RYA and the new Marine Bill

Just got this from RYA, not sure if it has already been posted. so read or ignore at your leisure!
The RYA in Action.

http://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/en...=InBrief&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=sept09
Once again the RYA seems to have done a good job on behalf of its members and those boaters who for spurious reasons refuse to join and lend even more weight to all that it does.
I have been following the progress of the proposals with interest since the first MCZ around Lundy was established several years ago. Its success was almost immediate and has become a shining example of what can be achieved.
 
RYA

Once again the RYA seems to have done a good job on behalf of its members and those boaters who for spurious reasons refuse to join and lend even more weight to all that it does.
I have been following the progress of the proposals with interest since the first MCZ around Lundy was established several years ago. Its success was almost immediate and has become a shining example of what can be achieved.

Hear hear! There are too many people too quick to criticise this fine organisation while enjoying the benefits it wins for all of us, members or not.

BishopT
 
Hear hear! There are too many people too quick to criticise this fine organisation while enjoying the benefits it wins for all of us, members or not.

BishopT

It may well be a good organization but with 'Royal' as part of it's title it does not seem immediately accessible to me.
Although I have been mucking about in boats for something like 45 years this is the first time that I have actually seen it in action (& it is far from clear yet that it will protect us from the possible imposition of an anchoring ban in Studland Bay surly of paramount interest to all serious sailors)?
The Rights that I rely on have been hard fought & won by generations of mariners & I believe rightly or wrongly that they should be upheld by the Parliamentary system.I wish them well & if I had the money I might even join.
Regards KC.
 
It may well be a good organization but with 'Royal' as part of it's title it does not seem immediately accessible to me.
Although I have been mucking about in boats for something like 45 years this is the first time that I have actually seen it in action (& it is far from clear yet that it will protect us from the possible imposition of an anchoring ban in Studland Bay surly of paramount interest to all serious sailors)?
The Rights that I rely on have been hard fought & won by generations of mariners & I believe rightly or wrongly that they should be upheld by the Parliamentary system.I wish them well & if I had the money I might even join.
Regards KC.

Hope you aren't a member of the RAC then. ;)
 
Hope you aren't a member of the RAC then. ;)

I don't have a car & even when I did I was'nt a member.
I suspect a trap here so will state quite clearly that when I put to sea in my boat the emphasis is very much on taking my chances.I don't know where you are coming from on this but I certainly don't expect anyone to rescue me.
 
let alone need assistance from the RNLI...

I take my chances as stated in my original post & knew where this was going.
If you rely on the RNLI then you should'nt go to sea in my opinion.They are also a charitable organization that does not need the 'Royal' prefix in my opinion.
Would somebody else not pick up the baton if they were not available?
I wonder how the French get on?:cool:
 
Perhaps our time may be better spent, especially in the SW, looking for a more effective way to express our views. At present we have the RYA which an apparent majority have little faith in and Malcolm Bell our SW watersports rep on the Finding Sanctuary Steering Committee. Mr Bell is mainly representing the views of the SW Tourism industry but also sails a dinghy. A quick run through of the membership of the steering committee, all 18 indiviuals, breaks down as; 1 adminstrator, 5 fishing, 2 coastal management, 3 nature conservation, 4 marine science, 1 renewable energy, 1 divers, 1 crown estate, 1 ports and shipping, 1/2 SW tourism and 1/2 watersports. Am I being cynical in thinking the waterspots representation was added on to Mr Bells portfolio as an afterthought?
 
Why would we need an excuse for not joining? Isn't it up to the RYA to give us reasons for joining?

They do give reasons for joining. Though not finding those reasons sufficient is only one of the reasons for not joining that I've heard.
 
Well I've heard a few excuses for not being a member of the RYA in my time Mr. Columnbus but that takes the biscuit.

Would you join if it was called the Republican Yachting Association?

BishopT

The RYA representing all sailors and motorboaters ("leisure water users" if you want a catch-all) has one main difference to a Trade Union closed shop: the union is democratic and accountable.
I joined the RYA for several years, because I was told it was the responsible thing to do, but nothing in their literature or activities bore any relation to my sort of sailing, and their belated attempts to claim the political power base of representing all water users doesn't tempt me back.

To be honest, I go sailing to get away form the sort of people who like to organise committees and tell me what I should be doing, so it's difficult to think of what they could do to attract the likes of me, without driving out all the blazered commodores and the like.
Racing's another matter, but I don't race and don't want to subsidise it, any more than I'd want to subsidise show jumping or clay pidgeon shooting.

As I see it, they are there for Yacht Clubs and their members, and to promote sailing as a sport, i.e. a competitive activity. I don't fall into any of those categories, so their attempts to "represent" me, however well meaning, are nothing more than a means to extend their political influence.
 
As I see it, they are there for Yacht Clubs and their members, and to promote sailing as a sport, i.e. a competitive activity. I don't fall into any of those categories, so their attempts to "represent" me, however well meaning, are nothing more than a means to extend their political influence.

Agreed, and with the rest of what you wrote as well. I have also been put off by the RYA's tendency to drop its opposition to regulation whenever there is a chance that they will be able to make money by administering it.
 
Agreed, and with the rest of what you wrote as well. I have also been put off by the RYA's tendency to drop its opposition to regulation whenever there is a chance that they will be able to make money by administering it.

As I understand it the RYA is against the introduction of compulsory licences/training etc. Surely if the RYA wanted to make money they would be pushing for it.
 
The Rights that I rely on ... should be upheld by the Parliamentary system.
And pigs should fly! It is "the parliamentary system" that is doing most to erode our rights.
...if I had the money I might even join.
£43. And if you buy an almanac or charts, you can recoup some of that through discounts
nothing in their literature or activities bore any relation to my sort of sailing
Clubs and sailing schools generally like to promote their activities. Cruising sailors/motorboaters generally don't. And fortunately, we are still in an age in which "Despite having no formal sailing qualifications, John and Sue Smith enjoyed a pleasant weekend sailing, during which they anchored for lunch and enjoyed a glass of wine with their dinner" does not qualify as "news"
I have also been put off by the RYA's tendency to drop its opposition to regulation whenever there is a chance that they will be able to make money by administering it.
Can you quote a single example of this?
 
As I understand it the RYA is against the introduction of compulsory licences/training etc. Surely if the RYA wanted to make money they would be pushing for it.

Precisely. As soon as that came in the RYA would have a license to print money, but they are committed to opposing licensing or compulsory training. I don't even know any instructors or sailing schools who want or advocate compulsory licensing or training, even though they would obviously do very well out of it.

The cycnicism shown by some towards the RYA is both unwarranted and ungrateful. The sailing community as a whole has a lot to be thankful to the RYA for. You don't have to be a member for them to represent your interests, but you could refrain from knocking them.

BishopT
 
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