Rockley will be celebrating all things watersports at this year’s Poole Afloat held on Poole Quay on Saturday 18th June. This is one of the UK’s largest, free annual watersports and boating events and one of the highlights of the local summer calendar which includes a spectacular showcase of watercraft and watersports accessories. With more than 20 boats including RIBs, motorboats and sailing yachts individuals will be given the opportunity to try a boat for free with Rockley offering free RIB rides. In previous years the event has provided hundreds of visitors with their first ever experience of sailing or powerboating.

This is the 11th year that the event will take place on Poole Quay and Rockley will be exhibiting alongside other marine specialists offering the latest in marine equipment, training and advice, giving you the opportunity to speak to the professionals. Visitors and locals can also enjoy a variety of live events taking place during the Fun Day.

This year’s event, held in association with www.onthewater.co.uk will once again be held alongside the Harry Paye Charity Fun Day. The Fun Day is now held annually in honour of Harry Paye who lived in the 1400’s and was Poole’s most famous pirate.

As well as exhibiting at the show, Rockley will also be celebrating the event by offering 2 for 1 on taster sessions at Poole Park. Details can be found at www.poolepark.com

Dorset based Rockley Watersports will be hosting this year’s Poole School Sports Partnership Onboard Festival for the 3rd year, running from Monday 6th June – Friday 10th June at Poole Park. Following the overwhelming success of the previous two years, 2011 will be bigger than ever as over 600 children from 8 different schools in the Poole area get the opportunity to have a go at, or to develop their sailing, windsurfing and kayak skills.

The event is organised by Rockley Watersports in conjunction with the Royal Yachting Association’s OnBoard scheme which gives children from all walks of life the opportunity to get out on the water. The OnBoard Development Officer for Poole, Sam Ross said: “This is the biggest OnBoard event in the whole country and it’s wonderful to see so many children being given the opportunity to have fun on the water, a number of them for the first time – this is the reason why the RYA developed the Onboard initiative”.

With the 2012 Olympic Games very much on everyone’s mind, this year’s festival will focus on the Olympic theme with the aim of encouraging the children to display Olympic values. These comprise of; respect, friendship, excellence, courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Deborah Wheatley, the School Sport Co-ordinator for Poole said of the event: “We are incredibly excited about this year’s event. Each year it just gets bigger and better! It’s a fantastic opportunity for youngsters in the area to get on the water and with the Olympics coming up there is a real buzz about sailing”

Each morning 60 children from years 3 and 4 will take part in a morning session of either sailing, windsurfing or kayaking while a further 60 children from years 5 and 6 will enjoy an afternoon session of activities. Throughout the week numerous prizes will be given out while after the event the children will do some follow up projects back at school based on their experience.

The event has proven to have a real positive effect on both schools and individuals. St Mary’s School who participated in the festival in 2009 when it was first set up saw the event as a great opportunity to make sailing accessible to their children and as a result now organise their very own activity week at Poole Park with Rockley, bringing approximately 300 children. Also, during last year’s event an individual who had never sailed before showed a real talent for sailing and was awarded a prize as a result. He has continued to sail with Rockley each week in their OnBoard club and who knows, may one day, be a budding future Olympic sailor!

The event is once again supported by LaserPerformance who are providing 20 Bug dinghies for the week and will be giving away some on-the-spot prizes.

Rockley Academy will offer the post 16 Further Education Course in partnership with LeAF which will run over 2 years. BTEC qualifications are an alternative to A Levels and are the ideal educational path for those individuals who have a clear idea of their future. They are accepted as an entry requirement for universities and further education qualifications and are widely recognised nationally and internationally by employers.

Successful students will gain the following qualifications: RYA Dinghy Instructor, RYA Multihull Instructor, RYA Windsurf Instructor, BTEC L3 in Sport Outdoor Adventure, RYA Powerboat Level 2, RYA Safety Boat, BCU Level 1 Kayak Coach andRYA First Aid Certificate students will also benefit from paid Work Experience in France.

Courses start September 2011. For more information and an application form, contact the BTEC L3 in Sport Outdoor Adventure course co-ordination team on 01202 677272 or email BTEC@rockley.org. Further details can also be found on the website; www.rockleyacademy.com/btec

The prestigious 2011 World Airline sailing Regatta was held at Rockley Watersports’ Rockley Point Sailing Centre in Poole Harbour, Dorset  earlier this month. The event which has been running since 1974 was this year arranged by the British Airways Sailing Club, Silver Wing.

The event sponsored by Highland Spring, comprised of a total of eight teams, each of which fielded six sailors and included staff teams from eight airlines including Lufthansa, KLM, Finn Air, United Airlines and Air Canada.

The closely fought regatta took place over 2 days of highly competitive sailing in RS Vision double-handed dinghies which saw Finn Air triumphing  followed by Lufthansa in 2nd place and SAS in third. Event organisors British Airways came in in fourth place.

Rockley will shrug off the winter and officially reopen its Poole Park centre for the 2011 season with a “Spring-Open Day” on Sunday 3rd April. The centre will then be fully open from Monday 4th April until the end of  October.

On the Spring-Open Day local residents are invited to come and see what Rockley at Poole Park has to offer.  Rockley staff will be organising half-hour sailing taster sessions for children and adults with a special kids-go-free offer! Residents will also have the opportunity to hire out the popular swan pedalos and kayaks, while on land the climbing wall and body zorbs supplied by Climb Vertigo will ensure an active, fun-packed day for all.

Once again we are very excited about the 2011 season at Poole Park. We have had 3 successful years and we are very much looking forward to another busy year. Our Spring-Open Day is a great opportunity for all local residents, young and old to have a go at getting on the water and best of all, it is affordable, fun and accessible to
everyone.

The Spring-Open day will run from 11am-3pm and all are welcome to come down and join in the fun.

Visit www.poolepark.com for details on what is on offer at Poole Park throughout the season or click here to download the latest brochure.

Rockley Adventure, activity providers specialising in school and group activity trips, are very proud to be sponsoring this year’s 2011 Bournemouth Easter Hockey Festival which will take place over the Easter Weekend from Friday 22^nd – Sunday 24^th April 2011.

 The Bournemouth Easter Hockey Festival has been established for over 35 years and attracts over 60 teams and over 1200 participants and supporters. As in previous years the 2011 festival promises 3 days of fun and excitement with big cash prizes to be won and of course great hockey! The festival which takes place within Bournemouth Sports Club’s 65 acre ground at Chapel Gate attracts teams and clubs from all over the UK. The festivities kick off on the Friday night with a themed Beach Party disco with prizes awarded for the best team outfit.  Rockley staff will be at the event all weekend to speak to teachers, support all the teams taking part and to join in on all the fun! 

Rockley’s sales manager and RYA coach assessor, Pip Woods is the current manager and a player for the Bournemouth Hockey Ladies 1^st Team. The Team are currently 2^nd in the West Premier League and after a blinding victory over top of the league Gloucester, they have high hopes of being promoted to the National League.

There are still some team places available for the weekend. Details of entries for the 2011 festival and further information can be found by visiting the  Bournemouth Hockey Festival website: www.bournemouthhockeyfestival.co.uk

Rockley Watersports is pleased to announce that they have joined the RNLI Ambassador Scheme which has been established by the RNLI to promote membership and to enhance their links with the marine leisure industry.

Rockley will be working to promote the RNLI’s membership by offering a one year introductory membership with the purchase of a course valued at over £200. If a customer is already a member of the RNLI then they can pass their introductory offer to a family member or friend that they think would also benefit.

For more information on how to receive the one year’s introductory RNLI membership from Rockley please ask staff for details.

The RNLI’s membership is designed for all recreational sea users, from kayakers, windsurfers and jet skiers to sailors, power and motor boaters. It provides a range of benefits, including a CD-ROM containing interactive educational programmes on safety at sea, the opportunity for an RNLI SEA Check, complimentary copies of the RNLI’s Offshore and Lifeboat magazines and of course access to Ambassador Scheme special promotions.

This one, recognisable,  Quality Badge, will provide assurances as to the quality and safety of the experience offered by Rockley Adventure as well as simplifying and reducing the paperwork and red tape required by schools and Local Education Authorities undertaking a school trip.

World Number 1 Skipper Lucy Macgregor

Day one of the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show will not only be the official opening of the Show with a not-to-be-missed marine extravaganza opening display but will also be an opportunity to mingle with many of the marine worlds celebrities.