We’re a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) accredited sailing school and we use safety boats when providing sailing lessons as standard. Obviously, our professional sailing instructors are there to advise you on technique and can steer the most novice of sailors away from calamity as much as possible. However, we must make provisions to ensure that you gain the best possible experience from your sailing lessons and your safety is always our first thought.

The size of safety boat that accompanies you when sailing depends very much on the size of your sailing fleet, with our 5 metre RIB used for smaller groups and our 7 metre RIB used as safety boat for larger fleets. Our safety boats are there just in case the wind should catch you unawares or if you should stray out of your designated sailing area. The Cobnor safety boat instructors patrols the waters while sailing lessons are in progress and at the first sign that a sailing dinghy and her crew need helps it will be there to provide assistance.

Just take this example, while sailing just off Bosham shoreline during last year’s Cobstock weekend one of our Bosun capsized. One of our safety boat instructors observed the capsize and was there in a matter of seconds to check that the passengers were unharmed. He helped them aboard the power boat and performed a nifty manoeuvre to get the dinghy back afloat so that he could tow her back to Cobnor base. This kind of scenario is part and parcel of sailing instruction and Cobnor Activities Centre is proud to have a team they can rely on.

We’re so confident in our safety boat crew that we provide RYA Powerboat Level 2 courses, instructor courses and safety boat courses. Our 5.5 metre RIBs provide excellent stable platforms for such tuition to take place and our 4 metre Commando is used as an example of a tiller-driven outboard (as opposed to a steering wheel and throttled lever).Our 7 metre craft, Jenny Boon,  is used in powerboat courses to demonstrate wave handling. It’s crucial that those learning to use powerboats get the most experience possible in a range of crafts and weather conditions, preparing them for any eventuality.

You can find out more about our upcoming RYA Powerboat Instructor courses, RYA Powerboat Level 2 courses and RYA Safety Boat courses by checking out our schedule.

The fund, worth £240,000 in the current financial year, allows County Council members to apply for money to support initiatives in their electoral division that meet at least one of the objectives of the national Big Society agenda – social action, public service reform, and community empowerment.

An application was made by County Councillor Mark Dunn to Michael Brown, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, and he has approved a fantastic £15,000 towards buying six Bosun training dinghies and launch trolleys for Cobnor Activities Centre.

These will be a very welcome addition to our sailing fleet, helping to maximise the quality of sailing lessons at Cobnor. Bosuns allow sailing novices to take their time with manoeuvres, making them the Ideal training dinghy for both adults and children.

Other applications approved by Michael Brown include:

£30,000 for Sports Dream, Selsey, formed to develop facilities and create opportunities for local sporting organisations, with particular emphasis on young people, and people with disabilities and their families. The application was made by County Councillor Peter Jones.

£4,454 to fund youth work at the Witterings Youth Centre near Chichester, subject to confirmation that the local parish council will fund youth work at the centre from April 2012. The application was made by County Councillor Pieter Montyn.

£1,000 towards the cost of producing a ‘Really Local Food Directory’ for Hassocks, Keymer, Hurstpierpoint, and Ditchling, to encourage residents to support local producers. The application was made by County Councillor Colin Wilsdon.

Michael Brown has said of those applications approved: “All four schemes are really good examples of the Big Society in action at a local level, and I was delighted to approve the applications.

“There is a real appetite out there from people and organisations wanting to rise to the challenge of deciding what their local community needs, and to play a key role in delivering it.

“We are very fortunate in West Sussex to have a wide range of organisations that play a key role in improving our quality of life.

“The criteria for the fund is that it should meet one of the three big strands of the Big Society agenda – social action, public service reform, and community empowerment.

“All four bids are entirely consistent with at least one or more of these objectives, and I am looking forward to considering further bids for a share of the fund from other members of the County Council.

“If residents or local organisations are interested in the fund, they should contact their local County Councillor as only members can make an application. Their details are on our website www.westsussex.gov.uk”

Full details of all the schemes that will get ‘Big Society’ funding, and comments from the four County Councillors can be found in Michael Brown’s decision report on the County Council’s website www.westsussex.gov.uk.

We look forward to showing you pictures of our new Bosuns and trollies when they arrive and we hope you’ll come and make the most of the Big Society Fund by trying your hand at sailing with us soon!

Spring has most definitely sprung down at Cobnor with the birth of beautiful black lambs on the local farm and splashes of yellow daffodils all over the boat park. Soon the weather will be getting warm enough for us to get all of our water-based activities in full swing yet again, because let’s face it sailing lessons, kayaking, canoeing and power boating are all that little bit more fun when the sun is shining and the water’s not nipping at your bits and bobs!

Are you ready to spring into action with Cobnor Activities Centre’s new season? Our evening courses kick off in just 3 weeks time with RYA Youth Sailing Scheme – Stages 1, 2 and 3. There are still a few places remaining if you fancy learning to sail or brushing up on your existing sailing skills. Check booking information online and then contact us to book your place today.

Our RYA Youth Sailing Scheme courses will continue throughout the spring and summer and then, as the weather gets even warmer, our Expedition Camps, Summer Camps, Residential Sailing Weeks and Multi-Activity Weeks begin. Find out more details about the courses here.

Want to join the fun, meet new people and learn new outdoor activity skills? Book your place on a Cobnor Activities Centre session, course or camp today.

Here’s some more Cobnor lambs:

It’s been decided that the South Downs will gain National Park status, which is great news seeing as it’s such a beautiful place to visit and a wonderful natural location for outdoor education. Cobnor is ideally located down on the South Coast, near Chichester, to take advantage of the South Downs and all it offers.

The Sussex Wildlife Trust Youth Council has organised a special event to mark the occasion of the South Downs becoming a National Park with a youth walk. They’re calling on all young people aged 10-18 years to join a five mile walk along the South Downs Way, where they’ll have the chance to discover a range of fascinating landscapes and wildlife and get involved in some outdoor education en route.

As we’ve a lot of 10-18 year olds from the local area visiting Cobnor Activities Centre to attend everything from Summer Camps to sailing lessons we thought you might be interested in joining in with the South Downs National Park celebrations. There are three walks to choose from:

• Western Sussex (near Amberley)
• Central Sussex (near Brighton)
• Eastern Sussex (Seven Sisters Country Park)

All walkers should register online by Sunday 27th June 2010. Under 16s should be accompanied by an adult or book onto a guided walk.

Find out more about orienteering, mountain biking and the other land-based offered by Cobnor Activities Centre here.