From The Commodores Logbook

 Fellow members of the Royal Windermere Yacht Club,

Thank you for the honour of allowing me to serve as your Commodore.
It was with great pride and no small measure of surprise that I accepted the invitation to become the 105th Commodore of the Royal
Windermere Yacht Club. That surprise came courtesy of Nick Aubrey, who intercepted me en route to the gents three years ago for a discreet word!
I didn’t expect an invitation to become Commodore.
My first response was “Are you sure? I don’t race in our fleets” But on reflection, perhaps that’s a strength as I can represent all members equally, from our 17-foot sailors to the ladies who join us for coffee on Sunday mornings, and of course our other members, fleets, volunteers, and staff who make this club great.
To set the record straight: I do sail, though never competitively. My nautical journey began on the River Deben in Suffolk, in Mirrors and Torches. At school, I graduated to Flying Juniors and Larks, then Fireballs at Felixstowe Ferry where the Deben meets the sea with a bar that’s not for the faint-hearted. Crossing it with spinnaker up and trapeze deployed remains one of the most exhilarating moments of
my life & and believe me there have been a few of them. Around that time, I made my first Channel crossing from Lymington to Cherbourg on a Sea Scout trip. From then on, it was big boats, not racing but cruising and exploring. Over the next 20 years, I sailed the East Coast, crossed to France, Belgium, and Holland many times, and explored every river I could find. When our supply of friends’ fathers’ boats ran dry, four of us began chartering in the Mediterranean and we’ve only missed two years in the last 25.
After moving to the Lakes and joining RWYC, I found my place in RIBs and that’s where you’ll find me today, driving our safety boats.
Professionally, I’ve spent my life in food. I started in a dried fruit and nut packing factory in Suffolk, then after an aborted attempt to sail to Australia I landed in London and became a dried fruit trader. That led me into confectionery, which brought me to the Lakes to work for a Kendal Mint Cake manufacturer.
Now, I’m finally retiring and looking forward to focusing fully on our club. I still try to ski each year and fly my paraglider, though those days may be numbered.
But enough about me, Let’s talk about our club — and our future;

  •  The decking needs urgent attention. Hoping it will fix itself is not a strategy.
  •  Training in 2025 was strong, but we must convert more trainees into members. That will grow our community, spread our   fixed costs, and lower our average age.
  •  Volunteering must extend beyond racing. Every contribution helps reduce overheads and strengthens our club spirit.
  •  Above all, we must have fun, enjoy our sailing and our club.

I will respect our history, but I will not be bound by  it. If there’s a better way to do something, we’ll explore it. I am at the club several times a week and would be delighted to hear your ideas but don’t ask me about complicated sailing rules or scoring systems, my Vice Commodore Keith is the man to answer those questions.

Thank you again for your trust. I look forward to serving with joy, fairness, and a steady hand on the tiller.

Best Wishes
Richard
RWYC Commodore