Message from the Commodore
The season so far has not been without its excitement with the theft of the blue dory and the subsequent withdrawal of parts of our insurance cover. Geoff Newbold however, through heroic efforts, has succeeded in getting us insured again, which is a considerable relief all round. We await the visit of the loss adjuster to finalise the paying out of our claim for the missing boat, trailer and engine and plan to replace it asap.
This episode has inevitably caused us to be more security conscious, if only to satisfy the insurance company, if not the really serious thieves who might turn up with a truck and crane in the middle of the night and take the containers away. Clynt has already seen to the chaining up of the Picos and he has recently procured a means of making the club keys more available to duty teams, without compromising security. More news on that shortly.
We are still short of club officers and volunteer members to take on the tasks that are necessary for the smooth running of the club. Since my last appeal for people to come forward, one job has been dealt with, Paul Oliver manfully stepping forward to volunteer to look after pontoon maintenance (and he's not even a Flying Fifteen or cruiser sailor). Thanks to Paul for this immensely altruistic gesture.
Very many thanks also to Heather Ravenscroft who pluckily came forward to deal with the job of providing provisions for the galley, please think of her every time you tuck into a baked potato at lunchtime!
However, it still leaves us with no Sailing Captain or Rear Commodore, so please don't be surprised if we are unable to operate some of the initiatives that we would like to undertake. We also have no one on the Committee to represent the interests of disabled sailors, this position is open to able-bodied folk, as all you have to do is to represent, rather than necessarily be disabled. Given that disabled sailing provision has been a cornerstone of our funding applications, this omission gives cause for concern, so please come forward if you think you can make a contribution in this area.
Other roles that still remain unfilled are: maintenance of the exterior of the clubhouse, winch maintenance, notice boards and grass cutting. Volunteers will be welcomed with open arms!
Upcoming events include the Solo Open on Sunday June 16th . As usual there will be club racing starting a few minutes after the Solo races have started, at least there will be if I can borrow a second watch. (That is a watch that is not the first, rather than a watch that measures sixtieths of a minute!) Members will be relieved to know that my big yellow racing watch with large type for the geriatric eyesight was not lost after all, it turned up in a dark corner of my loft at home.
After that is the weekend of the WOCC where we welcome disabled competitors, on July 13th and 14th. Lots of jobs relate to this event; if you would like to help out on one or other of the days, please let me know soonest. Otherwise I shall be moving amongst you in order to seek out volunteers.
It is possible that we may be providing a couple of days of sailing experience on Saturdays in August for disabled youngsters. Conwy Council are currently in the process of establishing the likely level of interest before we push forward with that initiative. More on that one later, as we will need volunteer boats and bodies.
Another thought is that we should hold "coaching races" at some point of the season. The objective of these being to give less experienced sailors and those of a nervous disposition who don't understand what all the shouting is about at the start of a race a bit of insight into what a strangely fulfilling experience it can be. How it might work is for the "Coach" (fairly experienced racer) to pair up with his/her "Victim" (inexperienced but keen to learn sailor), and take it in turns to helm/crew for some short races. This will take a bit of organising, so, in view of our short-handed state on the Committee I am not promising anything, but if you think you would like to get involved in some capacity as either coach or victim, be sure to let me know. If there are enough takers we can see about slotting it into the calendar before the Rainy Season (aka Summer) passes.
That's about it folks apart from the perennial reminder about duties. Lynda has lovingly prepared the schedule to the end of September. It goes without saying that your commitments to duty take precedence over all other frivolous social events such as weddings, christenings and barmitzvas. If however you do get sucked into these sorts of distractions, PLEASE arrange to swap with another member IN GOOD TIME before the date in question. You know it makes sense.
Finally a vote of thanks to those of you who operate as either committee members or volunteer members, without your contribution the club would grind to a standstill. Many thanks indeed.
Richard Lewis