In this issue: Autumn Series; Tier 2 Rules; Cruising Report; Trophies; Comms from the New Commodore; Reflections from the Retiring Commodore. Newsletter Admin
Reflections from the Retiring Commodore
Those of you lucky enough to attend the AGM on Thursday will have seen that I have come to the end of my 3 year's tenure as Commodore and 9 years on the Committee. The AGM was mostly online, although we did suffer some technical issues, like my laptop refusing to connect, and Frank had to sit in his car! My thanks for everyone's patience during the delayed start.
It has been a pleasure to serve our club, having been an active member for nearly 50 years, and I would like to thank everyone who has supported me during that time. I will continue to be actively involved in racing and training, and hope to be able to give more time to sailing now.
I wish the new management team, headed by Jeremy Riley, every success as our club continues to thrive.
Comms from the New Commodore
As noted above, the club hosted its first virtual AGM last Thursday which whilst not quite the same as being all together, saw a greater number of members participating than normal and our thanks go to Fraser, and particularly Alan Fuller for organising the meeting.
New committees were elected and I am delighted to take on the reins as your Commodore. We have continuity of your Flag Officers with the election of Jeremy Sumeray - Vice Commodore, Jenny Snow and Justin Meredith - Rear Commodores, Judith Mc Knight - Company Secretary , Frank Brown - Sailing Secretary and a warm welcome to Mike Hall who joins the Committee as our new Treasurer. Our warmest thanks go to Fraser Hayden as he steps down and also to Clive White who completed his second term as Treasurer.
We are all looking forward to working hard to ensure that the club remains a sailing club which looks to provide our members with the best possible sailing experience in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere whilst always looking for new ways and ideas to take the club forward.
On that note, your Flag Officers run a strategy session each year in January. Please feel free to contact me jeremyriley.uk@gmail.com if you have suggestions you would like us to put on the agenda or for that matter if you have any other questions.
Papercourt has always looked to respond to its members differing needs and this can sometimes be a balancing act. Normally, it possible to find a middle ground which largely works for all. On rare occasions, there can be very different views as was the case at the AGM where a proposal was put forward to amend our Bye Laws to allow members to bring dogs to the club subject to certain restrictions. After considerable discussion, opinions were still divided as was very evident when the motion was put to a vote. A decision either way was not taken on the night and it will now be up to the Flags Committee to determine a way forward.
Turning back to sailing, happily the club re-opened this weekend with various boat classes on the water on Saturday and club racing resuming on Sunday. Just a reminder that cruising is always allowed as long as there is safety boat cover.
Stay safe, stay well Jeremy Riley - Commmodore
New Committees and Appointments
The full list of who does what on which committees can be found on the button below
Re-opening the Club after Lockdown 2 - Tier 2 Guidelines
And we are back in business again! The club is open for organised training, cruising and the Autumn series resumed today with GH races on Sunday mornings.
The Tea Bar is open and the Clubroom is open, but we must follow the Tier Two guidelines, and make sure that only household groups sit together in the clubroom. Everyone else must sit on their own remaining socially distanced! Outside please keep to the rule of six. The changing rooms are open but on an 'as necessary' basis - if possible arrive ready to sail and change at home afterwards. Don't forget to wear your face covering in the clubhouse.
The Covid Committee will continue to monitor and interpret the Government and RYA guidance over the coming weeks and amend our guidance notes as appropriate - watch this space.
As I draw to a close my term as Cruising Captain, I would like to reflect on the changes:
Our Club is deservedly known first and foremost for the very high standard of our training and our racing, which has seen many of our members go on to the highest levels of achievement, including representing our country at international level.
It was therefore very much to the credit of our Commodore in conjunction with our Sailing Secretary and the Sailing Committee when, two years ago they took the decision to raise the profile of cruising, to offer an avenue to those completing their initial, or refresher training, to move on in their sailing journey at their own pace.
The progress in this initiative can be seen in more designated areas and times for cruising; the increasingly popular and successful Novice Races, and the creation of What’s App groups like ’Helms and Crew’ and ‘Sailing Buddies’ which enable the sharing of many questions and answers and also provide the valuable role of keeping us in touch with each other and with those more experienced.
The AGM saw the appointment of James Dunham, whom many of you will already know, as our new Cruising Captain. In conjunction with our Sailing Committee I am sure James will continue to develop the role of cruising and the opportunities it provides to enhance our skills and enjoyment in our sport and I wish James every success in his new role. This has not been the easiest of years for us all, but with light now at the end of the tunnel we can start to look forward with increasing optimism to more sailing and a much better New Year.
David Birch
Trophies
One of the casualties of covid this year was our annual dinner and prizegiving. We are working on plans for a presentation of such trophies as we were able to award, as soon as circumstances allow, so please return your trophies to the club, brightly polished, as soon as possible, so that we can get them engraved ready.
Newsletter Admin Note
If you have advised Membership that you will not be renewing your membership at the year end, please note that you will continue to receive the newsletter up to the year end, whilst your membership continues. If you would like to be deleted from the list sooner, please email newsletter@papercourt-sc.org.uk and I will action as soon as possible. Jenny Snow Newsletter Editor
Please do not unsubscribe as this is our best method of communicating with our members. If you are thinking of unsubscribing, please email newsletter@papercourt-sc.org.uk and have a chat with me about why you want to, and I will try to resolve any issues you may have, or delete you from the mailing list. Jenny Snow, Newsletter Editor
