Commodore’s May Newsletter
Dear Members,
This month is very important worldwide and in particular for Great Britain and all the countries of the British Commonwealth as, on Saturday 6th May 2023, our new King Charles III is to be crowned. The crowning of kings and queens in Great Britain goes back at least twelve hundred years and is an important historical event.
As a Yacht Club, we are unique and very honoured as we are the only Royal Yacht Club based on inland waters. We were founded in 1860, then became a “Royal Club” in 1887 during the reign of King George V and became the Royal Windermere Yacht Club.
The Coronation of King Charles III starts at 11.00 am, with the Crowning of the King at 12.00 pm. This will be shown on the Club’s screen for those who wish to have a Celebration Drink at the Royal Windermere Yacht Club. The RWYC is planning a Jacob Join Party in the late afternoon, with the Elderly Brothers playing for us.
On the Sailing Front, sailing has already got off to a great start. The weekend of the 15th and 16th April, saw the RWYC celebrating Sixty years of Flying Fifteens at the Club. Like all classes, there are good times and bad times, but due to the continuous support of the RWYC Members, the Flying Fifteen Class is currently one of the largest in the country. Steve Bewsher managed to fit in five excellent races, despite the weather being the complete opposite to what it was in 2022. The Social Event in the evening featured the Cumbrian Chef with four portions of bowl food and a great evening was had by all. Club sailing during April, was well supported by all Fleets, despite the weather being somewhat cold. The Waking Up Supper on the 1st April was well supported with music provided by Matt Jones. The Seventeen Foot Fleet’s first Counting Race was on Saturday 22nd April for the Chip Challenge Cup and Charles Crossley Cup. Liberty took the winning gun with Atholl winning the Classics.
On the Training front, Matthew Daly supported Bangor University Sailing Club in the last week of March, when they visited the Royal Windermere Yacht Club. Twelve Members of Bangor enjoyed a great week’s sailing, despite the weather being unfavourable with a lot of rain. Three of their members did Power Boat Courses. At a recent meeting, it was agreed to provide, for Club Members, Power Boat Refresher Courses. Matthew has already completed two Power Boat Refresher Courses. In the future, we hope to provide tailored Safety Boat Courses. Youth Sailing and Individual Tuition are all up and running. For those members who wish to improve their sailing skills, or any of our courses, please contact Zoe Broughton.
Adult Squad will have started at the end of April, meeting on Sunday mornings – 9.30 am for 10.00 am start. Contact Paul Aston if you wish to attend.
Wednesday nights are a good chance to meet up and have a drink. Let us hope that during May and June, we have some warm sunny evenings. Bring your paddle boards or canoe down, or, paddle boards, or club boats, can be booked through Zoe. The Club and Matthew are keen to encourage Wednesday nights as Family Nights.
Duty Roster for Safety Boats and Assistant Race Officer:
At the risk of repeating myself, I need to remind everybody that the Duty Roster is there for all to see. Please do check it regularly and where there are gaps, please volunteer to fill them. We all need to appreciate that, if there are not enough volunteers for Safety Boats, there will be no racing on that particular day. Doing duties on the Safety Boats, is a great way to meet new Members and old friends.
New Members:
Please feel free to introduce yourselves. Friday nights’ and weekends are a great time to meet up, as is volunteering for duties.
Membership Renewal:
Renewal Invoices, including Boat Charges, if any, have now been sent out by Email. If you have not received the Email, do check your Spam/Junk Folders first, failing which, please Email the Honorary Treasurer at: [email protected] to request a Postal Copy.
Social Events:
Please see the Club Website for details. For all Social Events and Meals, please book in with Zoe.
You will be able to find them on the Website and/or on the Club Noticeboard, inside the Clubhouse. In all cases please contact Zoe to confirm attendance.
Events Planned for May:
May 2023 –
Friday 5th May 2023 – RNLI Wine and Savoury Social Event.
Saturday 6th May 2023 – Coronation Day. This will be shown on the Club’s Screen. The Royal Windermere Yacht Club celebration will be late afternoon with Jacobs Join, Buffet Food brought by Members.
Music will be played by the Elderly Brothers.
Friday 19th May 2023 – 17 Ft Dinner
Monday 29th May 2023 – All Fleets Long Distance Race
June 2023 –
Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th June 2023 – Pennant Weekend and Live Music –
Fleetwood Mac Covered.
Book this in your diary, there will be something for everyone.
This should be a great weekend, not to be missed.
Penny and myself are looking forward to seeing you at the RWYC. We are generally around on Friday evenings throughout the year and Saturdays’ during the Sailing Season.
With Best Wishes,
Nick Aubrey (Commodore, RWYC)