Itchenor Sailing Club Transit Committee - Teen sailors step up to take on leadership roles

Itchenor SC Transit Committee: Henry Jones, George Bullock, Eddie Jones, Zac Shepherd, Tilly Benson, Amelie Poulain, Joy Wickens, Daisy Timberlake, Effie Grant (and Arthur Southall not pictured) © Seb Jemmett

Sailing, friendship, and giving back — that's the Transit Committee, Itchenor Sailing Club's youth leadership initiative.

The Transit Committee draws together sailors from different schools, all in their last year of junior sailing and united by their shared commitment to the ISC community. Some have sailed together for a decade, progressing from Mirrors, through Fevas, and finally arriving, by their lower sixth year, at 420s and Lasers; others may be newer members, with a few having joined the club just this year.

For the Transit Committee, though, there's more to their last year as juniors than just competing. When the teens apply to join the Committee in the September of their lower sixth year, they know they will be stepping up to take on leadership roles within the club. Grateful for all the good memories they have made at Itchenor, potential Committee members often express in their applications a desire to inspire that same camaraderie and sense of belonging in younger sailors.

After the 2025 team was selected, they got to work fostering the club's culture of youth sailing through innovative socials from the Seas the Day Challenge and the Minute to Win It Race Night to Fire Pit Parties and the Easter Eggsstravaganza. They also select a local charity to support, circulating proposals which they consider in rigorous and dynamic discussions. This year's team decided on Chestnut Tree House, a children's hospice in Sussex.

For the Committee, fundraising isn't just about raising money: it's also an opportunity to take on complex administrative and organisational challenges and tackle them as a team. They kicked off their efforts with a used kit sale, encouraging friends and neighbours to root around in their garages for idle gear which could be sold. Then came the bake sale, merch sales and even a predictably popular sponge throw at the sailing manager, all culminating in a raffle at the annual Junior Fortnight Sailing Competition.

Throughout the process, the team boosted their numbers by creating a friendly and lively competition to see who could sell the most raffle tickets and throws, and encouraging members of all ages to get involved. Competitors, grandparents and even staff tried their luck in the chase for the winning tickets.

Once the final numbers were in, the 2025 Transit Committee had raised £2003 for Chestnut Tree House. In the process, they brought the Itchenor community together—and built bonds that will last longer than any sailing season.

Itchenor SC Transit Committee - photo © Richard Benson