Parkstone Yacht Club benefits Devons sailing youth
by Bill Lauste 26 Jun 2013 11:00 BST
26 June 2013
(l to r) Richard Parker, Rear Commodore Tamar River Sailing Club, Charlie Martin (Parkston Yacht Club), Dean Russell (Tamar River Sailing Club), Rob Jarrett, Rear Commodore Parkstone Yacht Club © 'Jack' Russell
Following a nationwide invitation to other sailing and watersports clubs, Parkstone Yacht Club has donated a brand new Honwave T40 Inflatable to Tamar River Sailing Club in Devon.
Parkstone Yacht Club in Poole, which is one of the largest sailing clubs in the South, decided to donate the inflatable after they won it in the 2012 RYA Honda Youth RIB Challenge. The boat was won for Parkstone by one of its youth members, Charlie Martin (12) who was competing in the Challenge. It was a double success for the Club, as fellow youth member, Harrison Faull (13) had won the older age group category in the same competition, with the prize being a RIB - which the club is using regularly. The Honwave is not really suitable for the club's needs as Poole Harbour and Bay have large areas of exposed water, so it was decided to donate it to a worthy club who could put it to good use.
Parkstone's Commodore, Dick Linford said; "We're delighted with the recent successes of our young RIB drivers and are really pleased to be donating the inflatable to Tamar River Sailing Club." He added; "When we decided the boat wasn't suitable for us, we offered it to any club that made the most convincing case. We had 30 excellent bids for the boat from a wide variety of clubs. The final selection meeting included input from our Honda Youth RIB champions who were unanimous in choosing Tamar River Sailing Club."
Terry Orton, Commodore of Tamar River Sailing Club said "We're delighted to have won the inflatable. It will form a very useful and timely addition to our small fleet of safety boats as we endeavour to expand our sailing activities. We have recently formed a partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police under the RYA Onboard umbrella and this boat will help us drive this community project forward and get some local youngsters on the water.