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Over fifty members and guests gathered as usual at the
Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club for our annual dinner and prize
giving. While some familiar faces were missing due to illness and other
commitments, there were a number of newcomers to be welcomed instead.
After an hour to loosen up in the bar, all adjourned to the dining room, where
newly elected Commodore Will Armour began by welcoming members, noting those who
we have sadly lost during the year and wishing a happy birthday to Ruth Rhead,
Lisa Burton and Tim Riches, all of whom were celebrating on that very day.
Anthony Knights spoke Grace, after which followed the meal
and then the speech and handing out of the silverware. A good round of
applause thanked Will for taking on the rôle of Commodore before he embarked on
his speech. He began by mentioning members no longer with us: Jackie
Jenner, Mollie Richards and Dave Valentine, who all died last year. On a
happier note, he mentioned Jack Jenner, who would be 100 on 23 February and
wished Ruth Rhead, Lisa Burton and Tim Riches a happy birthday for this very
day.
Will then told a joke, as follows: There was a
headteacher who had to address the lower sixth -or what ever they are called
now- one morning on sexual education. He was a bit nervous at breakfast time and
decided to tell his wife that the lecture was about sailing. At lunch time the
wife met the deputy head in the supermarket and asked how the lecture went. The
deputy said he was brilliant knew all the techniques and ways to enjoy it. The
wife said that's funny he has only done it twice and the second time his hat
fell off.
He continued with a brief synopsis of the year, thanking
those who had helped and noting that it had been a good season, with varying
weather conditions. Looking to the future, he stated that he wished to
think about how to attract more and younger members, suggesting that perhaps a
forum could be set up to investigate options. This met with a round of
applause.
Another joke followed, asking if we knew the vital
statistics of a mermaid - they are 36, 23 and 2/6 a pound.
He concluded by offering some alternative definitions for
nautical terms:
Regatta: An organised sailing
competition that pits your skills against your opponents luck
Broads sailing cruiser: A hole in
the water surrounded by planks into which a sailor pours money.
Fitting out: Series of
maintenance tasks performed on boats ashore during good weather weekends in
spring and summer months to make them ready for winter storage
Bar: Long low lying navigational
hazard,usually awash found at river mouths and harbour entrances, where it is
composed of sand or mud; and ashore where it is made of mahogany or some other
dark wood. Sailors can be found in large numbers around both
Draft: The vertical distance from
the waterline to whatever that crap is down there that the stupid keel is
stuck in
Flashlight: Tubular metal
container used on board ship for storing dead batteries prior to their
disposal
With a time of
only just over 5 minutes, most people entering the by now traditional sweepstake
had guesses that were wildly out, but Joe Kilner took the prize for being fairly
close.
In a rather rowdy atmosphere, the trophies were then
handed out, with Joe Farrow winning the photographic competition and Pippinjack
collecting the Luna Barometer, making Paul Stevens the first person to hold both
our barometers at the same time. He also won the Wherry Trophy for the
Club Championship by just one point from Sabrina 2, but the Hiawatha Prize was
not awarded this year, as no boats under 15% had qualified. Terry Secker
then ran the two raffles, with Adrian Lincoln winning the hamper and Kevin Rhead
winning the special prize, kindly donated by Ian Patience, of a day's sea
sailing for four.
