Haslar Marina Berth holders get top sailing tips with RYA Active Marina Programme 

Berth holders and yacht club members were joined by their crews and friends at Haslar Marina in Gosport to brush up on their boating skills when they attended an RYA Active Marina Own Boat Tuition workshop last Saturday (23rd June).

The workshop is part of the RYA Active Marina Programme which aims to encourage boat owners to get more out of life with their boats by gaining the confidence and skills to leave their berths and get out on the water more often. It was also a great way for berth holders and Haslar Yacht Club members to get to know each other.

Six boats with 17 people attended the workshops which were met with huge enthusiasm. Instructors from Haslar Sea School were on hand to give expert advice and plenty of tips, taking their students through various manoeuvres, despite the blustery weather. The focus was on improving boat handling skills during a two hour training session for each boat.

“It was sunny but quite windy - gusting to 20 knots,” explained Guy Malpas, of the RYA, who manages the programme.

“In the relative shelter provided by Haslar Marina and Portsmouth Harbour these were great conditions for participants to practice berthing and manoeuvring their boat under the guidance of an RYA Instructor. These are often the type of conditions that can lead to heightened anxiety and voices to be raised between crews!”

Andy McAllister, owner of a Jeanneau 33 Deux Points saw how that could be minimised. “After a couple of hours of tuition my wife Liz now feels confident enough to moor the boat alongside a jetty and also back on our berth in the marina despite the wind. It is the first time that she has attempted any of these manoeuvres and she mastered them with ease thanks to instructor Lee Williams and the RYA team,” he commented. “ I would recommend that anyone who is unsure of their boating skills uses the Active Marina programme.”

Haslar Sea School Principle Steve Tyas said “It’s refreshing to hear how positively the event has being received by the marina berth holders. This form of training is of benefit to all and has proved to be very popular.”

In fact a programme of Active Marina events is planned in marinas across the south, and indeed the whole UK, to get boat owners and crews fired up about their boating. Haslar Marina will be holding a second event on 22nd September, organised once again by the Haslar Yacht Club.

Another couple, Graham and Elain Armitage, who own a Legent 325 Cornell will be there. They said “The Active Marina Programme gave us the opportunity to learn from a qualified Yachtmaster™ on our own yacht and at our home marina. We will definitely be signing up for more.”

The RYA Active Marina days are delivered through the marina and their onsite Training Centres. Workshops are tailored to each crews’ needs, whether topping up the skipper’s knowledge or training the crew in basic areas of boat handling. These events, organised by the energetic Haslar Yacht Club, which will be taking bookings for the next RYA Active Marina Day at Haslar Marina on September 22nd.

The programme encourages and supports increased berth holder activity by partnering with marinas, RYA recognised training centres, berth holder groups and yacht clubs to establish or enhance a programme of training, cruising and social opportunities.

For more information about the RYA Active Marina Programme visit www.rya.org.uk/go/activemarina

To sign up to become and Active Marina email activemarina@rya.org.uk