RYA suspends organised activity until 1st March

The RYA has suspended all non-elite organised training and events following the government’s new guidance. Meanwhile residents of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also facing new, or extended restrictions. Guidance for the devolved administrations differs.

The RYA says it is seeking further clarification from the relevant government departments, including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), Department for Transport (DfT) and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to confirm and clarify exactly what the new guidance fully means for boating activities. Pending this clarification, its interpretation is that boating as a form of outdoor exercise is permitted as long as sailors are:

• able to safely access, launch and recover the boat from a public space
• able to do this without leaving their local area
• in a single or single household/support bubble crew and,
• are confident the relevant waterway authorities permit recreational boating.

In the meantime, the RYA has taken the decision to once again postpone its directly organised (non-virtual) events and training in response to these measures, to protect participants, volunteers and others, and to reduce the risk of placing an additional burden on the emergency services at what is a hugely testing time.

This postponement is in force until 1st March 2021, but will be reviewed – says the RYA – as new government decisions are made, currently expected to be in mid-February.

“It is vital that we all play our part in combatting the spread of this virus and we understand the difficult decisions that the Government is having to make to keep people and communities safe,” says Sarah Treseder, CEO of the RYA.

“This lockdown will be a further test of our collective resolve, but with the vaccination programme now rolling out to priority groups right across the UK we are confident of a fantastic season of boating activity in 2021.”

Image courtesy of RYA.