Picture: George Fenn enjoying his trial sail with Mervyn Clark, Membership Secretary
In spite of the far from ideal sailing conditions for sailing; torrential rain and high winds on Saturday and light, fickle winds on Sunday the public response to the Royal Yachting Association initiative, Push The Boat Out at Sutton Bingham Sailing Club this weekend was phenomenal. 189 visitors from 6 to 75 years of age took to the water and enjoyed a trial sail with experienced club sailors, which massively exceeded the organisers expectations.
Chris Jones, Media Liaison Officer for the club said, “It was a joy to see so much enthusiasm for our sport and so many smiling faces. The important messages that we want to get across to everyone are:
Local people are always welcome to visit the club. The best times to come and speak to members are Sundays 10am-3.30pm and Thursday evenings (Apr-Sept), 5.45pm-7.30pm).
The club are happy to arrange trial sails for anyone that missed the Push The Boat Out weekend that have a serious interest in taking up sailing. You can still email push@suttonbinghamsc.net to enquire about trial sail opportunities- remember to include your full name and contact telephone number
Sailing at entry level is accessible to all and a great deal less expensive than sometimes perceived. You can sign up for a learn to sail course, crew for an existing member to learn the ropes or buy a boat for under £500.”
Pictures: The PTBO Event Crew (Sunday) Phil Bailey and daughter Lucy
A few quotes from the weekend…
“I had the privilege of visiting the club’s PTBO today and I was absolutely bowled over by every aspect of the event. From the set up and organisation through to the enthusiasm and hard work of the mass of volunteers both on the water and on shore through every type of wind and weather. Not only that but the public turnout was spectacular to the point of being overwhelming.
Every visitor was being treated with care and consideration and that showed in the messages of thanks as they left the club after their sail.
Having been sceptical about the PTBO approach this has changed my mind. It also made me really rather proud to be a member of this club. I’m sure many visitors will become members or at least pursue sailing as an activity which is exactly the ethos of the club. ” Andy Roxburgh, Commodore, Sutton Bingham Sailing Club
“Thank you to everyone at Sutton Bingham, particularly to Richard Frost, who took Joe and me out yesterday. Great fun, we loved it.” Nicky Cohen
“I’ve lived in Yeovil all my life and I had no idea how much went on up at Sutton Bingham reservoir” Stephen Mason
“Thanks to Phil for taking Dave and I out today, it’s was a very enjoyable sail despite the downpour. Well worth getting soaked, thanks also to all the friendly members and catering volunteers. Looking forward to becoming members ” Rose Lee