Final Powerboat Course of 2023 - The Christmas Special
Our final RYA Powerboat Level 2 course of 2023 will be on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th December. No prior experience is required, and this will be the last course of the year- making it the last chance to benefit from 2023 prices.
More information and book now: https://bit.ly/40vQRD7#ed
Olivia Inspires - Our work with local charity to help young sailor take to the water
Olivia Inspires, set up in memory of former RLymYC youth sailor Olivia Burt, is a charity that helps disadvantaged young people in the New Forest. They recently approached us looking to help get Issy (pictured centre above), who happens to be one of our regular Wednesday Junior Sailing participants, on a junior powerboat level 2 course. Without hesitation we offered a spot to Issy on an upcoming course free of charge.
Issy said: “I did my Power Boat 2 course, and it was great fun. We spent lots of time out on the water learning to drive, aiming for the end of the rainbows, doing man overboard drills and learning all about powerboats. The course really supported me to be confident out on the water and I'd like to be able to man a safety boat to help others when I'm older.”
We are glad we could help Issy and look forward to seeing her join us for Wednesday Junior Sailing again next year. To find out more about Olivia Inspires, visit their website: https://www.oliviainspires.org.uk/
Walhampton Model Boats
On Friday 10th November I was welcomed to Walhampton School to help with their highly competitive annual model boat competition between themselves, Lymington Junior and South Baddesley schools. Over 50 intrepid students assembled, each with their own boats to race. It was impressive to see some very sophisticated designs with many having built keels, multiple hulls, and multiple sails into their models.
Races were held on one of Walhampton's lakes with a strong but incredibly shifty breeze. Despite the excellent designs, many struggled to make it all the way to the finish line in the challenging conditions. The most successful boats were those with large sail areas and weighted keels that allowed for self-righting in between the gusts.
The majority of attendees had sailed out of Royal Lymington Yacht Club before- whether that be with their school, Wednesday Junior Sailing, or with families. It was great to see so many familiar faces and be reassured of our Clubs strong links with the local community.
Well done to all those who took part!
Junior RIB Club
With the very generous support of Spencers Estate Agents, Junior RIB Club will be relaunching on Saturday 25th November. Junior RIB Club aims to teach basic powerboat skills to those age 10-16 for those yet to complete their RYA Powerboat Level 2 (PB2). It also provides a space for those who have achieved their PB2 to practice those skills.
There will normally be one session a month, held on a weekend morning costing £20 and lasts 2 hours. As sessions are led by volunteer powerboat instructors, the number of spaces may vary each month depending on team availability. To find out more, and to book a space, follow the following link: https://bit.ly/3MHE5f9#ed
Scows for Sale
As part of the ongoing work to rejuvenate the club's fleet of sailing dinghies, a small number of Lymington River Scows will be made available for sale over the winter period after a little spruce up. These dinghies have been well loved by the clubs Wednesday Junior Sailing community project but are now surplus to requirement. We hope to use the money made from these sales to reinvest in the Clubs dinghy fleet, to ensure we still have a wide range of quality dinghies to support club activities.
If you are interested in purchasing one of the LR Scows that are on offer, please contact carlo@rlymyc.org.uk.
Don't forget you can also hire the club dinghies online: https://rlymyc.org.uk/members/boat-hire
Watch This Space for 2024!
Work is now well underway to build the 2024 training programme which will launch on a refreshed RLymYC training webpage. Keep an eye out on our social media and future blogs for announcements when this goes live!