Berthholders make the most of a double challenge 

A weekend of Active Marina challenges for berthholders in Devon

Berthholders from Noss Marina spent a challenging weekend in early August, first with a practical Man Overboard (MOB) day and then a windy flotilla sail from Dartmouth to Totnes and back.

Led by Andy Wright, lecturer and RYA Principal at South Devon College, the double Active Marina event began with a morning of MOB drills around buoys in Dartmouth Harbour. The seven participants had to deal with an extra challenge when their yacht propeller fell off, and they had to sail unpowered back to the mooring in the river.

The MOB day was all about couples sailing together, and learning to recover a partner who has fallen in the water. As a result, in the afternoon, some of Andy’s degree students donned drysuits and enabled the berthholders to learn all the different methods of recovering people from the water. Andy commented: “The participants all loved it – we were able to practise the types of recovery we always talk about but rarely get to do.”

Participant Val Isaacs said: “Thank you to Noss Marina and the RYA for organising such an excellent day and to Andy who really made the day with his enthusiasm and knowledge and to the two Richards, his assistants, for their patience and willingness to get wet and be repeatedly rescued all afternoon!”    

The following day, Andy and two assistants in an open launch led three yachts and two motorboats up river from Dartmouth in challenging, windy conditions which pushed 12 participants to make the very most of their sailing skills.

Stopping for lunch at the Ferryboat Inn at Dittisham, and then taking a coffee break at Dartmouth, the intrepid sailors returned to Noss Marina at 8pm, buzzing: “A great deal of pleasure was gained from the day,” said Daric Jarvis. “The concept of travelling in convoy boosts the confidence especially as day sailors we don’t always push ourselves to the next level of experience in case it goes amiss, so with Andy and his team illustrating their skill and expertise, we were able to participate with confidence and enthusiasm. I am looking forward to another adventure with him and his team in the not too distant future.”

Andy worked hard to make the weekend such a success: “I was shattered at the end of it, but the feedback from the berthholders was fantastic! I now have another group who want to do the MOB training, so I’ll be organising that soon.”

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