ILCA UK Chair Blog # 126
ILCA Stand at RYA Dinghy Show - hiking challange
Let me start with thanks to those that helped on the ILCA UK stand at the RYA Dinghy Show. There was a great buzz around our stand consistent with the buzz around the class! It was great to see so many visitors – new and old. Led by Ellie, helped by amongst others Leo, Brett, Andrew, Andy, Deborah, Mille, Jasmine, Toby, Fiona, Guy, Keith, Sarah, Max, Mike, Stick, Andrew, Anna, Nathan, Jonathan, Keith, Mille. Shout-out to Ellie, Andy, Max, Jonathan and Stick for setting up and Ellie, Andy, Leo, Brett, Max and Jonathan for taking down.
Of course, volunteering is central to our class and indeed our sport. Stop to think for a second – who ran your club racing at the weekend? It is not just at club level but ILCA UK has many volunteer committee and sub-committee members as well as all the great volunteers at our events. But volunteering is also about people helping themselves! To quote Sport England there are many benefits for the individual too. Volunteering can be a hugely rewarding experience and gives back in many other ways. Volunteers are happier: People who volunteer in sport often feel a sense of pride and say that their life has a sense of purpose. They meet new people: Volunteering in sport is a great way to make new friends and connections. Volunteers at a sports club often work as part of a team of volunteers. A shared love of sport often leads to new friendships. It’s a great way to develop new skills: Volunteering can help to improve current skills or develop new ones. Different roles will offer different opportunities. Some clubs might also offer you training to develop new skills that will help the volunteer in their role.
ILCA UK want to be an inclusive class, and we welcome all volunteers – in fact we want a diverse volunteer base because the best teams comes from diverse teams. That means we have roles for you whether you are an experienced sailor or not, whether you are old or young and whatever you background. The RYA have produced some excellent videos (see link below) on the role of volunteers – they are especially great as they were filmed at our ILCA UK National Championship at Hayling Island in 2023. Enjoy!
Volunteer vacancy - Y&Y Editor. Our race reports for National events are written by sailors based with guidelines provided to support them. This role is to check those reports and edit if needed and publish on Y&Y platform. It is a couple of hours work the week after an event, around 10 times per year. It may suit a volunteer interested in “work experience” to support a career in communications but is of course open to everyone.
Our first two National Opens (formerly Qualifiers) are at WPNSA on 15/16 March and 22/23 March and these are now open for entry. These events are open meetings, run to a high-level, with sailors from competent club sailors to British Sailing Team members. They are a great opportunity to sail against the best and to learn and improve your skills. And they are open to volunteers too.
Snippets
2025 ILCA Handbook is now available online.
ILCA UK Events
Entries to National Open 1 (formerly qualifier) 1 and National Open 2
You can now renew your membership for 2025. Not a member yet? JOIN NOW
See our calendar - last winter training is available to book.
ILCA UK training - all remaining training for winter/spring is now open. BOOK here
Entries for the 2025 RYA Youth National Championships are now open
ILCA UK have two National Opens at WPNSA on 11/12 Oct and 18/19 Oct - the latter clashes with the U21s Europeans so discretionary points may apply for the qualification ladder but not for the first weekend (we moved from 25/26 Oct to 11/12 Oct to avoid a double clash).
Other news
ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - ILCA 4 fleet report
ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - ILCA 6 fleet report
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle will start in Mallorca
NI Sailing Team dominate Celtic Cup with clean sweep victory
Call to action: Abandoned Boats Changing Lives for Youth Sailors in St. Vincent and the Grenadines