RYA Magazine

[oldgit]

Small yots.BIG YACHTS. Racing Yachts and .............err ............more Yots.
Adverts for yot stuff, expensive yot stuff and wine at prices you could buy far cheaper in your local Aldi or Lidle.
Lots of pictures of shiny smiling attractive young people with obviously staged pictures ................sailing err yots ?

Perhaps its just me

 

[harvey38]

Hence the name Royal Yachting Association maybe?

I've never bothered with the national body of any sports/pastimes I've been interested in.

 

[Boathook]

The strategic report that came with my magazine yesterday mentions 104,883 members, up by nearly a thousand from presumably the previous year. Is that a lot of members for a national organisation ? I also wonder how many boats in the UK to give a % of boat owners.

 

[burgundyben]

I joined for the legal support and the boat show tick.

Legal support isnt worth much, they offer a little guidance, but dont act for you.

Boatshow tick no more.

For a motorboater RYA is irrelevant.

 

[julians]

What do they offer for the sailors?

The only use I can see really (for anyone) is the training and certification.

 

[laika]

What do they offer for the sailors?

I’m questioning that. It was only the boat show ticket which kept me hanging in there. The one time I asked for legal advice (I wanted to introduce some mates at the company I was contracting at to sailing but was concerned in case it might appear “commercial” with associated coding and insurance implications) I never got a reply despite 2 follow up emails. I think it comes down to free icc which I’ve never needed. They didn’t even push for a science basis to anchoring restrictions in studland. I understand they throw some great parties at hq but obviously never invite plebs like me.

 

[oldgit]

We only (re)joined for the ICC certification.

The last RYA magazine article on MoBos featured a very happy family unit ,consisting of mum and dad and two very clean kids, suspect he was was employed in IT or LNG futures and she was something in HR.
It was promoting MoBoing to the masses via a brand new 650K plus boat, kept in a Solent marina.
Their attire , and his watch, probably cost more than my boat.

"The Royal Yachting Association is a United Kingdom national governing body for sailing, dinghy sailing, yacht and motor cruising, sail racing, RIBs and sportsboats, windsurfing and personal watercraft and a leading representative for inland waterways cruising."

 

[WGWarburton]

Have a look at:
what-does-the-rya-do-for-me
Representation

...and ask yourself how long it would be before compulsory licensing, certification and wider regulation would come into play without their influence.

It's your choice whether to join or not but I'd suggest that the cost of joining might soon be exceeded by the cost of maintaining licenses for your boat, yourself and your crew without their advocacy (and this is only one part of their work, of course).

It seems to be a recognised problem within the organisation that they don't "blow their own trumpet" enough and hence their contributions are under-recognised.... but there's also a conflicting awareness that spending money on self-promotion could be counterproductive.

I'm just a member- I volunteered on a regional steering committee for a few years, which was illuminating, but have no particular agenda. I learned to Dinghy Sail as a kid through the RYA scheme (not from a "sailing family", though I guess we now are one), I have a rib (was mostly used for dinghy event support) and, more recently, a yacht. I think most of my and my family's boating (dinghies, powerboating, windsurfing, yachting, even narrowboating) would have been more difficult without the RYA, so IMHO they add significant value.

 

[julians]

taken from that page "what does the rya do for me"

Fast facts - why should I join?

1. Peace of mind with free boating related legal, regulatory and technical advice for as little as 12p a day

ok, could be useful - if you find yourself needing this kind of info regularly, I havent had any cause for using this kind of service - ever.

1. Combine your voice with over 112,000 members ensuring your boating interests are represented

debatable whether their heart is really in the representation of motor boating vs sailing- but yep taken at face value this is probably where they should focus their efforts.

1. Free quarterly RYA Magazine jammed full of the latest boating activity in your area

hmmmm - if your interest is in sailing I guess thats right

1. Over 70 reward partners working with us to cut the cost of your boating

uh huh - forgive me for being cynical, but I expect whatever deals are available through the RYA could be found elsewhere

1. You’ll feel part of a community sharing the same passion and making a positive difference to the boating you do.

uh huh - I'm not really the join a club sort

I think if your views coincide with the views of the RYA, then joining could be worthwhile to try and ensure you are represented in govt legislation etc etc, but outside of that , there seems little point in joining. But then that seems to be the case for a lot of clubs or societies - I'm not really a 'join a club' type of person.

I dont boat in the UK, so even less reason for me to join the RYA.

I do think their training and certification pathways are good though, but I suspect they are self funding and dont rely on membership income .

 

[laika]

...and ask yourself how long it would be before compulsory licensing, certification and wider regulation would come into play without their influence.

It's your choice whether to join or not but I'd suggest that the cost of joining might soon be exceeded by the cost of maintaining licenses for your boat, yourself and your crew without their advocacy (and this is only one part of their work, of course).

The one time I've wanted them to deliver on this claim was in asking for a scientific study to form the basis for the Studland anchoring ban. Not "prevent it" if such evidence shows a serious impact from anchoring, just require that a study be done to back to need for a ban. What did they do there? Anything? I would really like to know because I've seen nothing but unquestioning support.

There is a social aspect to that: banning anchoring and forcing everyone into marinas or paid for moorings might be a minor dent in the middle class RYA demographic's wallets but it's going to be significant for some with cheap boats on trailers or swinging moorings who are trying to keep boating within a tight budget.

What other legislation have they actively prevented in the decade or so I've been a member? I can't think of any country where certification requirements are so onerous that it would affect my boating activities and I'm not sure the MCA is desperate to implement costly and hard-to-enforce legislation which there's no real need for.

As for the legal advice..well I've mentioned the one time I asked for advice getting nothing back.

If they invite me to one of their cocktail parties at ensign house I'll consider renewing next year, otherwise this year will be my last

 

[oldgit]

...and ask yourself how long it would be before compulsory licensing, certification and wider regulation would come into play without their influence.

Lord knows how those across the channel and other foreign parts manage with all those rules and regulations crushing their boating spirit.
Boating must be on its last legs in the " Med"

As for the land of the free ............

Do you need a boating license in USA?
"Over 70% of the U.S. requires a Boater Safety Education Card to operate recreational boats and PWCs. States that mandate the successful completion of the course issue a card. This card must be on board the vessel and available for inspection upon request by enforcement officers."

What does the Coast Guard require you to have on a boat?
"Recreational boats must carry Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Devices, in good and serviceable condition, and of appropriate size for the intended user. Wearable PFDs must be readily accessible, not stowed in bags, locked or closed compartments or have other gear stowed on top of them."