debut and their team will be led by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. Jimmy Spithill will be piloting a new-look US team for the first time, Nathan Outteridge leads Japan's challenge and Sir Ben Ainslie will race his first full season at the helm of the British charge. Tom Slingsby's Australian outfit are the reigning champions with crews from Denmark and Spain also set for their first full Sail GP seasons. Sir Russell Coutts - SailGP's CEO There’s rarely been a time in my lifelong sailing career when I’ve been as enthusiastic as I am about our upcoming season. We’ll have the world’s best sailors lining up in equally matched boats for what is shaping up to be some of the sport’s most competitive racing yet. I can’t think of a better way for SailGP to re-emerge, and I believe our fans will be taking notice not only of our thrilling racing, but of the new standards we’ll be setting in running our events in a sustainable and inclusive way. Ahead of the new season, the competition has also stated its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. SailGP's immediate focus is on the 'advancement of gender equity and racial diversity'. SailGP will be adding one female athlete to each team and the overarching aim of their gender equity initiative, is to 'fast-track the development of top female sailors to race on F50s and perform at the highest level'. The initiative is being driven by the SailGP Women's Committee. The committee includes the three-time Olympian and Ocean Race winner Carolijn Brouwer, Maria del Mar de Ros, the CEO of Spain's SailGP team and Emily Nage, an Ocean Race participant, data analyst and Great Britain SailGP team member. "This is a big step forward for women in professional sailing," Brouwer said. "SailGP is accelerating the inclusion and creating the opportunity for high-performance female sailors to compete alongside their male peers, in the world's most advanced sailing league. This type of initiative will allow us to achieve true gender equity in the future." In the recent announcement of New Zealand's SailGP team, Liv Mackay and Erica Dawson were named as their two athletes who will be immersed in their team for the opening event in Bermuda. After their pre-season training and development in Bermuda, at least one of Mackay and Dawson will be selected to join the team for the rest of SailGP Season 2. Programmes to select athletes for all of the teams are ongoing and already, they're showcasing the wealth of female talent in the sport. "This not only provides a career pathway to professional female sailors but it also will inspire the next generation of young athletes coming up the ranks, who get to see women competing on these F50s, and can work towards this," Lisa Darmanin, said after being part of the Australian team's invitational camp at Woollahra Sailing Club in Sydney.