Fairlie, Cumbrae and Wemyss Bay have seen a number of their local sailors shortlisted for Royal Yachting Association Scotland (RYA Scotland) awards including Robbie Burns and Anna Bird who are both shortlisted for the RYA Scotland Coach of the Year award 2013.

Angus Fergusson has been shortlisted for the RYA Scotland Instructor of the Year award, and Joe Gibson has been nominated for the Young Volunteer of the Year award sponsored by Honda.

They have each been invited, along with all of the people and clubs who have been shortlisted for an RYA Scotland 2013 award, to join RYA Scotland at their awards dinner this Saturday evening at the Glasgow Science Centre.

Robbie, from Fairlie, who is regularly seen coaching in both Largs and Cumbrae, has been coaching now for about 12 years and is currently coaching the RYA Scotland Optimist Development Team and Class Academy as well as the GBR Intermediate Squad.

Well-known in the Optimist class in Scotland and the winner of this award in 2011, Robbie has continually supported a number of Scottish sailors and has helped to achieve some fantastic results. As well as travelling all over the UK to attend training camps and events, Robbie is also committed to travelling to events further afield in Europe. Those nominating him felt that he is extremely supportive of his sailors and has often made himself available ‘out of hours’ to ensure that everyone gets the feedback and information they need.

Anna Bird Anna Bird, also shortlisted for the coach award, has been the Scottish Windsurfing Coach for a number of years. She has had a difficult task not only trying to coach but also to build a successful windsurfing fleet up in Scotland. Anna has managed to encourage a whole raft of windsurfers to get out on the GBR racing scene, not only achieving great results but also offering a great role model for the young athletes to develop as people.

Anna lives and works in London, however, after every training camp she returns to Cumbrae to coach the team of Scottish windsurfers. She also attends the RYA Scotland Youth and Junior Championships every year to encourage and support the younger windsurfers whilst they are competing.

Angus, shortlisted for the instructor award - and another familiar face on Cumbrae - works at the sportscotland national centre there, and has done a huge amount of work in delivering Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. He has been teaching sailing for around 20 years now so has shown great commitment to the sport.

Shortlisted for the Young Volunteer award sponsored by Honda is Joe Gibson from Wemyss Bay. Joe has been an ever present at the Scottish Sailing Institute events in Largs over the past few years. Joe was described as having a great attitude and going that extra mile to ensure that he getting as much RYA training as possible and thus allowing him to do more at the club.

Joe has been involved with the sport for about four years now and is often helping out with safety cover at events in Largs and also out once a week with the Largs training section. The nomination submitted for Joe stated that not only does he provide invaluable support but he is also setting a fantastic example to other youngsters and encouraging them to get involved and volunteer too.