Celebrity rowers cut the ribbon at York Railway Institute Sailing Club
by Hugh Brazier 12 Jun 2016 13:20 BST
4 June 2016
York Railway Institute Sailing Club newly extended club house © Steve Hogg
On Saturday 4th June a crowd of sixty eager people gathered on the banks of the River Ouse just south of Bishopthorpe to celebrate the opening of a newly extended club house at York Railway Institute Sailing Club. The ribbon was cut by guests of honour Helen Butters and Frances Davies, two members of the Yorkshire Rows transatlantic rowing team. And Helen and Frances arrived in style to perform the ceremony, ferried down river by York Rescue Boat. After the opening ceremony York Rescue Boat staged rescue demonstrations, and members of York RI Sailing Club took visitors sailing on the river in their GP14 dinghies.
The club house extension and refurbishment was completed in March, thanks to a £75,000 grant from the Sport England Inspired Facilities fund. In addition to new kitchen facilities, the club now has an extension to the club house that contains completely new changing rooms, built to the best modern standards. The architects for the project were PPIY Ltd of York, and the work was undertaken by local builders Tom Rhodes & Sons.
Particularly remarkable is that the construction work took place through the winter, when much of York was under water, and featuring daily on the nation's TV screens. It is just as well that the club house stands on a raised platform, and that the intrepid builders found a way of gaining access from the bridge above, because at times the club compound was under 2 metres of water while the work was in progress.
Helen and Frances of Yorkshire Rows comment, 'The fun we had on the River Ouse every Saturday morning in a sculling boat definitely led to our dream to row across the Atlantic. There is nothing better than being out on the water. So give it a go, make new friends, and who knows where it may lead!'
The York Rescue Boat team add, 'The more people learn to respect the river, the greater their safety on and around the water, and sailors know this better than most. Learning to sail at York RI sailing club is a great fun way of learning how to be safe on the river in a friendly environment.'
With this new development, the club has made an impressive contribution to extending sporting opportunities for the city of York and the surrounding area. On a fine summer's day – or even in chill autumn winds – there really is nothing so much fun as sailing a dinghy on the River Ouse.
Yorkshire Rows is a team of four Yorkshire women who rowed the Atlantic in late 2015/early 2016, raising money for charity along the way. They took 67 days to complete the 3,000-mile challenge and are the oldest all-female crew to have performed the feat. See www.yorkshirerows.com.
York Rescue Boat is a new charity whose goal is to further the safety of the rivers in York, by means of a patrol and rescue boat, education and awareness. The patrol boat has been in operation since 2015, and one of the organisation's aims is to provide a stand-by team that will respond as an auxiliary service to the 999 services in search & rescue and community flood assistance. See www.yorkrescueboat.com.