The nights have drawn in and the shortest day this winter has been and gone, we can look forward to the close of year with and hopefully reflect on a sailing season that has been both enjoyable and fulfilling.
In my last note to members this year I wish to take the opportunity to thank all the elected volunteers who work so hard on the General Committee and the various Sub-committees. They give their time and energies freely and ensure our Club remains vibrant and with facilities that all our members enjoy and a special thanks from me to our Flag Officers for all that they do.
For your information
At a recent meeting with The Poole Harbour Commissioners we were informed that Harbour Dues will rise by 8.8% in 2018. This is a policy introduced by them last year where they decided over three years to increase harbour dues by inflation plus 5%.
The Club Forum has changed days and format. As an experiment prompted from some member feedback, our Forum will be held on Tuesday 30th January 2018. Start time 19:30, giving members an opportunity to enjoy a meal deal from 18:30-19:30. There will be no agenda from the General Committee just questions from the floor. The meeting will close when there are no further questions from members.
Season’s Greetings from John Yonwin and Team Sailing....
2017 has seen an ever increasing Sailing Programme and The Flag Officers and General Committee would like to extend a HUGE VOTE of THANKS to all the Volunteers that make it all happen....bit like an iceberg “10% of the activity you see and 90% of the activity is never seen.....”
As I write this Newsletter, the interviews are being held for the newly created position of Sailing Professional. We have had an excellent response to the advertisements. This appointment will mark an important new step along the Poole Yacht Club journey. The Flag Officers look forward to giving more detail and background, if requested, at the Club’s Forum scheduled for early in the New Year.
One of the high lights of the year just passed has been the Adult Dinghy Training and our thanks, particularly, to Tracey Lee for all the work with this initiative. Behind the scenes, a number of working groups are looking into the planning of future Sailing and On-Water activities. There are too many members involved in these to mention by name, but I would like to thank our Andrew Tate (Assistant Sailing Secretary) for all his analytical and research work undertaken on behalf of Sailing Committee.
Don’t forget the Commodore’s Challenge which is scheduled for Wednesday 27th December (Thursday 28th, if the weather is “unkind” on the 27th). New Year’s Day marks the start of the 2018 Racing Calendar....never a dull moment!
Wishing you and Very Happy Christmas and Fair winds in 2018
Our Youth Section
The Commodore’s Challenge Youth Team has been out practicing again and on Sunday I watched some of the practice starts, wow; great stuff. We are hosting the Challenge this year and on Wednesday the 27th the day starts at 09.00 with a welcome and brief for the youth teams. The racing will start from 10:00 hrs there are maximum of five races but it is the first team to achieve three wins that decide the challenge. Bring your boats out to cheer our team on (without getting in the way!)
Team awards and The Commodores Cup will be awarded at our Club (our turn to host) around 12:30.
The weather looks slightly iffy at the moment so please keep the following day free as well in case we need to postpone until the reserve day the Thursday.
Social
What a great evening at our annual Dinner and Dance. Food was excellent! Please make sure you check the website for up and coming dates. Have a great evening on New Year for all those members who sensibly booked their tickets early. The evening is a sell-out.
Commodores Charity
We have a very generous membership. Thank you so much for all those members who have contributed to the Commodore’s Charity, Julia’s House. Since April we have raised £2,167.34 toward our target of £5,000. Your generosity will have a big impact on the lives of the children and parents who need the support and facilities provided by Julia’s House. The next big fund raising event will be the Ladies fashion show in the spring, more of that in the New Year.
For your diaries
- Carols at the Club - Sunday 24th December 20.00-22.00
- New Year’s Eve Party - Sunday 31st December 2017
- Commodore’s Youth Challenge - Wednesday 27th December 2017
- History talk - Wednesday 17th January 2018
- Club Forum - Tuesday 30th January 2018
Advance warning for January. There is a fascinating evening arranged by Sue Thornton-Grimes and her team on the history of our Club. There will be three presentations during the evening to cover our early history, more recent history and all the amazing cruising and racing undertaken by our members over the years. There will be slides and pictures to illustrate the narrative. Date Wednesday 17th January 2018. Time 19:30 in the skylight lounge. We are asking for a donation of £2 per head to be made for the Commodore’s charity.
Best Regards
Nye Davies
Commodore
