Latest news with #RYA
North Wales Chronicle
7 days ago
- General
- North Wales Chronicle
Anglesey: Sailing volunteers honoured for making waves
Jon Gamon and Richard Horovitz, founders of SEAS Sailability, received RYA Cymru Wales Impact Awards for their work supporting disabled people, their families, and carers to enjoy water-based activities. Based at The Conway Centre on Anglesey, SEAS Sailability offers inclusive experiences such as sailing, paddleboarding, swimming, and powerboating in a safe and social setting. The pair were nominated by fellow volunteer Ken Newing, who said: "It's a pleasure to nominate Jon and Richard for their continued effort over the years to make the sport more accessible." They offer inclusive experiences (Image: Karl Midlane) The charity also operates a wheelchair-accessible Wheelyboat, allowing even more people to get out on the water. Mr Gamon, who teaches outdoor education at Ysgol Aberconwy and the Conway Centre, said: "It's so rewarding to see the excitement and sense of achievement that people experience when they are able to get on the water and I enjoy being a part of that buzz. "You become part of a community and I like seeing the impact our activities have on the wellbeing and relationships of our participants and their carers. "It's something different they can all do together to build positive memories." SEAS Sailability supports 30 to 60 participants per session and shares its adaptive equipment with The Conway Centre, helping the facility deliver inclusive activities for schools and other groups. The charity now hopes to expand its collaborative model to other commercial centres, increasing opportunities for disabled people across Wales. Activities at SEAS (Image: Karl Midlane) Richard Horovitz, chair of trustees for SEAS Sailability, said: "We're based on the Menai Strait but there are people everywhere who would like to take part in what we do. "As a charity we're moving forward all the time and we're looking to support other Welsh centres to provide these activities because the demand is phenomenal. "We take out lots of people with all types of disabilities who wouldn't otherwise be on the water, along with their families and carers so they are able to share the experience and have fun together. "You only have to see the smiles to be inspired." The RYA Cymru Wales Impact Awards celebrate those who go above and beyond to inspire others to enjoy sailing and watersports. For more information about SEAS Sailability, go online.
Wales Online
13-07-2025
- Wales Online
Now an amazing sea view dream home and a far cry from what it used to be
Imagine living in a dream home by the sea with exceptional coastal views and access to one of Wales' most special spots as well as owning an award-winning holiday let that can earn you extra income. For many people this scenario sounds like bliss but even if you have the budget to make this dream a reality then this combination can be a challenge to find. Welcome to Ysbryd y Mor, meaning 'spirit of the sea', located on the stunning Isle of Anglesey coastline in a secluded spot with uninterrupted views across the magnificent landscape. But this stunning dream home can also boast the bonus of Ysbryd y Mynydd – an award-winning holiday let that has been delighting guests and earning money for years. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here . READ MORE: Bungalow comes with a whole lot more than you'd expect in pretty market town Once a collection of derelict barns belonging to the neighbouring farmhouse, which is not part of this property package but may be available under a separate negotiation, the site has been completely transformed into a duo of luxury living and guest visiting by Sam Measom who visited Anglesey on holiday, fell in love, and made it her new home. Find out more about Sam's property renovation story here. The two former barns are situated in a stunning and dramatic location on Anglesey's west coast, within an area of outstanding natural beauty, boasting south-west facing views over their own land, the surrounding countryside, the coast, and out to sea with the Llyn Peninsula and Bardsey Island visible in the distance. The island is renowned for its picturesque coastline and numerous sandy beaches and directly from the property there are stunning walks around South Stack and Holyhead Mountain, much of which is an RSPB Nature Reserve teeming with various species of sea birds. The South Stack Lighthouse, a spectacular landmark and visitor attraction, offers access to its tower and museum for most of the year and nearby Holyhead offers a marina and several golf courses while windsurfing and kitesurfing enthusiasts can head to Rhosneigr and Newborough. The surrounding waters of Anglesey offer a plethora of marine activities including sailing, fishing, lobster potting, water skiing, paddle boarding, diving, and the chance to explore the magnificent coastline and marine life. Trearddur Bay, just a couple of miles away, provides a wide range of amenities and sandy beaches as well as a popular sailing club and RYA training centre plus a Spar, Post Office, and several pubs/restaurants including The Stores, Seacroft, Sea Shanty, and Ocean's Edge. Ysbryd y Mor and Ysbryd y Mynydd are on the market for offers in excess of £2,250,000 with Jackson-Stops, Chester. Call 01244 328361 to find out more. For more property stories and home content join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here.
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
AI Is Giving CMOs The Green Light To Think Bigger
Artificial Intelligence Faced with unprecedented volatility, Chief Marketing Officers face a paradoxical challenge: deliver breakthrough campaigns with fewer resources than ever before – and do it with AI. The mandate to "do more with less" has exploded AI experimentation, and it's emerging not merely as a stopgap solution, but as a transformative force that's fundamentally changed what it means to be a marketer. According to recent research from the global consumer research platform, GWI, 60% of consumers are excited for the further development of AI tools. AI-powered marketing isn't just heading towards an internal shift, but one that audiences are ready for as well. The New Creative Equilibrium: Data-Backed Boldness Today's marketing landscape demands differentiation, but traditional approaches to creative development often fall victim to risk aversion. Without concrete data to support unconventional ideas, marketing executives often default to the path of least resistance: safe, banal, predictable campaigns. This is precisely where AI is most useful. "AI's most powerful role in marketing is supporting creative bravery," explains Mark Himmelsbach, Co-founder and CEO of RYA. "Intelligence supporting creative directions that might otherwise be dismissed as too experimental or untested." This shift is about equipping creative leaders with the evidence to move forward quickly. When a bold creative concept is backed by real world data indicating high potential resonance with target segments, CMOs gain the confidence to green-light approaches that break from convention. Real-World Applications: From Financial Services to Retail Financial services firm Invesco QQQ's "Recipe for Innovation" campaign exemplifies this shift toward data-backed creative courage. The campaign was built on a demonstrated link between Invesco's customers and an affinity for celebrity chefs and cooking. By leveraging AI analysis of audience proprietary survey and behavioral data, Invesco QQQ discovered an unexpectedly strong overlap between their target investors and culinary enthusiasts; affluent investors are 55% more likely to be passionate about celebrity chefs and fine dining. This data-backed insight gave the marketing team confidence to pursue the creative direction, resulting in lifts in awareness and consideration of Invesco QQQ ETF YOY. Similarly, Charles Schwab's recent campaigns have tapped into passion points that go far beyond typical financial conversation. In partnership with the creative agency, Episode Four, RYA revealed surprising insights that led to more meaningful brand connections. By identifying unexpected behavioral patterns about Schwab's target audience, RYA helped the team move beyond the traditional playbook and into fresh creative territory. This included building a custom classic car for the PGA Tour Charles Schwab Challenge winner; an idea that conventional analysis alone would never have surfaced. The Evolving CMO Skill Set: Technical Fluency Meets Creative Vision This shift demands new competencies from marketing leaders. Tomorrow's successful CMOs will blend strategic thinking with creative storytelling and technical literacy: a combination previously rare in marketing leadership. 'The smartest CMOs I know aren't just optimizing outcomes, they're optimizing inputs,' says Himmelsbach. 'They want to know: Which ideas will move people? What tension are we resolving? How do we know this will land?' The role of the CMO is expanding. Strategic storytelling remains essential, but it now hinges on a working fluency in how data is collected, modeled, and interpreted. Marketing leaders don't need to be technologists, but they do need to ask sharper questions – about how insights are generated, what they reveal, and where their limitations lie. This analytical fluency is becoming just as critical as creative instinct. Without it, CMOs risk green-lighting work that feels right but falls flat or dismissing the ideas that could set their brand apart. From Optimization Tool to Innovation Driver Perhaps most significantly, AI is fundamentally changing how marketing decisions are made. Instead of treating data as something that arrives after a campaign is over, CMOs are using AI to shape the creative process from the start. Campaign concepts are evaluated not just on brand fit or creative appeal, but also on their empirical resonance with real-world audiences. This evolution represents the fulfillment of data's creative potential. While data has always been available to marketers, AI's ability to process information on an unprecedented scale and identify non-obvious patterns allows for creative applications that were previously impossible. According to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, over 25% of people in the U.S. ages 18 and over use at least one form of generative AI such as ChatGPT, Bard, or Copilot, to support tasks on a regular basis - signaling how quickly AI tools are becoming a part of mainstream behavior. Prosper - Heard of Generative AI The result is a new breed of marketing initiatives that balance creative intuition with empirical validation, allowing executives to identify the precise line between boldness and recklessness. The Rise of Radical Relevance Armed with AI's insights, CMOs are increasingly pursuing what might be called "radical relevance" campaigns that challenge category conventions while maintaining deep connections to audience needs and values. This doesn't mean creativity without constraints. Rather, it represents a more sophisticated understanding of constraints themselves, moving beyond demographic profiles to dynamic, multidimensional audience understanding that accommodates complexity and contradiction. "The old approach was to find the middle of the bell curve and target the average consumer," says Himmelsbach. "Today's AI tools let us identify and leverage the illuminating outliers. The unexpected patterns of behavior or preference that lead to breakthrough creative opportunities." The Path Forward: Human-AI Creative Partnership As AI capabilities continue to advance, the most successful marketing organizations will be those that develop a symbiotic relationship between human creativity and machine intelligence. Neither alone is sufficient; the magic happens at their intersection. CMOs who thrive in this new landscape will be those who embrace AI not as a replacement for human judgment, but as an amplifier of human insight. A tool that expands the boundaries of what's creatively possible while providing the evidence needed to pursue bold directions with confidence. The future belongs to marketing leaders who recognize that data and creativity aren't opposing forces but complementary powers, and who leverage AI to achieve a new creative equilibrium that delivers both distinctiveness and relevance in an increasingly crowded marketplace. For today's CMOs, AI isn't just changing how marketing is executed; it's fundamentally expanding what marketing can achieve. The green light is on, and the road ahead is wide open.
Globe and Mail
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Yachting: Yacht Club de Monaco receives RYA accreditation
MONACO, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A major recognition for the Yacht Club de Monaco: through its training centre, La Belle Classe Academy, and its Sports Section, the club has received official accreditation from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the world's leading authority in boating and water sports training. The news was announced by the club's president, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II. The recognition places the YCM among the top institutions serving yachting and sailing professionals worldwide. The YCM has been offering Powerboat Level I & II courses since March 2024 and has now expanded its programme to include RYA Dinghy Sailing and Personal Watercraft training. 'It is with great pride that I announce this evening that our Yacht Club de Monaco is now an RYA-accredited training centre,' Prince Albert II said at the club's members' cocktail. 'This international recognition strengthens the quality of our training, benefitting both professional crews and the young athletes in our sports section. I hope we can continue developing the 'RYA by La Belle Classe Academy' programmes to train tomorrow's sailors with discipline and enthusiasm.' Tiziano Massa, the first coach fromYCM to be certified as an RYA Sailing Scheme Senior Instructor at the UKSA centre in Cowes, Isle of Wight, will now be responsible for training young sailors aspiring to become assistant instructors. Focused on teaching, safety and technical skill assessment — including seamanship — the intensive three-day course will be offered under the supervision of James Brooke, YCM's RYA Chief Instructor. 'Having travelled the world overseeing RYA courses, I am extremely proud to be part of this exceptional team,' Brooke said. With a full range of certified courses running throughout the year, YCM aims to train the next generation of sailors, support enthusiasts and professionals alike, and consolidate the Principality's position on the international yachting scene. Following the success of its first edition, the YCM Summer Yachting Camp is returning in 2025 with two sessions for young people aged 16 to 22. The programme, run in collaboration with Seascope France, offers a comprehensive introduction to leisure boating, combining theory, practice and internationally recognised certifications: RYA Personal Watercraft (PWC), RYA Powerboat Level II (for boats up to 10 metres), and STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping). RYA Dinghy Sailing courses are available year-round at YCM's Sports Section, led by a team of certified instructors. YCM General Secretary and. General Manager Bernard d'Alessandri concluded: 'By developing internationally recognised certified courses, La Belle Classe Academy continues to meet the needs of yachting professionals and enthusiasts, while affirming Monaco's position as a global leader in sustainable yachting. This initiative is fully aligned with our collective approach: 'Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting'.'
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Life on the water earns sailing instructor national praise
Richard 'Taff' Owens was given an RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award (Image: RYA Cymru) A Pembrokeshire man's lifelong passion for sailing has earned national praise and a prestigious award. Richard 'Taff' Owens, founder of the Pembrokeshire Powerboating & Sailing Academy (PPSA), has been honoured with an RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award for his outstanding contribution to water sports. Advertisement He was nominated by RYA powerboat instructor Richard Rhodes, who said: "Taff has an ability to motivate instructors to deliver high quality and safe sailing experiences in both dinghies and keelboats to a wide age range and ability of people, and to go way beyond what they thought possible." Mr Owens established the PPSA in 2013. He has since enabled hundreds of people to enjoy time on the water and trained numerous instructors who have gone on to support the sport and marine sector. Mr Rhodes said: "He has invested heavily in terms of time and sharing to develop multi skilled instructors capable in the instruction of both sailing and powerboat, and the provision of safe, practical opportunities for young people to develop through the RYA structure." Advertisement Mr Owens' interest in sailing began with the Scouts. He later joined Barry Yacht Club and, after leaving school, continued to develop his racing skills. In 1981, he joined the Army and began competing with the Army Sailing Association and Royal Signals Yacht Club. It was during his service that he began his journey toward becoming an instructor. His 32-year career in the Army included roles as an officer, secretary, and interim commodore of the Army Sailing Association Dinghy Section. He also became an RYA senior instructor, powerboat instructor, and qualified RYA race coach. Mr Owens said: "I love sailing and I wanted to teach other people, and with my background of delivering training in the Army, I thought why not turn that into a job. Advertisement "I decided when I left the Army I wanted to set up my own business, but I was learning that side of it from scratch, so it was a massive learning curve from starting out small scale to where we are now." Initially based in Dale, the PPSA later moved to a multi-activity centre before settling at Neyland Yacht Haven. The academy now offers RYA-accredited keelboat and powerboating courses and activities. Mr Owens has also gained additional shore-based instructor qualifications. These include RYA Yachtmaster, Radar, VHF, and Sea Survival. The PPSA focuses on promoting the enjoyment and skills of sailing and powerboating within the Pembrokeshire community. Advertisement It also prioritises the development of new instructors and opportunities for young people. This includes Freya Terry, an early recipient of the RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award and a participant in a solo round-Britain voyage to raise mental health awareness.
