RYA - Time to Say Goodbye?

[JamesS]

Apologies if this has appeared on earlier posts.

I've just arrived back from a while away and tucked into the summer edition of the RYA Mag and bumped straight into the announcement that 'despite having kept increases in line with inflation for the past ten years ------ it was now being raised by £5 to £30 a year.

I must say I have questioned in the past just what value we get from the RYA - a topic I know has been well aired on this board previously - but faced with a 20% increase, it really is time to say Goodbye!

Cheers

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[Happy1]

You really can't do that, what about the mortgage on their nice new premises, who else will pay for the aircon, and the large salaries, be fair and pay up, you get a free mag /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

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[Chris_Stannard]

I wrote to complain and here is the answer I got. hope it convinces you as nuch as it did me!

Dear Mr Stannard,

Thank-you for your e-mail of 14th July. Your message contains many points of view, and it is difficult to construct a response without resorting to headings, so kindly indulge this approach below.

Subscription Rise
As stated in the RYA magazine, to which you refer, the RYA has set itself some challenging targets for the next decade and the future. In addition, we are listening to our members who say "the RYA doesn't do enough for xxx...". In recognising that we must do more for our members and the public at large, we either have to accept that other parts of our work will suffer, or alternatively find the resources to extend our capabilities. It wouldn't be a popular decision to abandon our policies of recent times (representation with the MCA, preventing over zealous legislation, negotiating reduced regulations, opposition to light dues, radar regulations, radar reflectors, wind farms, red diesel, world class training schemes, legal advice, promoting good seamanship, administering ICC's, Sea sense campaigns for both power and sail, to name just a few). Therefore the only way in which we can fund our additional challenges is to impose a relatively modest rise in the subscription rate. Our research informs us that RYA membership fees are comparatively low compared with other similar organisations both maritime (for example RNLI Offshore), and in other walks of life. We accept that a small percentage of people will decide that the extra is too much to pay, and hope that any downturn in membership will be transient if at all.

Policy of Education not Legislation
Policy decisions within the RYA are not a "God given right"; they are made by an elected Council of representatives, all of whom are volunteers. 30 council members are elected positions by either RYA Personal Members or by Clubs and Regions, out of a total body of 43. Of the rest, 10 are specialist committee chairmen who are selected based on their competencies in the particular subject, and three are the officers of the Association (Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Treasurer). It is entirely possible that Council might decide that an issue was of such monumental importance that it could only be decided by referendum of the membership, but this would be both expensive and hugely time consuming, so such expenditure of your valuable membership pounds in this way would have to be given the most careful consideration.

"Education not Legislation" has been the policy of the RYA for many years. Whilst the accidents that very occasionally happen are tragic, death and serious injury amongst or involving leisure boating is thankfully rare. The statistics that some organisations quote include incidents that were either unpreventable (coronary arrest, sudden illness etc) or that happened without being related to leisure boating (e.g. diving accidents, strandings on sandbanks, bathers on lilos and the like). We are currently investigating these figures (see "New Light Cast on UK Leisure Boating Statistics" news article on RYA website) to try and put some of these figures into context.

The "knee jerk" reaction to incidents such as that last weekend in Bournemouth is to ask why these people aren't licensed - I believe the answer is that in all likelihood, people with scant regard for safety or human life wouldn't be deterred by licensing. Also the standard of proficiency required to obtain such a license would probably be, by necessity, so low as to be largely ineffective in raising the overall standards. Alongside all this, it's highly likely that there would be significant and un-necessary cost and paperwork implications for the vast majority of responsible, courteous and knowledgeable sailors.

Let's not overlook that although no specific licensing exists in this country for boat users, boat users can still have a "Duty of Care" under civil law, and can be prosecuted criminally under the Merchant Shipping Act for "unsafe navigation" or under any appropriate local by-laws. Of course in the case of death, the criminal charge of manslaughter can also be brought.

Quality of Benefits
Whilst we'd like to think that people belong to the RYA for the reasons outlined above, where we can secure benefits for our members we like to do so. Of course, you can always get cheaper insurance and lower interest rates - it's a highly competitive market out there. Nevertheless these are both highly successful schemes with our membership, many of whom recognise that cheaper doesn't always mean better. Similarly, many of the other benefits are well received, and the discounts valued if the feedback we receive from our membership is to be believed. Naturally we can't please all of the people all of the time, and the benefits market is saturated by some-better-than-others offers. If you have some suggestions as to where we could improve on this service we'd welcome your input.

Top Heavy, Bureaucratic and Unresponsive Organisation
The RYA has recently been the subject of an extensive review by Management Consultants McKinsey, as I'm sure you're aware (and at no cost to the organisation I should add). At least part of the outcome was to streamline the committee structure, to ensure that all committee members were selected on their competencies for the role, and to minimise the number of meetings for more effective communication and efficiency of decision making. In addition there has been a clarification of the roles of Governance (the committees) and Management (the staff) of the organisation.

Similarly the move to more "suitable" premises in Hamble is a move designed to give the RYA staff the environment it needs to improve and take the administration of boating forward, and moving towards a less bureaucratic and more responsive organisation. Achieving this in the Eastleigh premises would have been all but impossible. Implementing change in any organisation does take time, and I think that the RYA has taken great strides in the last couple of years. We will continue to endeavour to improve, but the changes won't be easy or happen overnight.

Your membership
I hope that I have answered your questions as fully as you would have hoped above. At all times I have tried to be frank and up-front about our rationale. Please understand that sometimes we have to make some difficult decisions that will not endear us to all of our members, whilst being in the best overall interests of sailing and boating as a whole.
We hope that by communicating what we are doing and why we are doing it, that we will retain the support of our membership through the subscription rise. However, if you do not wish to remain an RYA member in the future, all we can do is to thank you for your past support and hope that you may find sufficient cause to reconsider your decision in the future. If the arguments I have outlined above persuade you to remain a member, then we welcome and value your membership as making a very positive contribution to the future of sailing and boating in this country.

We sincerely value the feedback of our members, and so I'd like to thank you for taking the time to contact us. If I can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

yours sincerely

Paul Bayliss



RYA Marketing


<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard

 

[charles_reed]

In fairness the new level of RYA subscription is still less than 1/3 that of most YCs.

Many consider the RYA to be the yotties' trade union - at that rate I guess that it's even better value for money, being about 1/8 union dues.

I think your argument fallacious - better to criticise the RYA for not keeping up with inflation on a more regular basis, than penalise them for a greater-than-rate-of-inflation increase.

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[mikewilkes]

Dont know which yacht club you belong to but our fees have only just gone up to 30 GBP and that for a family membership!

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[NigeCh]

What is the RYA?

Is it a Members Club? Or is it a publicly funded organisation?

The RYA needs to define it's role to say exactly what it is - From the magazine and the website it would appear to be semi-publicly funded with topups coming from subscribers.

If it's a club, then let it take on club status. If it's an 'official' body then why do we need to be or become individual members?

If the RYA were to be anything like the BMC or the MCofS then membership would be automatic though affiliated club membership ... and, IMO, half the problems re what it's about would disappear overnight.

It's upto the RYA to re-define itself and say publicly where and what it is, because at the moment, nobody seems to know.

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[JamesS]

All credit to the RYA for providing such a lengthy reply.

I'm not sure they should compare themselves with th RNLI and to use their membership fees as some barometer for what people are willing to pay. I know dozens of people who contribute annually to the RNLI who never go near the water - they do it becuse they want to in the knowlege they are contributing to a worthwhile charity.

Sorry, I've no sympathy for the claim that they have set themselves some new 'challenging targets' - I would expect them to do what most businesses and individuals endevour to do and learn to manage thenselves within their existing resources.

Cheers



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[surekandoo]

No!

Like all "industry representative" bodies the RYA does a valuable job lobbying for our sport/pastime/hobby. For that reason alone we should all pay up and shut up. Or do you want more restrictive legislation from both Westminster & Brussels?

Add to this the support for young sailors, the RYA training courses etc. etc. and I think it represents excellent value for money.

Of course if you have a tendency towards being a self-interested cheapskate............

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[themount2]

Hear, hear.
James, can you honestly say that an extra 10p a week for the next 12 months is asking too much, or even the level at which you are able to determine that you are no longer getting value for money.
There must be loads of other economies you could make in excess of 10p that would offset this RYA increase.
Get real, you don't have to agree with everything they do but you must accept they are trying to work for you rather than against.
There are far bigger "rip offs" in our society than this.
Cheers
Brian

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[Rob_Webb]

Yup. Direct Debit duly cancelled.

Bye!

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[duncan]

however you will no doubt need a new DDM in New Zeland Rob - look forward to hearing how much!

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[JamesS]

An interesting point of view - glad to read it.

I do however take exception to being labelled a self interested cheapskate merely for proffering a point of view.

Sadly this is becoming all to common on this and other forums where having taken full advantage of the anonimity that these boards provide, a minority of indivuduals simply find it easier to attack the author rather than the message.

Cheers

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[kimhollamby]

Yes, but for what it is worth it is not encouraged here....

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[surekandoo]

I'm quite happy to pm you all my personal details if you think that I need to hide behind the anonimity of this forum.

Did I touch a nerve? Perhaps your opinion is not one that should be aired in a forum like this, but should be taken up directly with the RYA.

Anyway, I didn't actually call you a self interested cheapskate, I merely suggested that you MIGHT have inclinations in that direction. Perhaps now is the time to nip those inclinations in the bud if they are creeping up on you unawares?

Perhaps we could meet and argue face-to-face? Know a good pub?



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[Cornishman]

Blimey - have you checked your water rates bill lately?

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