Commodore Bulletin 26 - 200826
Published 20:08 on 20 Aug 2026
Well,
What can I say!
My very last Commodore report!
When I was approached 3 years ago by the outgoing Commodore to say that a number of the committee members had been talking and felt that I would be a good fit to help take the club forward I thought maybe they had spent a few hours to many in the bar. I had only been sailing for just over 2 years (as per the photo) and had limited knowledge of the racing and class scene but they assured me that the reason they approached me was my people and management skills as opposed to my sailing skills!
So wind the clock forward 3 years and what are my highlights that I would like to share with you. I took over in the role at a time where we were coming out of Covid and Mike and the previous committees focus was on ensuring the club stayed financially viable over that period of time. The brief I was given was to bring some of my external industry experience to help shape the club for the future and the look at how the club operates. I have been fortunate to be supported by the most incredible committee and each year it has grown in strength. So my first thank-you is to each member who has supported and stood beside me over my term as part of your committee! I could not have done it without every single one of them!
Over the 3 years there are a number of things that jump out which I hope have put the club on a new journey and one that my successor I know is keen to build upon.
- The club constitution was reviewed to balance the control into the general committee members
- A set of policies have been developed or updated to give a clear framework of how we administer the day to day running of the club including a behaviour and disciplinary procedure
- We have introduced a Diversity and Inclusion Officer role
- We have piloted the start of a junior committee with the introduction of a Junior Commodore
- Membership decline has stabilised and has started to grow again
- We have looked at opportunities to diversity our offering by running pilots such as the introduction of rowing this year
A couple of areas that have been growing are our cruiser fleet, our multihulls and junior activity. To be honest, this is due to having some amazing fleet representatives and people supporting our juniors and sometimes we forget that we are a solely volunteer ran club so my second thank you is to all of the individuals who have specifically contributed to these areas and really pushed them forward.
One of the areas that I have really enjoyed has been being more involved in our opens and as well as being an education, it is always great to meet with visitors and hear the great things they have to say about the club. So my last thank you is to each and every member! You are key to creating the personality and culture of the club that is so evident to our visitors.
I am not going to whittle on any more other than to say it was an absolute honour to initially be asked but also to support the club in the role of Commodore over the last 3 years. It is a tough role, ask any previous Commodore, but it is also (for a club like ours) an enjoyable and fulfilling role and I know that you will give the new incoming Commodore the support and energy that was kindly gifted to me.
So what of the next few weeks? Well as I am writing this, we are looking forward to a massive weekend with the RYA On-Board Festival and if the wind strength picks up the Waspz returning. The following weekend we have the 3 day Regatta where we are hosting the K1, RS Vareos and Mirror fleets.
We finish the sailing season with the Final Fling Series, the conclusion of the Champion Helm (and the Junior Champion Helm) and hopefully a few more people having a go at the 5-4-1 challenge (which has been a massive success since its introduction).
Finally its important to remind everyone who has not fulfilled their duties to ensure you get these in, it goes back to our volunteer run ethos and it critical to the smooth running of the club.
We have the AGM on Saturday 19th September which takes place at the club (and also via Zoom) at 5pm. Nominations close on Saturday 22nd August. You can find the full set of nominees for your 2027 committee here.
So thats about it from me! You will still see me around the club, getting up to mischief and sailing badly…..
Many thanks again and for the last time I will sign off as…
Rob Sloggett (Commodore)
Last updated 20:08 on 20 August 2026