New Commodore and Committee at Hayling Island Sailing Club

Outgoing Commodore Chris Gordon welcomes new Commodore Greg Lamb (right) © Anne Marie Wood

A new Commodore and committee of officers were appointed at the recent AGM of Hayling Island Sailing Club. Local Hayling Island resident Greg Lamb was voted in to the position of Commodore taking over from Chris Gordon. Greg is joined by a number of new faces to the various elected positions, including many locally based club members who have a vast array of experience between them.

Greg Lamb has been a member of HISC since 1986 and has sat on a wide variety of HISC committees since the late 1980s. Greg has sailed a broad range of dinghies and for the last three years has been an active member and regular club racer in the HISC Solo fleet. Greg also co-owns a trimaran cruiser which he enjoys sailing along the South Coast.

Also taking up new positions following the AGM are Mike Dawe as Vice Commodore Sailing, John Rees as Vice Commodore House, Andy Partington as Rear Commodore Racing and Rebecca Tuttle as Rear Commodore Youth. Continuing in their current positions for a further term of office are Murray Maunder as Rear Commodore Training and Seumas Kilpatrick as Rear Commodore Cruising. There is a distinctly 'local' feel to the new committee with over half living on Hayling Island itself and several others in nearby Emsworth.

2014 was an extremely busy year for HISC with record levels of activity, phenomenal sailing success for club members around the world as well as extremely strong membership numbers. The club hosted the very high profile Moth World Championships in July as well as organizing championships for the RS200 and 420 classes, and a number of Open Events for several other classes throughout the season. In addition the club's annual Family Fun Week was oversubscribed within minutes of going online, and this year's Youth Week was the largest on record, followed by a very busy Chichester Harbour Federation Week.

Another major highlight for the club was the launch and resounding success of the Get Racing Club initiative which encouraged over 200 sailors onto the water to get to grips with racing, learn new skills and build their racing confidence from a team of volunteer 'racing' mentors. The winter Open Series for dinghies is already underway and continues into December culminating in the Christmas Cracker on Sunday 21st December 2014. In addition there is an extremely busy winter youth training programme in place which will mean that the club is well used throughout the winter months.

Commenting on his new appointment, Greg Lamb noted, "I'm delighted to have been appointed Commodore of Hayling Island Sailing Club; I'm taking over the role at a time when the club is extremely healthy in terms of finance, membership numbers and the breadth and range of activities that it organises. The outgoing committee members have done an excellent job in building up all areas of the club. My ambition for the next three years is to sustain this level and quality of activity and to keep improving the club for its members to ensure it remains a club to enjoy and be proud of. I'm really fortunate to have a highly experienced team of fellow committee members, who are not only passionate about the club and its value for members but are also energetic and proactive in their commitment. We also benefit from the extremely dedicated and highly experienced team of staff at the club who we rely on heavily for the continued success of the club and whose loyalty and commitment is greatly valued by the members and the various committees."