CLUB MANAGEMENT

A few thoughts from a racing member at Burghfield: I expect MANY other clubs are in a similar position.

 - We have a sailing committee meeting every month. The dates are on the club calendar (first Thursday of the month). We welcome input to that meeting from any person in the club: either via e-mail to your fleet representative, or come along and put your views forward.

 - As a very active and thriving club we do hold many Open Meetings during the year (everyone who races regularly would like their fleet to hold an Open). These are balanced out in many ways: On Saturdays; On Sundays, with the races alternate with club races; On Sundays, as an extra start within the club races; On Sundays, when there is no club racing (although this last one is limited to just 3 Sundays out of the 52 available: Optimists, 400/200, Lasers). "Restricted" casual sailing happens on about 3 Saturdays out of the 52 during the year.

 - We occasionally hold National or Inland Championships for a fleet (typically 1 or 2 a year). These may involve limiting casual sailing on that day if there are lots of boats expected (e.g. Optimist National Team racing, when 150 or so races are held over the weekend).

 - The Sailing Committee tries to balance out the different needs of all people - from learning to sail through potterers and social sailing, to learning to race through racing to open meetings. We vary from over 70 boats out for a friendly race on a Wednesday evening; to 2 or 3 past National Champions battling it out in an Open Meeting while avoiding the RS400's with kites up in the club races.

 - If your club doesn't provide what you want, you have 2 options: Leave and find a club that does. Get into the committees and organisations and change things!

 - We have a sailing school attached to the club which organises formal training courses, as well as 6 or 7 affiliated schools that come along and use the water at different times. It can get very busy! But: A few years ago we were all complaining about how few people sailed, and how to get more members into the clubs!

Do we get it right fior all people? No of course not! Do we get it right for most people in the club? Hopefully: Certainly the racing turnouts on a Wednesday and Sunday are up, and the casual sailing on a Saturday leaves the lake almost as busy.

My experience of sailing clubs (especially small inland clubs) is that they are not run by “organisational maniacs”, they are run by well meaning individuals who are passionate about sailing and their own local club in particular. They will be doing the best that they can, usually with limited resources and even less support. They may not always get every decision right and that is where they will need your feedback to guide them.

What should you do? Talk to your club.

What should you not do? Post anonymous rants a public forum undermining the huge amount of time and effort which is given freely by all such sailing committees throughout the country.

If you take the advice above and your mail or call happens to come through to me or another member of our Sailing Committee, I will gladly invite you to our next meeting to express your views and maybe discuss some of the rationale behind hosting open meetings etc.