Thorney Island Sailing Club’s Sport English Grant increases dinghy fleet for youngsters
Thorney Island Sailing Club in Chichester Harbour has taken
delivery of three new Feva dinghies thanks to a grant of £10,000 from Sport
England, supported by the Royal Yachting Association.
Located in the middle of Chichester Harbour Thorney Island
Sailing Club has been progressively expanding its facilities and programmes to
help get more people into sailing.
“Since 2012 the club has actively engaged
with the RYA Regional Development team to improve participation and promote
sailing,” explains the club’s David Goodman.
“Firstly we wrote a Club Development Plan and subsequently through the
award of the Sport England Small Grant were were able to buy an RS Vision
dinghy and a Rigiflex Safety boat which both have been supporting an adult
development programme.”
Following this success the club reviewed its plan and
decided to focus on further expansion, this time in the Junior section. A
second successful bid was made to Sport England and in early June the club took
delivery of the three new RS Fevas.
“The Juniors are delighted to take on these boats and they
have been extensively used since June,” says David. “They have particularly
enjoyed using the spinnakers around the harbour.”
“The new boats have allowed the club programme to be extended
including running a Start Racing and Sailing with Spinnakers course for the
first time.”
On the water, the club’s standard weekend session has
benefited from the extra capacity – the average attendance for this event has
increased since the new boats arrived. The numbers increased to a fantastic 52
youngsters who took part in the annual Junior Week at the club.
Contact UsArticle Published: September 09, 2015 19:22
Article Updated: September 10, 2015 10:08