Off The Water’s Podcast

Today, RYA Scotland Communication & Engagement Lead Philippa is joined by RYA Scotland Pathway Manager Jamie Rogers and Pathway Development Officer Ben Luckett to chat all things performance pathway, and how RYA Scotland's offering is evolving to best support talented young sailors. 

For more on how the pathway is evolving (and to see our brand new logos), head to the RYA Scotland website:

https://www.rya.org.uk/news?regiontypes=scotland

Questions? Email [email protected]

In this episode of Off The Water, RYA Scotland comms lead Philippa is joined by Kate Fortnam from the RYA and The Green Blue, as well as Sophie Smith from Biosecurity for Scotland.

They’ll be chatting all things invasive species, biosecurity and wildlife awareness, exploring the different steps boaters can take to ensure they go afloat mindful of the natural environment around them.

With a wealth of information and guidance available, please explore the links below for more on the topics discussed:

https://thegreenblue.org.uk/

https://biosecurityforlife.org.uk/biosecurity-for-scotland

You can also give The Green Blue and Biosecurity for Life a follow on social media!

In this episdoe of Off the Water, RYA Scotland comms lead Philippa is joined by international windsurf star Andy Brown.

We hear all about his stellar athlete mindset, goals for the future, plus some recent successes.

Tune in, and be inspired!

To follow Andy as he continues his campaign on the iQFoiL, why not drop him a follow on socials - https://www.instagram.com/andybrown.surf/

Enjoying the pod? Let us know by dropping a line to [email protected]

In this episode, RYA Scotland Communications Lead Philippa Howie sits down with Maggie Adamson and Calanach Finlayson - scottish offshore sailing superstars!

Maggie and Cal both began their sailing journeys in dinghies at their local clubs in Lerwick and Montrose respectively.

Now, they are Offshore Double Handed World CHAMPIONS!

To hear more about how they found their way in our sport, and their experience at major competitions, make sure to tune in.

To follow Maggie and Cal, head to their website or follow them on Facebook .

Today, our communications team of Marc and Philippa take a deep dive into Sustainable Sailing Ltd – an innovative start up tackling some tricky environmental challenges.

With insight from co-founder Joe Penhaul-Smith, we find out how he launched Sustainable Sailing along with his brother Sam.

The first on the scene in terms of true sail recycling technology, Sustainable Sailing benefits from wealth of experience offered by its founding directors in science, and the inner workings of the marine industry – combined with a true passion for change.

The company’s innovative technology can recycle 90% of the different sail cloths in general circulation – offering a potential solution for a huge quantity of annual waste, primarily stemming from the boating and leisure marine industry.

With momentum not slowing anytime soon, Joe and Sam remain dedicated to paving the way for a more sustainable future for the marine industry.

Check out Sustainable Sailing on their website:

https://www.sustainablesailing.co.uk/

You can find out more about The Green Blue Pledge here: https://thegreenblue.org.uk/boating-pledge/ 

Sound Effect Copyright @BBC

While many of us are still to get out on the water for the first time this year, it’s a different story for our student sailors, who are in the depths of running a full on event calendar.

With planning and delivering two semesters of sailing amongst full-time studies no easy feat, we’re taking a deep dive into how our student sailors pull it off year in, year out.

Made up of several distinct sailing styles, the Scottish Student Sailing (SSS) year is packed with events and training led by devoted sailors and volunteers.

Relying on representatives from the SSS community, university sailing alumni, and independent race officials, there’s plenty hard work and dedication that goes into the packed calendar of events – and plenty thanks to be paid to those who make it happen.

Listen to the episode now for a closer look at what’s on offer, and the logistics behind it all.

Sound effect copyright @ BBC

'Off the Water' is back for a deep dive into cruising, and a look at some of the different voluntary opportunities on offer across RYA Scotland.

Joining our communications team of Marc and Philippa in todays discussion is Charles Bird, Chair of RYA Scotland's Cruising & General Purposes Committee.

Covering a wide range of topics, the committee is devoted to protecting the interests of boaters here in Scotland, be that by increasing the visibility of hazards, promoting environmentally sustainable practises, or by endorsing the use of older watercraft as appose to buying new.

Tune in to hear more about what falls within the Cruising & General Purposes remit, and how you could add your own value in the new year.

Head over to our recruitment page for more information on the roles discussed, as well as various other available positions on our RYA Scotland subcommittees and board. 

https://www.rya.org.uk/gbni/scotland/about-us/job-vacancies 

Off the Water is back ahead of the 2023 season with some updates from the team at RYA Scotland alongside a short interview with our new CEO Finlo Cottier. 

Originally from the Isle of Man, sailing brought Finlo to Scotland’s West Coast where he began work as an Artic scientist, eventually becoming a Professor at the Scottish Association of Marine Sciences (SAMS) in Oban. During this time Finlo was an active volunteer as Commodore at Oban SC and a as a deputy coxswain for the RNLI, so has kept close to the water throughout his roles.

The full article on Finlo is available at https://www.rya.org.uk/news/new-ceo-announced-for-rya-scotland

We are continuing to strengthen our team with a number of roles available at: https://www.rya.org.uk/gbni/scotland/about-us/job-vacancies

Why is lack of volunteers one of the biggest barriers to the growth of sailing clubs today? What needs to change?

The recent launch of RYA Scotland’s Volunteer Development Framework also provides a perfect opportunity to reflect on the overall impact people who volunteer have on the boating community.

Our guest this episode include the Head of Volunteering for Marie Curie UK, Helen Keenan; Robyn Francis of Scottish Student Sailing and a volunteer as part of the Pioneer Project; and Liza Linton RYA Scotland’s Development Manager.

Bringing a depth of knowledge to the conversation around the motivations of volunteers, rewards and the massive impact they make all form part of the discussion that aims to help you, or your organisation reflect on your volunteering practices and ethos.

Here are some of the Links discussed below:

Volunteer Development Framework

Marie Curie UK Volunteering

sportscotland Volunteer info

Pioneer Project

Scottish Student Sailing

Finally you can stay in touch with all the latest news from RYA Scotland via our website, http://www.rya.org.uk/scotland and of course, across our social media channels @ryascotland

The Off The Water podcast aims to provide some insights from people involved at all levels of recreational boating in Scotland.

In this episode Marc Turner catches up with new Regional Development officer for the West of Scotland, Laura Cowan.  We discuss her experiences of RYA Sailability in her previous role with Prestwick Sailing Club, before hearing from Rory McKinna on his para sports journey in sailing so far.

Rory has enjoyed sailing a Hansa 303 at various locations around Scotland, the UK and Europe, enabled by his family, alongside volunteers from class associations, clubs and centres, that have all aided his passion and success within competitive sailing. He has taken on many responsibilities in raising funds and finding solutions along the way and is a keen advocate for getting sailing reinstated in the Para-Olympics, as part of the #SailToLA campaign. 

Further links below:

RYA Para-Sport Hub Launch 

World Sailing #SailtoLA

RYA Sailability

Prestwick Sailing Club

The Hansa Class 

Scottish Disability Sport