Spalding Sailing Boost
by Karenza Morton.
Date: 02 March 2012
More local people than ever will have the chance to get their first taste of sailing in this Olympic year after Welland Yacht Club was granted prestigious RYA Training Centre status.
Welland YC has thrived on the River Welland in Spalding for nearly 60 years with popular weekend dinghy racing, an active cruising section and busy social programme.
But the club have taken a massive step in opening up even more opportunities for newcomers to learn the ropes, and existing sailors to develop their skills further, by becoming an RYA Training Centre for dinghy, powerboat and seamanship courses.
This status means that Welland YC has made a proven commitment to providing high-quality training and qualifications to people of all ages, abilities and goals, and that the club’s courses and tuition conform to the RYA’s highest standards of safety and excellence.
Sail for Gold
With London 2012 set to energise more people than ever to get involved in sport, Welland YC is signed up to the RYA’s nationwide Sail for Gold programme, celebrating Britain's unmatched Olympic sailing heritage and inspiring more people to get out on the water more regularly.
As part of this initiative, Welland YC will be opening its doors and running special Sail for Gold Taster Days on Sunday 15 April and Saturday 25 August and hosting an everyone-is-welcome Open Day on Sunday 20 May (11am-3pm) so people can get real taste of what life at Welland YC offers.
The club is also launching a new a junior sailing club on Sunday mornings from 1 April to introduce anyone under 16 to sailing in fun, safe sessions. No previous experience is needed, just a change of clothes, some waterproofs and old shoes!
Welland YC’s Vanessa Cook believes 2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year. She said: “Welland YC prides itself in being a club that welcomes individuals and families to the fun of watersports. In the past, we have offered informal training to our members but we felt that by becoming a recognised RYA training establishment we could fill a gap in the local community and attract new members whilst also enabling our members to learn new skills, improve and explore new opportunities without them having to travel further afield.
“Our experienced members have relished the opportunity to gain instructor qualifications to support our training activities and it is great to see so many of them now willing to give their time and commitment voluntarily, helping people learn to sail and developing as sailors.”
Inspire. Celebrate. Support
Under the motto of ‘Inspire. Celebrate. Support’, the Sail for Gold initiative aims to bring the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as close to home as possible for everyone, wherever they live in the country. Vanessa added: “London 2012 is all about the idea of legacy and if the legacy we can leave from the Games is that we have encouraged more people in and around Spalding to become regular sailors then we will be really proud.”
Gareth Brookes, RYA Regional Development Officer for the Midlands, worked with Welland YC on their RYA Training Centre application. He added: “For people to stay in any sport they have to enjoy taking part and one of the best things about sailing is there is always something new to learn. We are delighted that Welland YC is now an RYA Training Centre.”
For more information about what’s going on at Welland YC in 2012 visit wellandyachtclub.co.uk
