BJ Sailing

PLEASE HELP US BY DONATING JUST  £5 via http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/bj-sailing

This Sigma 38 has been donated into a sailing charity: BJ Sailing Limited. Our details can be found via Company House number 10501663. Our Charity Commission application is in the process of being considered for full registration.

We aim to offer young people and disadvantaged people an opportunity to benefit from sailing in all its forms. This requires us to code the boat and equip it for cruising and racing at events, the tentative schedule for which is currently being distributed to interested parties to encourage participant uptake.

The personal, psychological, physical and citizenship benefits of fresh air; team work; working and living to a regime (and occassionally under pressure) are well known.

During 2017, we have  a particular desire to market our new Charity and raise funds for it's aims  and primarily see this being achieved by forming a crew of paying participants to take part in the Fastnet Sailing Race 2017 and using this to  market and gain awareness of our existence and aims to as wide an audience as possible in the process.

We now have a confirmed place for the Fastnet Sailing Race 2017 and a confirmed crew of experienced sailors and other "yet to be" sailors including one applicant who applied to take  a Fastnet berth  as a non paying client of the type whom we hope to support with this project. Hopefully, others will apply to join us during the weeks between race training weekends and to partake in weekends where we have space.

We aim to have a mixed crew of paying experienced sailors and nonpaying young or disadvantaged persons or those afflicted with psychological issues (with a particular desire to assist ex-servicemen with combat stress)   on a ratio of 1:1 for the other events. 

Since our original posting,  we have :

•  a volunteer constructing a website for us - thank you Jim.
• recruited a further trustee who has volunteered to run administration (thank you Jenna)
• two ex-servicemen have volunteered their services to assist with maintenance and coding the vessel (but not sailing it!). 
• have had talks with Plymouth College of Art Student Union to promote a design competition for a logo and strapline
•  have been given a mooring for the boat in a beautiful quiet stretch of the River by Saltash.
• have set up the Charity Bank accounts
• have applied to HMRC for charity recognition for Gift Aid

But the BEST NEWS is a local company has pledged us £6000 towards making this all happen - we just now need to continue this traction and gain at least 25 further donors (of any amount ) to show we are gaining acceptance and apparently Plymouth City Council may then  assist us too - so PLEASE HELP US BY DONATING JUST  £5 even to help make this happen.

 It is all happening .. it is so exciting - thank you 

What next ?

We need funds to equip the boat for Category 2 ISAF/RORC racing for the Fastnet 2017 and to MCA code the boat and equip it to offer sailing based residential (eg Duke of Edinburgh) experiences; regattas such as Cowes and Dartmouth and other cruises of varying lengths.

We will further down the line need more / better sails (any spare ones out there for a Sigma 38?)

We wish to purchase 10 Personal AIS transmitters to be fitted to the lifejackets on board that link to the on-board radio (for immediate notification for rescue if anyone falls overboard..)

What we currently need:

We would welcome further:

• labour assistance;
• a financial controller;
• someone with marine electronics knowledge

 Will / can you help us either with a donation or an offer of equipment, skill, labour or professional skill to enable us to deliver these goals?

Every person making a donation will have their name marked on the boat.

Thank you for reading