February 2017 Newsletter
Dear Members
Happy New Year! Although the weather is still wintry, many boat owners are busy painting and varnishing their yachts in readiness for the coming season. This year’s working week starts on Saturday 18th March 2017. Anyone who wishes to help out will be made very welcome. There will also be a supper sometime that week so please let me know if you would like to come and if have a preference for a particular evening.
David Maxwell Walker:
David passed away peacefully at home on Friday 16th December after a short illness, although he had been living with liver disease for the past six years. Following a private family cremation about a hundred and thirty people came to The Reedcutter Inn at Cantley to see Lesley scatter David’s ashes in the River Yare, whilst we all raised a glass of Micmac (a regular tipple when sailing on Dryad). Eulogies from Lesley and Tony Knights were both moving and encapsulated David so well. Jonathan first met David when he was about thirteen and they became firm friends having many adventures together on The Broads and the Humber and of course you will have many memories of great times spent with David. David was a co-owner of Puck with Cecil Howard and he was part of Cecil’s racing crew together with Martin Clark and Alistair Brace.
David then went on to buy Satyr with Cecil and then David bought his own yacht Dryad which he owned for over thirty years. David enjoyed racing but he never forgot his Green Wyvern roots.
Calendar of Events:
The most up-to-date Calendar of Events is attached and I would like to draw your attention to two of these events, which you may like to attend.
The Seventieth (Platinum) Anniversary Cruise:
The GWYC is seventy this year and we are planning to commemorate the occasion with a cruise which will start at Somerleyton on the evening of Friday 26th May. We will join the YSC Perryman Race to Beccles on Saturday 27th May and then continue cruising for up to a week, probably passing through Yarmouth later the in the week, en route to Horning for those members who wish to participate in the Three Rivers Race over the weekend of the 2nd/3rd June.
We hope to have a ‘get together’, probably on the Sunday evening, with a buffet supper. Further details are to follow. I hope that we will have as many people as possible come and join us in a sailing or social capacity. To assist planning, can I ask two things:
- Can boat owners let me know if they are planning to join the cruise and if you will have any available berths?
- Can non boat owning members let me know if they would like a place on the cruise. Any available spaces will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis so get your request in early.
Thank you for your help with this.
Norfolk Christmas Party: Saturday 16th December, 7.00 for 7.30p.m. at The Ship at Reedham
This is just to give you advance notice of our Christmas Party. I would like to invite all GW members with their family and friends to join us. Quite a few Wyverns live in Norfolk and are happy to offer accommodation if required. Please make a note of the date.
Easter and Summer Cruises
There will be five club weeks, one at Easter and four in the summer. The dates of this year’s cruises are as follows:
Easter Cruise: Saturday 15th – Saturday 22nd April 2017
Summer Week 1: Saturday 22nd – Saturday 29th July 2017
Summer Week 2: Saturday 29th July – Saturday 5th August 2017
Summer Week 3: Saturday 5th – Saturday 12th August 2017
Summer Week 4: Saturday 12th – Friday 18th August 2017
Booking forms are available here.
Thank you to the Senior Instructors and Boat Owners who have already contacted Will Armour with their availability. If you have not been in touch with Will yet, can you let him know you availability as soon as possible so he can start planning.
We have about twenty bookings so far, weeks 3 and 4 are especially popular. Places on club cruises are allocated on a ‘first-come-first-served’ basis, so if you would like to sail with the Green Wyvern in 2017, we ask you to make your bookings as soon as you can please to avoid disappointment. Bookings will only be confirmed on the receipt of a booking form and the deposit by the dates shown on the booking forms. Any outstanding fees from 2016 must also be paid. It is also important that the total amount is paid by the final date as chasing up payments is both embarrassing and time consuming for the Treasurer and Sailing Secretary.
Cruise Fees and Food Money for 2017: It was decided that cruise fees would remain at £140 per week and it was agreed that food money should remain at £35. The club still remains a non-profit making organisation. I am sure that you will agree that a week long cruise on The Broads for £175, including food is still very good value for money. I would like to take this opportunity to remind members that the GWYC does have a contingency fund to help with the weekly cruise fee for any members with financial difficulties. If you need help with sailing fees, please contact our Sailing Secretary Will Armour, the treasurer Trevor Potter or myself.
I look forward to seeing everyone on the river later this year.
Best wishes
Rosemary Winterton (Secretary)