Year of Coasts and Waters

Aja

Aja

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In this month's YM page eight has a nice big spread about what is going on next year in Scottish Waters and how it is increasing expenditure year on year to promote the area to visitors.

All very laudable by SailScotland et al.

Then on page nine a very small report that Scotland's National Watersports Center is to close until March 2020 "to save money", as national agency SportsScotland continues to review the centre's future.

You couldn't make it up.

Donald
 
Thanks for posting. I have used Cumbrae NWSC for lots of courses. I think this is something that needs to be challenged.
 
claymore said:
What do you mean exactly?
There are other subsidised water sports centres - do you mean why one or why any?
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I thought Cumbrae was the (singular) National Water Sports Centre - I'm happy to be told of others, but even so I can't see why jetski courses require taxpayer subsidy.
 
I was thinking of Plas Menai. I think National Centres have always given value for money and thousands have benefitted in terms of knowledge gained as a result of attending. Your point regarding jet skis is well made. Perhaps those courses are not subsidises anyway?
 
JumbleDuck said:
I thought Cumbrae was the (singular) National Water Sports Centre - I'm happy to be told of others, but even so I can't see why jetski courses require taxpayer subsidy.
Click to expand...

Well personally I am quite pleased if they run RYA courses to improve the knowledge and seamanship of jet ski users. Seems a sensible idea.
Clearly you have much more knowledge of the course economics and funding than I do, if you are able to assert that these courses are subsidised. Or perhaps you are just guessing.
I suspect that the centre needs a high enough degree of utilisation to cover the fixed overheads. So perhaps if they didn’t run the jet ski courses the subsidy needed to fund the overheads would in fact be larger.
 
dunedin said:
Well personally I am quite pleased if they run RYA courses to improve the knowledge and seamanship of jet ski users. Seems a sensible idea.
Clearly you have much more knowledge of the course economics and funding than I do, if you are able to assert that these courses are subsidised. Or perhaps you are just guessing.
I suspect that the centre needs a high enough degree of utilisation to cover the fixed overheads. So perhaps if they didn’t run the jet ski courses the subsidy needed to fund the overheads would in fact be larger.
Click to expand...

I really don't know, which is why I am asking why this one centre should be subsidised. Does it, for example, offer free course to children from poor backgrounds? My local sailing centre offers RYA dinghy and powerboat courses without subsidy.
 
These are just my views, so I am happy to be corrected by anybody with actual facts.

Judging by the high utilisation of the Cumbrae Centre's 2 yachts, Somerled and Santa Vey, I would think that their cruising courses are pretty well self-financing and they make little use of the shore-based facilities.

I would think the subsidy is mainly to do with the accommodation facilities on Cumbrae, which is mainly used for the people attending their residential dinghy and boarding courses. Judging by the number of young people we see being transported from Largs Marina to Cumbrae, during term time as well as holidays, I think that the centre is used a lot by schools, youth groups and the social services.

The other way of looking at is, since football, golf, tennis, hockey, rugby, gymnastics etc can all benefit from the taxpayer subsidised facilities at the Inverclyde Sports Centre, then why shouldn't sailing get a bit of support as well. Anything to improve the health fitness of youngsters has to be a good idea for a Government financially in the long run.
 
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