RYA Push The Boat Out 2016 at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club
by Paul Heath 23 May 2016 15:46 BST
14 May 2016
It was a very busy day at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club on Saturday 14th May as the club took part in the Royal Yachting Associations national 'Push The Boat Out' event. The aim of the scheme is to introduce previously non-sailing members of the public to the joys of the sport by offering 'have a go' taster sessions at the club.
Thankfully the sun shone and the winds were light enough so as not to deter anybody from turning up and taking to the water. Amongst all the individuals, families young and old and youth groups turning up to give it a go was local MP, Andy Burnham, and his daughter who both took to the water although Andy did take some persuading.
In total 89 people, consisting of 37 adults and 52 children, had their first go of sailing. The majority of the kids had at least two trips. With so much going on the club members turned out in force to assist, with our team of senior instructors taking the adults/families out while the junior members took the youngsters out for a blast. Some shore based members set up a display on the foreshore of all different class dinghies we have and provided information on them while the reception desk was dutifully manned by the membership team.
A display of club racing was put on, with running commentary, while other water sport activity such as kayaking and windsurfing was provided by the 'You Can Community Club' who are group members of the club.
The whole day was brilliantly organised by Commodore Mike Barnes, his daughter Laura and not forgetting all the help from all club members.
When spoken to the next day a very tired (and relieved) Mike said, "Once again we had a fantastic day. The weather was brilliant which contributed to such a high turnout and thus a very busy day. I would like to thank the club members who turned out to help on the day and make it such a memorable day for our visitors. I would also like to thank the visitors who showed such keenness and enthusiasm for going sailing for the first time and I know they all came away with a smile on their face."
For further information on Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club and what we can offer visit llsc.org.uk
For information on sailing at a National level see the RYA's website at www.rya.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx