WIREDGOV

Golden rules for sailors

MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY News Release (158 - 09) issued by COI News Distribution Service on 20 May 2009

Double Olympic sailing gold medallist Shirley Robertson is helping the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to save lives this summer by presenting two new sailing safety video podcasts for their website.

Shirley Robertson is one of the few British female athletes to have won gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. After success in 2000 at the Millennium Olympic Games in Sydney, Shirley turned her attentions to the new Yngling class three-person boat, and in 2004 she was rewarded with her second Gold Medal at the Athens Olympics.

With the summer sailing season getting underway, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency want to help leisure sailors stay safe this year. Her Majesty's Coastguard coordinate up to 3,000 leisure boat incidents per year and sadly 17 sailors lost their lives in 2008.

The new films cover essential topics including preparing the boat before you go, safety afloat, lifejackets, navigation, communications and training. See the films at http://www.mcapodcasts.co.uk

Shirley says,

"Safety at sea and good training should be the foundation for any fun day out on the water. Sailing is a fantastic sport and I hope that this film helps to get the safety message out to everyone planning to go afloat this summer."

Ciaran Rogers from UKSA at Cowes on the Isle Of Wight said,

"UKSA is keen to support this initiative, and it was great to be involved.

Safety at sea training is key to everyone enjoying their time on the water and these online videos are a packed full of top tips from on the water pro's."

Notes to Editors:

If you have an on line offering for the leisure sailing market we would be grateful if you can place a link to our sailing safety podcast onto your web site or include a link in any e mail communications with your subscribers. http://www.mcapodcasts.co.uk
Web banner to link to our pod cast site can be provided if you contact us with required dimensions.

We ask everyone going afloat to take a few minutes to view our video podcasts on our website. Video enables us to show how to keep safe whilst out on the water in a very practical way as demonstrated by real people doing real things. We have used video podcasts to highlight a range of important safety messages - see for yourself at http://www.mcapodcasts.co.uk

The MCA is a partner in the Sea Vision UK campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the sea and maritime activities. Sea Vision promotes the importance and economic value of the sector and works to highlight the exciting range of activities and career opportunities available to young people within the UK growing maritime sector http://www.seavisionuk.org

For further information please contact
Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office, on:
(023) 8032 9401

Press releases and further information about the Agency is available on the Web at http://www.mcga.gov.uk