Icom are supporting the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) OnBoard initiative which introduces youngsters, whatever their needs and ability, to sailing and windsurfing. Over the last 8 years, working with clubs across the UK, the OnBoard programme has introduced half a million children into these sports.

As part of their support, Icom will be offering all OnBoard clubs advice and special discounts on their radio equipment. Icom are also supplying radios for OnBoard clubs running festivals.

Sam Taylor-Nobbs, Icom’s Sales Director said, ‘Icom is extremely pleased to be involved with the fantastic OnBoard initiative. We have always had close links with organisations that have a strong emphasis on grassroots sport, personal development and safety, so OnBoard was an obvious choice for us."

Barry Sheerman, Chair of the All-party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG), is urging all holiday makers to be ‘carbon monoxide safe’, following a suspected carbon monoxide incident on a private boat in the Lake District.

National media have reported that a 36-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl have died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning during an Easter boating holiday in Windermere. A man, who was also on the boat, is reported to be receiving treatment at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

While it is unconfirmed whether carbon monoxide is to blame in this incident, members of the public are being strongly encouraged to take appropriate steps to ensure that they are properly protected against the threat of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning while holiday making. The symptoms of poisoning are similar to flu or food poisoning, and include headaches, nausea and dizziness.

Lifeboat volunteers from Sunderland RNLI Station scrambled into action on Monday evening to assist a teenager who had become stranded on top of a partially sunken boat after the new Argos inflatable dinghy he was playing in became deflated during a practical joke which went wrong.

The 15 year old from Pennywell, Sunderland was playing onboard a small inflatable dinghy next to Claxheugh Rock, South Hylton when it was accidentally burst by his friends who were throwing rocks and darts at it from the riverside. The teenager was left stranded in the water; but was able to pull himself onboard a partially sunken boat clear of the water.

The National Waterways Museum’s popular Easter Boat Gathering and Sea Shanty Festival returns to Ellesmere Port for 2013 and is set to be as colourful as ever. The event starts tomorrow and will see a gathering of canal boats and sea shanty musicians across the museum. They will also play formal concerts on Saturday and Sunday nights. Monday sees a special art workshop from artist Faith Bebbington who has been working on a horse sculpture for the museum commemorating the work of horses in canal history.