RYA OnBoard festival at Bartley Sailing Club

RYA OnBoard Sailing Festival at Bartley © RYA

RYA OnBoard Sailing Festival at Bartley © RYA

RYA OnBoard Sailing Festival at Bartley © RYA

Splashing time for sailing rookies

A splashing time was had by all as 35 rookie sailors celebrated another successful year for RYA OnBoard in Birmingham and Worcestershire at Bartley Sailing Club on Sunday (12 September).

The kids, ranging in age from eight to 15, were part of some 1,500 Birmingham and Worcestershire youngsters introduced to sailing and windsurfing through the RYA’s flagship junior grassroots scheme this year alone.

Four of the six Onboard clubs in the area – Youth Afloat in Redditch and Birmingham’s Edgbaston Watersports, Sutton Sailing Club and Birmingham Outdoor Education Centre – took teams to compete at the 2010 Birmingham Partnership RYA OnBoard Festival at Bartley, for a day of fun races and sailing activities.

And there was little doubting just how much the kids have loved getting afloat this year.

Eve Battle, from Youth Afloat’s Redditch Renegades club won an award for her commitment to her club and she said: “I love sailing because you are always on the edge.”

Meanwhile Charlotte Spencer, who learned the ropes through OnBoard at Edgbaston Watersports and attends their Edgbaston Hawks club, added: “I love the speed and the way sailing is always different.”

The Bartley K20 club won the overall prize for the day but Tom Davenport, RYA OnBoard Development Officer for the Birmingham Partnership said all the sailors were a great credit to their clubs.

“The festival was a huge success and a great celebration of OnBoard junior sailing across Birmingham and Worcestershire. Everyone sailed fantastically and really got into the spirit of the fun day. A massive thanks goes to Bartley SC and all the volunteers who gave up their time to make the festival such a success.”

Supported by TEAMORIGIN, Britain’s Challenge for the America’s Cup, RYA OnBoard is all about providing youngsters from local schools, community organisations and youth groups with opportunities to get their first taste of sailing and windsurfing and give them the chance to continue participating at low cost.

An incredible 5,200 Birmingham and Worcestershire youngsters in total have now been introduced to the sports since OnBoard began in the area with no fewer than 48 schools across Birmingham and Worcestershire now linked with RYA OnBoard.

If you are interested in getting your school, youth organisation or community group involved in RYA OnBoard contact Tom Davenport at www.rya.org.uk/programmes/onboard