Well I don’t know about the rest of you but I had a fabulous time at the end of Season Ball. And having booked the venue blind, I was even more delighted that it looked so good. Thanks Jeremy for sorting it all out.

It was of course an occasion to say Well Done and Thank You to all those club members who have participated and helped and competed during the year. The club has an impressive range of cups and awards:

But unfortunately these days we don’t enter boating competitions as we used to and many of them are not awarded, year after year. But even so the club had plenty of awards to make and the Commodore had plenty of thank you’s to make.

The Commodore’s Plaque for best achievement at Yachtmaster course was Tim Braine, with Alastair Eperon a runner up. Tim and Ann also won the Commodore’s plaque for Contribution to Tidal Cruising for all their help on the East Coast Cruise, not to mention their input into the summer cruise. As Tim said to me, Andrew and i could have done it without them and I guess we could have. But it wouldn’t have been so much fun!

Pat, together with Lynn Jones won a Commodore’s Supporter’s Plaque. They have , unasked helped at almost every function. Ian also won a Commodore’s Plaque for  Boating Friendship, in particular for helping new members in the Easter flood tides. And together with their guests Flying Colours won the Commodore’s Plaque for Best turned out crew at Sailpast.

Ian and Polly won the Commodore’s Plaque to mark their achievement this year of Crossing the Channel for the first time. Polly also won the Devera Ladies award given to ‘a lady who has boated well’ for helming Vivacious on passage from Dunkirk to Boulogne and beyond.

The we come to the award that everyone wants someone else to have and this year the honour went to

Tim Braine for reversing at some speed into the pontoon at Sailpast. If you do something silly in front of the whole club……..

The Friendship Trophy is given to a member who has gone out of his way to show friendship to the Club and its officers. This year Geoff received the award for always helping whenever a need has arisen.

The Commodore’s Award for the Committee member who has been most helpful in the year. Andrew took this post up at short notice, and Derek has been invaluable, over and above anything expected of an Hon Sec.

The Commodore’s Award for the Non Committee members who have been most helpful in the year goes to Tim and Ann Braine. for a hundred reasons!

And last but not least, because it was a total but very pleasant shock for me I won the Channel Award which ‘ recognises a sustained Commitment to the Club’s Ethos of and partaking in cross channel cruise for the past 20 years’ Thanks guys!

And I’ve got the prettiest trophy (but I could be biased)