Commodore’s Comms, October 2025

Hello Members,
 
Well September seemed to disappear very quickly indeed, and just as it did there was a flurry of activity at the club as the 17-foot fleet packed their boats up and sent them into winter hibernation. It was busy month that saw the averages concluded across the fleets, and on the social side I was delighted to attend the Cruiser/Flying Fifteen and Dinghy Dinners, the dining room was packed for both events which was lovely to see, and both were very enjoyable.

This past weekend, we hosted the GP14 Inland Championships, with boats travelling form as far away as Wembley. It was such a shame that storm Amy turned up as well, resulting in racing on both days being cancelled. The competitors did enjoy the clubs’ hospitality and their Association Dinner at the club on Saturday evening. Early Sunday afternoon saw the GP associations Northern Bell prizegiving as the class celebrated their 75^thanniversary. We will hope to be welcoming them back at some point in the not-too-distant future. As I said in my opening remarks at the prizegiving, it is the first time in 17 years of open meetings at the club, that we have not been able to run a race due to the weather conditions.

The Autumn series now beckons for the 15’s , Cruisers and Dinghies , with racing on Sundays  until the end of November which  in the past seen good turnouts, so lets make every effort to make it a huge success. Breakfast buns or sandwiches will be served in the restaurant before sailing, and soup from the bar when we’ve finished and need something to warm us through.

September also saw the final races in the Thursday evening series, which has generally been very well supported by both dinghies and 15’s, although several evenings were plagued with no wind and regrettably no racing. Thursdays are a great midweek stress buster for those of us still working and we shall look forward to next year’s racing. As the nights draw in and the club is into winter opening hours, we commence the winter season of Thursday evening talks, commencing this week with what should be a fascinating talk by Mark Hillman of his Atlantic crossing from Maryport to New York. Check out the website for details, and supper is available to book beforehand with Zoe, for those who want it.
Members will have also seen that the invitation to the Annual Dinner and Prizegiving on 15^th November has been issued. So far, the response has very positive, so if you want a place, please book with your menu choices to the Hon Sec as advised on the invite.
 
David Heron
Commodore