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Originally Posted by SPR
Hi All, the link below is the report of the two events we organised as RYA Scotland Powerboat Committee - we be holding more events next year. If wanted added to list pm me. http://www.ryascotland.org.uk/news/P...RSUNSHINE.aspx Thanks to everybody who helped out on these events. S. |
JUNIOR POWERBOATERS TRAINING IN SEPTEMBER SUNSHINE
The RYA Scotland Powerboat committee have been busy this season and have provided some great junior powerboat training sessions.
During September they hosted two sessions, one at Longcraig and one at Castle Semple, to offer youngsters between the age of 8 and 16 years the chance to take part in powerboat training which would help to develop their skills and learn some top tips from the experts. The training was open to all youngsters within the given age range no matter which club or centre they came from and even if they weren’t an RYA member.
“It is great teaching young people who are keen to learn and understand the benefit of being trained” said Malcolm Leckie, Chief Powerboat Instructor at Longcraig Scout Centre.
Both events had perfect conditions for the sessions with sunshine, light winds and very little waves. On the water the youngsters were concentrating on man overboard, boat control and awareness. Whilst off the water they were looking at how anchors work, getting an introduction to charts and buoyage as well as finding out about the safety equipment for powerboating.
The Longcraigs event saw 13 youngsters gather for the training and then were split into the groups to use the two RIBS and the hard tiller steered boat plus an onshore group. The group was a mixture of experience with some who were pretty competent and some who have never done it before. This event was made possible with the support of the Longcraig Scout Centre staff and also the Cramond Sea Scouts.
The training event at Castle Semple again saw the youngsters divided up into groups and were using three hard tiller steered boats and were also doing some on-shore working concentrating on kill cords and a safety briefing including life jackets. These training sessions are as much about teaching people how to be safe on the water as anything else so getting the right messages across to them about using kill cords and life jackets properly early is crucial. The kids were on the water from 10am up to 4pm and were supported by the Castle Centre staff and also the Castle Semple Sailing Club.
After the session at Castle Semple 8 year old Isla said “It was so much fun, when can I do it again??” whilst 11 year old Niall commented “It was awesome. I would have like to do more for longer – what an epic day!”
For more updates and information about RYA Scotland please go to
www.ryascotland.org.uk. You can also follow RYA Scotland on Facebook and Twitter so you never miss out on the latest news.
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