ONBOARD SAILORS MEET HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

OnBoard (OB) sailors and volunteers from across the Isle of Wight, had the very special  honour of meeting HM The Queen as she visited the Island on the final day of her  Diamond Jubilee Tour this week (25 July 2012).

At a reception held at the Cowes Yacht Haven, HM The Queen accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, spoke to representatives from charities and organisations across the Island, including members of local RYA OnBoard clubs: Royal Victoria Yacht Club (RVYC), Brading Haven Yacht Club (BHYC) and Yarmouth Sailing Club (YSC).

The OnBoard sailors were Euan Robinson (RVYC), Daisy Faithful (BHYC) and Winifred Morrison (YSC). The group was hosted by RYA CEO Sarah Treseder and RYA Sailing Development Officer Victoria Lenz.

Victoria who was instrumental in creating OnBoard said: “We were delighted to be able to meet HM The Queen and to be able to speak to her about the opportunities that OnBoard provides for local youngsters”.

“It really was a once in a lifetime experience for the sailors. The Queen listened intently as they talked to her about their sailing” she continued.

OnBoard volunteers Sally Everitt (RVYC), Robin Lobb (BHYC) and Nick Measor (YSC) were also given the honour of meeting HM The Queen.

Nicholas Measor said: “It was wonderful to meet the Queen and for the children this experience was certainly extraordinary. We were all really pleased at how well she responded when we told her about OnBoard, she seemed to agree that it was a very good idea!”

Victoria concluded: “It has been a real honour to be able to showcase OB to HM The Queen. Sailing is a fantastic sport for youngsters as it gives them the opportunity to develop their teamwork and coordination skills, as well as having a great time with their friends.

“None of the work we do would be possible without the commitment of our volunteers. It has also been great to see these Isle of Wight volunteers receive some well-deserved recognition for all their hard work in support of the OB programme”.

Run by the RYA, OnBoard is a grass roots programme which introduces sailing and windsurfing to young people aged 8 to 18, through schools, youth groups and training centres.

Over a ten year period OnBoard aims to introduce a minimum of 500,000 children to sailing and windsurfing in the UK, converting over 10% of them into regular participants. So far it’s nicely on track.

Kind regards to the RYA.

For more information about how to get involved in sailing visit the RYA’s website www.rya.org.uk or the OnBoard websitewww.ruob.co.uk