And there’s never been a better time to get active outdoors as RYA Push The Boat Out gives everyone across Cambridgeshire the chance to give sailing and windsurfing a go for free or low cost throughout the whole of May.
No fewer than seven venues are hosting Push The Boat Out events in Cambridgeshire. These are:
Cam Sailing Club – Saturday 12 May (12:30-17:00)
Ely Sailing Club – Monday 07 May (13:00-16:30)
Grafham Water Sailing Club – Monday 07 May (11:00-16:00)
Hunts Sailing Club – Monday 07 May (11:00-16:00)
Nene Outdoors – Wednesday 09, Friday 18, Saturday 19 May (10:00-15:30)
Paxton Lakes Sailing Club – Saturday 12 May (11:00-16:00)
Peterborough Sailability – Wednesday 09, Friday 11, Saturday 19 May (11:00-15:00)
Find your nearest Push The Boat Out event at www.rya.org.uk/ptbo
So if you’re on the lookout for something completely different, whether you’re bored of the gym and want some outdoor health and fitness, are a bit of an adrenaline junkie, need something to switch your brain off from everyday life or simply want a sociable new activity you can enjoy with your family or friends, pop down to your nearest Push The Boat Out event and just have a go.
Robbie Bell, RYA Regional Development Officer for the East, said: “So many people still don’t realise they can go sailing or windsurfing on their doorstep, and that you don’t even need to own a boat or board as clubs and centres have ones you can borrow or hire.
“Once you’ve learned the ropes, you can sail on your own or with your partner, friends or kids in dinghies or big boats, inland or on the coast. And after a great day on the water, nothing beats having a drink by the water on warm summer evenings.”
All kit and safety equipment is provided at Push The Boat Out events, so just bring a pair of shoes you don’t mind getting wet and your sense of fun and adventure. Refreshments will be available with a host of shoreside activities and entertainment to enjoy too. Almost 400 venues across the UK are inviting people to Push The Boat Out this May.
As part of their Getting Active Outdoors campaign (2015), Sport England found people enjoy outdoor pursuits for many reasons, including spending time with family, to have fun with friends, to enjoy the scenery and be closer to nature, to take advantage of the fresh air and weather and to relax and get away from modern life. Some 40% of people said they would prefer to do their exercise outdoors.
There’s lots of opportunities to go sailing in the East, from sailing small sailboats or windsurfing on the region’s reservoirs, lakes and rivers, to sailing bigger boats on the Region’s coast or inland. Last year a whopping 32,000 people ‘pushed the boat out’ at over 500 sailing and windsurfing taster sessions throughout the UK.
*The research, by Mortar London, conducted an online survey of 2,000 respondents across the UK. The sample of adults was randomly selected from a survey panel and weighted to be representative of the UK population for age, gender and region. The margin of error, which measures sampling variability at the country level, was +/- 2.2% at 95% confidence limit. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. It was conducted 8-11 December 2017.
About the RYA
- The RYA is the national body for all forms of recreational, competitive and professional boating. It represents dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sportsboats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and personal watercraft.
- The RYA is recognised by all government offices as being the negotiating body for the activities it represents. It continually fights for the rights and freedoms of its 110,000 personal members, the majority of whom choose to go afloat for purely recreational non-competitive pleasure on coastal and inland waters. There are an estimated further 500,000 boat owners nationally who are members of RYA affiliated clubs and class associations.
- The RYA also sets and maintains recognised standards for training for both leisure and commercial boating through a network of more than 2,400 RYA Recognised Training Centres across 58 countries. More than 250,000 people per year complete RYA training courses.
- The RYA is committed to promoting all forms of boating and making them accessible to everyone. For more information please refer to our web site www.rya.org.uk
- You can find the RYA at RYA House, Ensign Way, Hamble, Southampton, SO31 4YA
About Push the Boat Out
- Push the Boat Out is an RYA initiative which was first created as part of the RYA Sail for Gold Programme which was launched in March 2011.
- The 2018 event will take place throughout the whole of May and will see clubs and centres across the UK holding open days and inviting those who live locally to come and ‘have a go’ at sailing and windsurfing.
- For more information visit www.rya.org.uk/go/PTBO