Met Office weather talk goes down a storm at Mount Batten Centre 

Met Office's Penny Tranter speaks to 90 berth holders and club members at Active Marina event

An audience of 90 boat owners and sailors learned a lot about the weather and sailing from Met Office expert Penny Tranter last Saturday, 22 February at an RYA Active Marina event at Mount Batten Centre, Plymouth.

Berth holders from Plymouth Yacht Haven and Yacht Haven Quay, and members of Plym Yacht Club,  Mayflower Boat Owners Association and Mount Batten Centre enjoyed a fascinating presentation  that included much crucial information for sailors.

Ms Tranter discussed the difference between weather and climate as well as talking about clouds and low pressure systems, analysis and forecast chart interpretation, winds and weather. She ended her presentation by talking about climate change and the need for further research into the incidence of severe storms such as those that have recently battered the UK.

Pete Flaxman, one of the berth holders, was very pleased to have attended: “Its great to see such a complex subject presented in a clear and informative way; a very interesting couple of hours,” he said.

Another berth holder, Sara Baker, added: “Well done to Penny for a very enjoyable afternoon; it has certainly enhanced my knowledge.”

Speaking for the host, the Mount Batten Centre, Paul Francis said: “The Mount Batten Centre is really keen to help support any initiavies which encourage berth holders and boat owners to take to the water more often and get best value from their boating experiences.”

The event was organised by Plymouth Yacht Haven (PYH). Jody Hazlehurst of PYH concluded: “It was great to see so many berth holders attend this presentation. The feedback has been very positive - the perfect way to start off our 2014 RYA Active Marina Programme. Our next event is the Meet the RYA workshop being hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club on 01 April.”

The RYA Active Marina 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