I Only Wanted To Sail!

It was about ten years ago that I discovered Yeadon Sailing Club. I was walking through Tarnfield Park and found it. I had always been interested in sailing and had done a little in the past but had never raced. Had I known the club existed then I would have joined it many years earlier! After a year or two in the club I was asked to join the committee. It was about eighteen months later that I made my fatal mistake. The Secretary was away for one of the meetings and I volunteered to take the minutes. At the end of the year the Secretary decided to retire and I finished up with the job.

Well taking the minutes was one thing, a little letter writing was involved but I think the most important thing that I had to do was to ensure things were done on time.

Straight forward so far but then things started getting more complicated. The Lease and Licence had been under negotiation for 12 years but not agreed. David Statman took on the job of negotiating the completion of the lease and licence while I spent my time reading and re-reading them and finding faults with them. At last they were agreed though there were things that we would have liked adding in to the licence but daren't risk another 12 years of negotiation. I got involved in insurance for the club but currently John Simms is handling that. Additions had to be made to the Constitution and the second time round it was realized it was rather a mixture of rules and administration. With George Dawson’s assistance the Constitution was separated from the Operating Rules. Many amendments were made to the Operating Rules before we were satisfied with them but wonders never cease – they are out for all to see now.

Other major items that have been dealt with recently, not by me personally, but mainly by Neil and Gail are the Club Safety Policy and the Child Protection Policy. We still have to add to our Safety Policy Safety Procedures. The latest item, Data Protection is being dealt with by the Commodore and the Committee. The new website is being developed by Tim Burnett and I am sure that you will be very pleased with it when it goes live.

All this is in addition to the work of planning the sailing programme done by Patrick Gaunt, planning the training programme done by Neil, chasing and recording the
membership fees done by Rob Crossland, the maintenance organized and frequently done by Bill Wilson, and the keeping of the accounts by Terry Kelly. There are also the social events which are currently directed by the Commodore but run by other committee members and the newsletter edited by either Terry's daughter Aislinn or by Rob Heath. We are also beginning to benefit from the valuable input of our newer committee members –Gerard, Steve, Richard, Mick, Ian and Andrew who are perhaps wondering what they have let themselves in for.

So spare a thought for your Committee now and again, who give up so much of their time to ensure we have an ever improving club. Perhaps before too long, and now that the major items above have been completed, someone else will take over as secretary, seeing that the present incumbent is dogged by poor hearing and still cannot read his own writing.

Peter Appleby
Hon. Club Secretary : Solo 3774