Trimpley Sailing Club puts Activate into Action
by Kim Neville 1 Jun 2010 08:40 PDT
Enthusiastic sailors in Worcestershire took to the water last weekend as part of a national initiative, Activate Your Laser Fleet which is aimed at encouraging sailors to get their Lasers dusted off and back on the water. Trimpley Sailing Club hosted the event as part of their Activate Plan. 15 sailors took advantage of the opportunity to helm a single handed Laser dinghy.
Trimpley SC owns two Lasers which are available for use by members. There are also 15 privately owned Lasers at the Club, five of which are regularly raced and four occasionally raced.
The club has 140 members across all categories (GP14s, Toppers, Lasers and Mirrors). 20-25 of these members race regularly.
Duncan Adams from LaserPerformance brought five new Lasers and two new Bugs for club members and temporary club members to try as part of the "Taste of Sailing Course".
Throughout the day there were 12 Lasers afloat and everybody have the opportunity to helm one of the new boats supplied by LaserPerformance. Four sessions were hosted which were supported by briefings both ashore and afloat. LaserPerformance’s Duncan Adams gave training demonstrations afloat and land based drills. The participants sailed a triangular course and were given some on water coaching advice by Duncan Adams from a RIB driven by Louis Webb.
The Activate day was enjoyed by seasoned Trimpley S.C. sailors alongside those new to the sport, young and old. Everyone who sailed spoke of their enjoyment and in some cases mild surprise at how straight-forward it is to sail a Laser.
Meanwhile Laser sailors of the future were having fun in the Bugs; with the slightly older ones going through capsize drills learning how straight-forward it is to right even a fully up-turned Bug... Mum & Dads beware some of the kids have 'caught the Bug!'
Trimpley S.C. is now planning the next stage of its Activate Your Laser Fleet Development Plan under the leadership of Andy Allan & Max Bradbury-Knight. The Club will be running a series of coaching sessions called "Pathway to Participation" members of TSC over the next 6 months.
This case study is another success story for the Activate Your Laser Fleet programme. Stay in touch with the progress of these clubs via the Facebook Page: Activate Your Laser Fleet and the dedicated Yachts and Yachting page at www.yachtsandyachting.com/activate . The full Activate resource pack can be found at www.laser.org.uk . If you would like your club to be considered for a future Activate workshop please email Tzaneen Mears at the RYA, 
