Blackwater Sailing Club are finalists for Club of the Year 2023
by Nigel Butler 3 Dec 2022 07:07 PST
Blackwater SC's Cadet Week 2022 – river training on one of the club's dinghies © Anna Lau
Blackwater Sailing Club is proud and honoured to have been chosen as the RYA East region finalist for the prestigious Royal Yachting Association and Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting Magazine 2023 club of the year award.
We believe we should be Club of the year 2023 because we are innovative and forward thinking and are constantly evolving by broadening our water sports offering and seeking feedback from members. We offer sailing throughout the week and our racing has developed with 96 new courses and additional marks.
This year we have hosted successful open meetings for Fireballs, Snipes, Wayfarers, National 18 and Optimists. We are inclusive and open to all and a highlight of the year is the OnBoard visit by disadvantaged pupils from Drapers' Brookside School.
In 2021 we opened our completely rebuilt clubhouse providing current and future generations of members with fantastic, energy efficient facilities which complement the local environment. We continue to invest in our facilities and resources and have just bought two new RIBs and six new RS Zests. After polling our members, improving the ramp has been identified as our next priority for major development.
Our membership management team has been successful in boosting membership following a Covid dip. We have refined our induction process and looked at ways to retain members, particular non sailing partners or cadet parents. We have developed a programme of adult sailing courses which have proved hugely successful and given non sailors the opportunity to learn in the safe environment of our training lake before moving to the river where they are offered one to one mentoring.
As a British Youth Sailing Recognised Club, we offer our cadets an excellent programme of training from age 8 right through to international race level support. We welcome cadets to club racing and a 10 year old cadet recently became club champion beating our finest adult helms! A 17 year old cadet is 2022 multiple youth world champion in the iQFoil Olympic class.
There are over 1000 sailing clubs in the UK, 136 in the East region and 12 finalists, but only one can be crowned Club of the Year 2023! Our selection is testament to the commitment and dedication of the many volunteers who help make Blackwater Sailing Club such a successful, friendly community where all are welcomed to enjoy sailing and watersports.
The finalists now go through to the public vote with the winner announced at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show on Saturday 25 February 2023.
For more information about all the finalists, please follow the link and vote now! awards.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/rya
This has been a brilliant year for the club, but we need to get more votes than all the other worthy finalists to win this fantastic award which would be an amazing accolade to recognise our achievements.
For more information about Blackwater Sailing Club please visit blackwatersailingclub.org.uk or www.facebook.com/BlackwaterSC