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CSC Prize Giving and Christmas Dinner Dance
Published
06:19 on 9 Dec 2021
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CSC Prize Giving and Christmas Dinner Dance What a fabulous evening we had on Saturday at the Marsham Court Hotel! Drinks and a formal dinner - first turkey of the season for many - were followed by the fantastic job of handing out the seasons trophies, hosted by Keith Mitchell, our Sailing Secretary, who has worked tirelessly this last 2 and half years to provide a fantastic race programme through some very turbulent times due to the pandemic. Again, the 2021 sailing season was affected by the lingering problem of Covid, so the Breakout trophy was added to make up for the lost racing dates around Easter, followed by the various Season Series and interspersed by Trophy races, both for dinghies and cruiser racers. Thank you to the Class Captains who awarded their own class awards - Simon Percival, Keith Barkway, Claire van Wingerden and Phil Whiston. Claire was also thanked with fabulous flowers for the results service, and Karen Kelly for helping Bridget, our Commodore organise and co-ordinate the event as a whole. It was the privilege of Commodore Bridget Allen to hand the trophies over. Special mention to Team Balls on their Sonata, and Team Bray on the Graduate -both taking away an impressive 5 trophies each! Plus congratulations to all trophy winners and all that have taken part. Also, a huge thank you to all the volunteer race crews, bosuns and Officers that make it all possible. It was lovely to have such a great mix of sailors from all areas of the club - not just the 'racing fleets' but also the Cruising fleet who have again clocked up numerous nautical miles, once again meeting up with each other from each end of the south coast and beyond. | |
The Percival Trophy for Lifetime Achievements in Sailing
This Trophy known as the
"Percival Trophy for Lifetime Achievements in Sailing" It was
first presented in 2010 to Peter Titcomb, sadly no longer with us. The
second recipient was twice World Champion 505 Dinghy sailor, the third a
world Champion in "Contenders," followed by Alan Ford a legend in
"X Boats."
The award is chosen each year
by the past recipients of the Trophy. The names can be seen on the Trophy
Base
This year the award is going to
someone who has a long history of service to our Club on committees, in
office, as a committed volunteer and a supporter of many activities.
Someone with Rule 1 close to
his heart, who has enjoyed racing in the past. and now cruises extensively.
The deserving recipient, John
Roantree, someone whom I was immensely proud to have the honour of
presenting the award.
John and his wife Val have been
longtime friends with whom Roger and I have enjoyed many sailing adventures
John started
sailing with the Sea Scouts on the River Thames and later in Christchurch.
After training as an engineer and working away, he returned to the area and
took up sailing small cruisers. Being a practical person, he bought a Folkboat
hull and fitted it out with a Vire inboard engine. Folkboats are competitive, and he raced her
in the CSC cruiser fleet.
He became
Class Captain in the 1980s. He was a regular competitor in the "Round the
Island Race," with a fine collection of tankards as evidence, and also
participated in Folkboat Week. He raced in the 'Nationals' in 1991, with friend
and ace racer Mike Clough. They not only won the Engined-Boat Class, but had
the unique distinction of also winning the over-all Folkboat Trophy. Fantastic
!!
After his
time on the Sailing Committee, he was elected to the General Committee, later becoming
a flag officer.
As a member
of the Past and Present Commodore's Association, he has had the opportunity to
visit many clubs and make links with their Commodores, gaining insights into
the running of their clubs. Very useful, for example, when recently gathering
information on the availability and cost of moorings along our stretch of coast
for Club feed-back purposes.
After a
short break, he served on the General Committee until 2018, when he was elected
as a Trustee, bringing vast experience to the role.
He's also a
hands-on man, a longstanding member of the moorings' working party and was
instrumental some years ago in identifying the "Black Pig" as a safer
means of undertaking the work. He is also part of the "Ianthe"
consortium, established to save and maintain this iconic historical boat, and
keep her in the Club.
He is an
inspiration to others in explore new cruising grounds, flying the flag together
with his wife, on the French Atlantic coast, Southern Ireland and in the
Baltic, which he has visited twice. The first time included a circumnavigation
via Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The
second visit included traversing across Sweden through the Gota Canal.
He also
represents the club on Christchurch Harbour Association Committee and is former
Secretary of the Association. Also for some years he is Christchurch's local
representative for "Reeds Nautical Almanac."
He has pride
in our Club, supportive of initiatives that will maintain its best features and
those which will enhance current provision and contribute to a successful
future, and willing to put in the necessary hard work.
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In order to comply with the drink driving regs, many attendees took advantage of the Tyrrell's Tours London Route master bus Tim had spent time festively decorating which really added to the cheerful ambiance, which everyone appreciated. A great celebration of Christchurch Sailing Club and its members to round off the 2021 season! A very Happy Christmas to you all, from the Sailing Sec team of Keith and Claire, and a huge thank you to the sailing committee that has supported us, and kept us on our toes, during our time in the roles of Sailing and Assistant Sailing Sec. | |
Last updated 06:02 on 22 September 2022
