University Sailing

   I know quite a few people who are at Uni, sailing, and not sailing with the associated Student Union clubs. My University has been getting the brunt of this argument of "why are they getting better equipment than us?". The simple fact of the matter is that Plymouth University recognise that they have a high number of students who are keen on sailing and that comes with the teritory of the courses provided, and therefore have invested appropriately. I'm not a member of the clubs, as I sail independantly and that would be the case wherever I went to Uni, as I'm serious about my sport and don't see University as an oppurtunity to go sailing but as means for building a career. People are complaining about not getting the same oppurtunities but that's a lot of rubbish, there are plenty of clubs around the Universities mentioned for people to sail their own boats, or alternatively crew for other people if they are truely interested in the sport. I could equally complain about how appaulling it is to be at such a great coastal location and there being no club racing for assymetric boats, at least at Strathclyde, etc there are well established local clubs for structured racing for all classes such as Helensburgh, Largs, etc. This talk about the RYA funding student racing is a load of nonsence also, if there were such funds to be allocated, I'd much prefer to see the money go in the direction of sailing clubs which need the money to upgrade facilities or improve upon the racing they can provide.

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49erGBR735HSC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 30 Mar 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1991	Post Options Post Reply Quote 49erGBR735HSC Report Post Quote Reply Topic: University Sailing Posted: 13 Feb 07 at 4:38pm
	I know quite a few people who are at Uni, sailing, and not sailing with the associated Student Union clubs. My University has been getting the brunt of this argument of "why are they getting better equipment than us?". The simple fact of the matter is that Plymouth University recognise that they have a high number of students who are keen on sailing and that comes with the teritory of the courses provided, and therefore have invested appropriately. I'm not a member of the clubs, as I sail independantly and that would be the case wherever I went to Uni, as I'm serious about my sport and don't see University as an oppurtunity to go sailing but as means for building a career. People are complaining about not getting the same oppurtunities but that's a lot of rubbish, there are plenty of clubs around the Universities mentioned for people to sail their own boats, or alternatively crew for other people if they are truely interested in the sport. I could equally complain about how appaulling it is to be at such a great coastal location and there being no club racing for assymetric boats, at least at Strathclyde, etc there are well established local clubs for structured racing for all classes such as Helensburgh, Largs, etc. This talk about the RYA funding student racing is a load of nonsence also, if there were such funds to be allocated, I'd much prefer to see the money go in the direction of sailing clubs which need the money to upgrade facilities or improve upon the racing they can provide.
	Dennis Watson 49er GBR735 Helensburgh S.C Boat Insurance from Noble Marine

timnoyce Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 05 Aug 04 Location: Hampshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 1991	Post Options Post Reply Quote timnoyce Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Feb 07 at 4:55pm
	I agree with Dennis. All these students complaining about a lack of money... if each sailing club member donated a tenner of every 100 quid spent on beer then the sailing club would be laughing, and i don't mean a light chuckle, i mean hysterics!
	BEARFOOT DESIGN Cherub 2648 - Comfortably Numb

CurlyBen Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 17 Aug 05 Location: Southampton Online Status: Offline Posts: 539	Post Options Post Reply Quote CurlyBen Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Feb 07 at 6:10pm
	Depends on the sailing club - it's £15 to join the Athletic Union (one off for the whole time at uni), then £40 to join the sailing club (yearly), then I think it's around £5 for every dinghy sailing session down here. Add event fees in and I'm quite glad I couldn't make it to the team trials, as no mention of having to pay for every session was made when I signed up to the club. I also can't see any way the RYA could afford to top other clubs up to that amount. Edited by CurlyBen
	RS800 GBR848 Weston SC

BigFatStan Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 31 Jan 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 78	Post Options Post Reply Quote BigFatStan Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Feb 07 at 6:29pm
	Am I the only person concerned by the grammar, spelling and punctuation exhibited by these University students? (just kidding) When I went to University in 1977 the sailing club was so clique dominated that I laughed and went off to do my own thing - nothing changes.

bovlike Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Far too distracted from work Joined: 07 Mar 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 221	Post Options Post Reply Quote bovlike Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Feb 07 at 9:10pm
	It is a shame people give up on there uni sailing clubs because they feel it is cliquey! At my uni (Solent) we the committee tried very hard this year to get people involved. But people have to join in and get involved and get the most out of there club, after all they are spending money to be in the club. In one case I bumped into a sailing club member at a none uni event. When I asked him why I had not seen him at the uni sailing events, he said well I did a few things then my club text messages stopped coming. So I looked into it and he had changed his mobile number and not told us!!!! So back to my first point the clubs may seem cliquey but people need to put the effort in and get involved you can’t just expect to turn up and get on the team. We try are best to introduce new people into the club but cant be there to hold your hand, you are at university now and some social skills are required. Ian Turnbull Vice commodore Solent uni sailing club
	Ian (Bov) Turnbull 18ft Skiff Ronstan UK Chandlery, tapered ropes and specialist solutions for sailors who demand the best - BovBoats.co.uk

43251 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 11 Feb 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Post Options Post Reply Quote 43251 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Feb 07 at 9:35pm
	At our club its an open doors policy. Any one can join. As for some of the costs that were not mentioned to members at the start, things do change (such as the rate to hire boats) but in general I think I have saved my self quite allot of money sailing for the uni. I mean petrol, entry fees, accommodation, wear and tare, club membership, they all add up. How many other uni sports do a '1st team' go out the night before a championship/any other event with their casual sailors and then sleep on a randoms floor from the host uni. How much more welcoming can you try and be? I think turnturtle has it right that you have to put a bit of effort in, you have to remember some people have been friends at uni for a little too long (Masters/PhD students). Saying that they are more than willing to make friends with anyone, you just have to give them a chance.

49erGBR735HSC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 30 Mar 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1991	Post Options Post Reply Quote 49erGBR735HSC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Feb 07 at 8:52am
	Think that's pretty spot on, you need to put in effort to get effort back. People shouldn't expect to join Uni clubs and instantly get put on the "team" for BUSA etc but in the same instance, people shouldn't automatically expect to hold their position as they have sailed there for a few years on the team. Plymouth operate on this policy and as it happened, sent 3 boats to BUSA last year, and any of the teams sent could have been the "1st team", the difference between the teams was so little. The policy increased competition between the boats, and everyone worked as hard as they could as no-one's position was safe. There will be cliqueness at certain clubs, although sailors talking about sailing is what they do, and beginners to the sport or joining the university shouldn't percieve this as cliqueness.... People not participating with the clubs shouldn't be percieved as socially inept neither, my reasons for not joining this year are down to the fact that I don't feel the clubs have anything to offer me personally.
	Dennis Watson 49er GBR735 Helensburgh S.C Boat Insurance from Noble Marine

tickel Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 21 Dec 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 408	Post Options Post Reply Quote tickel Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Feb 07 at 8:56am
	My daughter, second year at Leeds University, looked forward to joining the L.U.S.T. having sailed throuout her childhood and teens. She found that there was a fee to join, then five pounds a week plus expenses ect. The club they used had no clubhouse, it having been burnt down, freezing cold, hanging arround for team racing in freezing conditions, then racing crumbling old larks. After sailing there was the additional cost of drinking. Compare this with her usual sailing at club and national level with boyfriend lots of racing and sunshine. She gave up, perhaps not keen enough, perhaps a very sensible decision?
	tickel

zippyRN Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 14 Sep 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 437	Post Options Post Reply Quote zippyRN Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Feb 07 at 11:35am
	from my point of view having had the dubious honour of attending 2 unis as an undergraduate , admitted both were now a few years ago but within the last decade, university sailing is dominated by a faction of a rahs! who cannot see beyond team racing, they do not want peopel who can actually sail as part of university sailing instead are happy to stay in their isolated cul de sac of sailing and don't want people to join them in that cul-de -sac incase they get shown up by those who have both boatspeed and boat handling skills like many of the people who grow up sailing in family / racing clubs and also get into both 'sides' of the RYA system ( i.e. the sailing / instructing and race training)

Strathclyde Uni Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 16 Dec 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote Strathclyde Uni Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Feb 07 at 11:41am
	I dont think we have the problem of encouraging folk to come and join in. Infact next to Glasgow Uni at times Strathclyde has always had the biggest turn out of bodies usually represented in the form of numbers of teams and faces at the socials. For example at teh Scottish Match Racing Champs most Unis had one team, we had THREE! and mosty made up of freshers aswell. Our problem is that we have so many members in comparison that are interested in the events with a lot of folk under the ehtos of "its the taking part that counts". This is purely due to everyone enjoying it so much, if you disregard the competitive side of the events, where else during your years as a students are you going to get to socialise with as big a body of people who are as like-minded as youself! Yes we have some pretty good sailors in the CLUB who are rightly placed within the "team structure". Our current issue is ensuring that we avoid the "cliquey-ness" that has dissolved so many clubs before, we are trying to enforce the thinking that if there are people interested in doing something, they should be allowed to do it and every possble means should be taken by the club to make this happen. You can still ahve a hot-shot A-Team AND get as many fok involved in your B to Z teams as possible. We are now pretty much on top of this but our biggest problem is that we do NOT currently have the equipment to allow those who want to train, to train and those who want to just sail on their free time, to sail. We dont have ANY boats at all. We are not looking for loads of money as such as we have some, we are only looking for a flight to come up for sale. out for now University of Strathclyde Sailing Club
	WE HAVE CASH WAITING IF YOU HAVE BOATS - looking for a flight of boats for team racing, ideally fireflys