Views from Vice Chair (6)

 

Hi All

 

I'm starting this blog with some good news-  following Turkey having to decline to host the 2023 World championships in July it has now been confirmed that the new venue will be Alicante, Spain on exactly the same dates.  This is great news, in that any change is never good and could have been difficult or impossible to re-arrange but also the fact that travel plans and preparations have been made significantly easier.

 

WIth that in mind, the selection events are in full flow, with the Inlands at Rutland contested in a variety of conditions over the weekend and some worthy winners showing some excellent sailing.   It was also really great to see a number of new sailors trying their skills in a championship and from what I saw all doing extremely well - lets hope we see more now at the GP's and other events.  This also means we now have a selection series starting to form with 2 out of 3 events completed so Posturing is already happening about who is going to make the teams and fill the slots, although don't forget it's not over until it's over, so still everything to play for.  For those of you who are hoping to be part of the teams this summer please can I ask you to complete the form that was sent out last week by Tiff and Sharon; this is to help with planning/logistics as once the Youth Nationals is over we won't have much time to get things lined up.

 

The next few weeks are extremely busy.   This weekend we saw a number of boats competing in the GP at WPNSA, which was a joint event with the Cadet class, so a perfect opportunity to recruit some potential new sailors.   Next week the RYA's flagship youth event - The Youth Nationals kicks off.  With 31 boats already signed up,  the final class qualifying event will im sure be a competitively fierce event, but no matter what please never forget our class is only as good as our sailors so please ensure we are represented correctly at all times especially with all the other youth classes in attendance.

 

In May we are also trying something new, a joint 420 and 29er event at Lymington. This shows how far the classes have come that we would want to do this and a great opportunity to see the 29ers and sailors and showcase the 420, whilst a great opportunity to meet or make new sailing friends.  

 

It feels like with the clocks changing and a little glimpse of warmer weather that we all know summer is on the way and before long we will be at the Nationals in Plas Heli.   Between now and then we have lots of events and training in the diary and continued planning around the Worlds and Europeans.   However one thing we need to have an eye on is the AGM.   At the nationals we will be running the AGM, where not only do we ensure the class is on a good footing, but also who is going to support the class by offering their time to ensure everything we do is done to the best of abilities.    My request is for everyone to start to think about how they might be able to support the class and step up to taking on a role, the more offers of help we get the less each person needs to dedicate.   I'm also really keen to have more sailors on the committee to "keep it real" and wanting to ensure we have gender equality plus also a mix of experienced and newbie sailors.    More information will come out on volunteering as we get nearer to the Nationals.

 

As a final word, I want to congratulate all sailors who have sailed in either the Winter Champs or Inlands and wish all sailors all the best who are competing at the Youth Nationals and hoping that they get the squad places they are aiming to achieve.    

 

Please don’t forget to send in your entry for summer teams if applicable 

 

Sail well but most of all Enjoy.