Today, the RYA called me.......

[mainsail1]

And I explained why after 30 years I was not renewing my membership...................I believe that they are failing cruising yachtsmen and the main reason for paying the subscription was that I thought they had my back when it came to Government interference in sailing. Studland was the last straw.

 

[NealB]

I was a member for over 20 years.

I didn't renew as from a couple of years ago.

 

[Bouba]

We are still members, but I’m realistic, with all the pressure groups that exist today, I can’t imagine that many in the corridors of power listen too much to the RYA

 

[penfold]

They don't need to listen as the RYA are not lobbying if the Studland nonsense is at all indicative.

 

[Stemar]

With a limited budget, I decided a long time ago that my money was better given to the RNLI, in the fervent hope that, on a personal level, it would be a complete waste, but if I had to chose between having the RNLI and the RYA there for me, well, just let me think about that for a bit...

 

[mainsail1]

We are still members, but I’m realistic, with all the pressure groups that exist today, I can’t imagine that many in the corridors of power listen too much to the RYA

I think they could be very effective in the corridors of power if they knew what they were doing............ as I felt they did 15 or 20 years ago. It takes research, preparation and getting to know the right politicians and civil servants. But my feeling now is that they agree with everything that is being done anyway.

 

[JumbleDuck]

They don't need to listen as the RYA are not lobbying if the Studland nonsense is at all indicative.

They represent themselves as the governing body for recreational sailing. That means they tell us what to do; we don't get to tell them what to do.

 

[capnsensible]

Mm. How many emails does the average poster on here send to the RYA voicing their concerns and what response do they get?

I was always well supported during the years I worked as an instructor and subsequently had my own RTC. So no drips from me.

To drift a teensy bit and for interest only, I recently found my old daybook logbook from 1971! I was a kid and the RYA office was in Woking. It's moved twice since then......

 

[Goldie]

Mm. How many emails does the average poster on here send to the RYA voicing their concerns and what response do they get?

I was always well supported during the years I worked as an instructor and subsequently had my own RTC. So no drips from me.

No response to my last 2 emails.

Disappointing lack of support when I couldn’t - temporarily - renew my Commercial Endorsement in time for my YMI renewal after a medical issue.

I don’t think I need to be a member now…..

 

[Tomahawk]

There is a planning application for a new marina in Brightlingsea. The local contact at the RYA is not bothered about supporting the application despite the chronic shortage of boating facilities. What a waste of space.

 

[Bouba]

Supprimé avec plaisir ??

 

[Daydream believer]

, but if I had to chose between having the RNLI and the RYA there for me, well, just let me think about that for a bit...

I recall an annual finance meeting of our mooring committee. We first cancelled the RYA subscription as being a waste of time. Being a non profit organisation we had £700-00 to pass to charity. We then looked at the RNLI to donate the money, until some one pointed out that they were a somewhat "bloated" charity. It was also pointed out that our coastal village community was made up largely of the "elderly ".
It was further noted that the RNLI was called to our area once a year & the air ambulance once a month. You can guess where the money went.

 

[Tomahawk]

Your spellchecker is in right wing mode again. Please reset to ‘non lounge’

Wm half blind atm after eye surgery..

 

[Stemar]

I'm well aware of the criticisms levelled at the RNLI. Similar criticisms can - and are - directed at all large charities. I've no doubt that there's some justification, with certain charities, a lot of justification, but there's the old saying about paying peanuts and getting monkeys. I'd rather pay the managers and directors well to get competent people doing the job. The odd well publicised idiot lower down and naughty mug story blown out of all proportion doesn't put me off. I'm sure if one were to dig around, one would find similar issues in the air ambulance organisation, which, incidentally, I also support, even though I think both the RNLI and air ambulances should be fully funded by my taxes.

 

[Tomahawk]

They have become woke in a very unsatisfactory way. This document has one photo of people on page 4:-
https://assets.rya.org.uk/assetbank...3146722546164075.pdf&contentStoreIdentifier=1
Does that look like a representation of the UK boating population?

 

[mainsail1]

Mm. How many emails does the average poster on here send to the RYA voicing their concerns and what response do they get?

I was always well supported during the years I worked as an instructor and subsequently had my own RTC. So no drips from me.

To drift a teensy bit and for interest only, I recently found my old daybook logbook from 1971! I was a kid and the RYA office was in Woking. It's moved twice since then......

I have sent a number of emails since March last year and received either no reply or one that I felt was feeble. I too ran a sea school for some years and I thought the support from the RYA was excellent. I also wrote to them about Government issues and was impressed by their responses about what they were doing.
But that has ended and slowly they seem to have become toothless, unquestioning and a bit out of touch with their members. It saddens me and I hope things will change for the better. All it takes is one good person at the top for change to happen. In that case I will rejoin like a shot.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I'm well aware of the criticisms levelled at the RNLI. Similar criticisms can - and are - directed at all large charities. I've no doubt that there's some justification, with certain charities, a lot of justification, but there's the old saying about paying peanuts and getting monkeys.

Seems a little harsh to RNLI crews.

 

[Daydream believer]

even though I think both the RNLI and air ambulances should be fully funded by my taxes.

First of all I want to make it clear that we were not criticising the RNLI. We still supported it other years. We just felt that they needed our cash less as their reserves are "considerable".

But moving on to the quote above:-
Air ambulance YES & I understand that it is partly funded, but not enough.
RNLI-- Definitely a big NO NO. Fortunately it will never happen & rightly so . I can imagine a real mess if the govt got their hands on the RNLI & decided that it came well down the funding scale when cash was tight Furthermore, I would be worried about some whitehall official deciding the costs that should be applied when aiding a stricken vessel.
Do we really want the French model? ( apart from Sybarite perhaps)

Then there is the matter of what would the wealthy old widows, with no relatives, do with their money when they passed on?---- Donkeys? Cats? Dogs Home?

 

[capnsensible]

No response to my last 2 emails.

Disappointing lack of support when I couldn’t - temporarily - renew my Commercial Endorsement in time for my YMI renewal after a medical issue.

I don’t think I need to be a member now…..

That kind of thing is well worth a phone call. 0238 0604100 will get you to the main switchboard. ?

 

[Mark-1]

They have become woke in a very unsatisfactory way. This document has one photo of people on page 4:-
https://assets.rya.org.uk/assetbank...3146722546164075.pdf&contentStoreIdentifier=1
Does that look like a representation of the UK boating population?

The photos on p4 of the doc pretty much describe my last two sailing weeks in a nutshell: Muddy estuary with low green hills and a couple of kids in a small dinghy.

I don't think the RYA have any benefit to cruising sailors but I wouldn't regard the photos in the doc as remotely indicative of that.