Ullswater Yacht Club run 'Blokes in a Boat'
by Sue Giles 19 Apr 2015 10:07 BST
25 April 2015
Rick Boyce and Steve Potter get some practise in a VX One at Ullswater (pink hoodies are optional!) © Sue Giles
Two sailing instructors at Ullswater Yacht Club are in the pink about a new group which meets for the first time on Saturday, April 25.
Club members Rick Boyce and Steve Potter are launching the first session of their Blokes in a Boat group. They will meet at the same time as the successful Ladies Who Launch group which is now in its third year.
Rick, who is UYC Vice Commodore, explained: "Ladies Who Launch sessions have been so popular and done such a great job that we thought it was a shame that the guys were missing out.
"We, the blokes, feel we should no longer be confined to fiddling, fixing and fettling the boats of our nearest and dearest. We want to sail too! So, being blokes, and seeing the easiest way to sort this, we have mercilessly copied the ladies and formed our own club."
Throughout 2014, a total of 25 members of all ages took part in ten special Saturday morning Ladies Who Launch sessions aimed at getting women on the water with no pressure and no formal instruction. The group has access to the club's fleet of training boats for those without boats of their own and members get together informally to discuss what they want to do.
"The idea behind the sessions is to offer something for the ladies in the club who have spent years supporting partners and children who enjoy sailing. Now it's their turn," explained experienced sailor Anne Noble, who organises the sessions with fellow instructor Julie Archer.
This year, when the ladies are getting together at 10am over a cuppa and deciding on their plans for the morning, the 'blokes' will be meeting too.
Steve Potter, whose wife Kathryn is a keen member of Ladies Who Launch, explained: "We will have the same format as the ladies but will be exclusively bloke-ish affair. We will be running informal sailing and coaching with a safety boat on hand in the unlikely event of getting wet.
"The aims are to promote improved confidence in sailing in a supportive environment and to prove to our female colleagues that we can sail too. There's no sign up or structure and we'll decide on the day what to do."
Blokes in a Boat and Ladies Who Launch meet for the first time at 10am on Saturday, April 25, and there are a further nine sessions throughout the sailing season.
www.ullswateryachtclub.org