PEOPLE were all at sea in a campaign to get people to try out activities on the water.

Five sailing clubs and training centres in Dorset welcomed visitors to the Royal Yachting Association's Push the Boat Out events which offered sailing and windsurfing tasters for free or low cost during May.

The RYA’s national Push the Boat Out (PTBO) campaign aims to get more people on the water, having fun and getting active outdoors. The month of open days and ‘have a go’ taster sessions once again saw thousands of people get afloat at their local PTBO venue.

The venues taking part in Dorset were the Andrew Simpson Watersports Centre and the Official Test Centre (OTC), both on Portland, Weymouth Sailing Club, Swange Sailing Club, and East Dorset Sailing Club.

At the OTC on Portland, 56 people went out windsurfing and stand-up paddleboarding during the PTBO events.

One visitor to Swanage Sailing Club, where 98 people took to the water in three hours, said: “Thank you so much to everyone involved today, the girls had a brilliant time on the water, and we all enjoyed the lovely clubhouse with great cakes. Thank you, and hope to see you in the future."

Tony Wood, RYA Regional Development Officer, said: “It’s fantastic to hear that so many people have been able to take this opportunity to get active on the water and involved with our sport. Well done and many thanks to all the club co-ordinators and volunteers for putting such a huge amount of time and effort into running these events to make them so welcoming and positive for those who take part.”

If you missed Push the Boat Out, it’s not too late to start your boating adventure.

Pop down to your local club and have a chat about getting out on the water. Find your nearest club at rya.org.uk/Pages/wheres-my-nearest.aspx/start

For more information visit rya.org.uk/go/TrySailing. To find out more about how to get started on the water this summer, visit rya.org.uk/go/StartBoating