Expressions Of Interest

Dear All,

As you were kind enough to register interest through the new www.bewlsailing.club  website in the potential of setting up a new club for sailing at Bewl, I thought an update to you was overdue.  Hence I have prepared the notes below to give you a summary of the latest position and ask once again for your support.  After reading the notes, please reply using the, form on this page to let us know your views.

Over the past few weeks a small group of dedicated ex members of Bewl Valley Sailing Club has been working hard whilst we try to find the best way to maintain and grow sailing at Bewl.  You will already know the Club's former landlord, Bewl Water Boating Ltd (BWB), is selling annual sailing passes and allowing boats to be stored in the boat parks.  Former members of BVSC can now sail at Bewl at a discounted rate if they pay the appropriate fees direct to BWB.  In addition, BWB is making some commando support boats available to us to help us provide limited safety cover. In addition to various meetings and discussions with representatives from the different groups of Bewl sailors, we also have sought advice from legal and insurance perspectives.  From this it is clear that the best way to ensure safety for all sailors and appropriate indemnity for volunteers providing support, is in the form of a new limited liability entity (e.g. a club or association).  A limited liability entity can own on behalf of its members assets such as support boats and other equipment needed for sailing and racing.  It can also put into place appropriate insurances and provide protection and indemnity to people volunteering for support and safety duties.  This is totally in line with recommendations from the RYA, who have been consulted and remain very supportive to sailors through this difficult period at Bewl.

Let’s make it clear right now - we are not trying to resurrect the old BVSC.  We do not want to make the same mistakes as before, so it’s perfectly sensible to ask the question - Why do we need a club?

1. Objectives:  The main purpose will be to support and promote sailing activities on Bewl for the benefit of its members, with a particular focus on safety and protection. For the club to be successful it must meet the varied needs of all sailors at Bewl.  It must be a unified association with a single voice to represent the members' best interests and provide a safe environment for those sailing and those providing voluntary support.  We will welcome all to our new club and do our best to help anyone who wishes to join us.  We want our club to be happy, welcoming, inclusive and friendly.
   
   
2. Growing and working together:  Building a new club will take time, patience and teamwork; so to start things off we propose the following activities:
   
   Safety Cover - On Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesday evenings we will work together to ensure adequate and suitably trained crew are available on demand to support sailors in need of assistance.  It is only with the confidence of this vital duty that we can expect to grow our numbers on Bewl and be sure of safety in our sport.
   
   Racing - The new club will play a central role in coordinating racing at Bewl.  By working with all the fleets we can coordinate race officers, courses and encourage new sailors, whether adults or youths, to become more active on Sundays and improve their skills.  Racing is one of the best ways to develop sailing skills and we need to work together to welcome all into this exciting area of our sport.  We also hope this focus will attract back to Bewl some of those fleets who have left us - for example our Xenon friends who we would love to see back on the water.
   
   Youth - We will run regular sessions both on Wednesday evenings through the summer and on Saturdays for youth sailors who hold at least Stage 2 qualifications to practise their sailing in a fun and supportive environment, accompanied by a dedicated support boat to look after and guide our young sailors.  This group will work not just with those who already have their own boats, but we also have a small fleet of Oppies and Toppers (sourced from separate donations) for hire on a per session basis until young sailors have acquired their own first boat.  We hope that experienced sailors from other parts of the club will volunteer to help and grow this vital area of sailing activity.
   
   Cruising and mid-week sailing - There are many ex members of BVSC who enjoy sailing outside the traditional Sunday racing day.  The new club will support all sailors and provide the same safe and protected environment under the umbrella of the limited liability company.  MOB (Mariners of Bewl) have similar needs in terms of supported sailing sessions as youth sailors and have expressed a keen interest in having access to support boats under the appropriate insurance and protection that a club can provide.
   
   Windsurfing - Representatives from the windsurfing sailors have also attended the recent meetings and given their support for setting up a new club under the terms proposed.
   
   
3. Membership:  To establish a sound financial base, the new club will aim to charge a very modest subscription. This will cover insurance for members volunteering for support boat duties and other support activities.  It will also cover maintenance of equipment such as support boats, race flags and buoys.  The subscription will be in addition to the fees paid to BWB and the amount will depend on the level of membership that we can attract.  With an initial membership of 100, it will be possible to offer membership for only £20 p.a. so we need your support.

Many of you have been very kind in offering financial support towards new kit - both powerboats and the youth hire fleet.  I wish to thank those individuals for their help and support.  Discussions are ongoing as to whether they will be treated as donations or loans and we hope to provide an update soon on how this will be managed.

In summary, I hope that the information above helps you to understand the discussions and work going on ‘behind the scenes’.  We are keen to determine the level of interest and take-up for a new club and this is your opportunity to join us and have an influence on how things are set up and run.  Please therefore let me have your feedback through the form on this page.

This is a great opportunity to start something really good and your input and support is essential to achieve this.  If you haven’t already done so, please come down to Bewl to meet old friends and tell us what you would like from a new club.

Those of us who have resumed sailing miss you - and we want you back … for good!

Best regards

Martin Brooking