Great success at the first #boatgen get afloat day

On Sunday 10th October we welcomed a group of excited young people to the first free boatgen get afloat day. The day took place at the Andrew Simposn Centre in Portsmouth, and is the start of many activities to support this new  not-for-profit initiative, delivered in partnership by boatfolk and The Andrew Simpson Foundation (ASF). 

Boatgen aims to engage and encourage young people to experience the benefits of being on the water. Recognising that taking that first step on a boat can be scary, get afloat days allow young people to get out on the water through entry level watersports such as paddleboards and kayaks, with a view to progressing to a sail experience day in the future.

Dominic Zammit, Director at boatfolk, said, “Our inaugural boatgen get afloat day was a huge success. Despite a grey start to the day, all our boatgen participants had a smile on their face as they took to the water, some for the very first time. It was absolutely fantastic to see such a great mix of young people discovering a new passion and exploring what might be next in their boating journey. We can’t wait to build on the success of this first get afloat day and will be announcing further dates at other locations across the UK very soon.”

Tim Long, boatgen ambassador, comments, “After seven months of planning it was incredible to finally kick off the boatgen campaign with the first get afloat day. Watching the groups head out on the water resonated with memories of when I first started sailing. I’ve also decided that I need to give windsurfing a try, it looks like a lot of fun!”

Hermione Garner, Centre Manager, ASC Portsmouth, adds, “We are delighted to be partnering with boatfolk to help realise our shared visions of enabling people to get onto the water and experience all the amazing benefits it brings. The Andrew Simpson Foundation and Andrew Simpson Centres in Portsmouth are passionate about giving opportunities to young people, so the launch of boatgen and the first of many sailing experience days is an exciting new venture for us.”

If you are keen to get involved with boatgen you can register here to receive updates on future get afloat days happening near you. In the meantime, one lucky young person can be in with a chance to win free watersports training of their choice, as well as an exclusive goody bag. Full details of the compeition can be found here.