NEWSLETTER 2019-01 (40)
23rd January 2019
Greetings Fellow Penguins,
A Confession!
-
-
-
- Pugwash did not make it to the AGM on Saturday last - but Cabin Boy Tom has reported of a highly successful do with the Whiffeldy band turning up the wick interwoven with line-dancing music - with our very own (guest) caller - Rachel (Jane Fanshawe’s daughter).
-
-
-
Rachel has taught Line Dancing (as a professional on cruise ships etc.)
so that is the reason she was SOOOOO good!
2019 Annual General Meeting -
Around 60 members attended the AGM, which started with an uplifting tribute to James Raby by long-term Penguin colleague, Jonty Pearce. We also remembered one of the early Penguin members, Charles Barrington, who also passed away last year.
A new Vice Commodore, Simon Hamilton and Committee Member, Elaine McLintock were elected by the Members and 13 new Full Members were admitted. Ian Rose reported that the Club’s finances were sound, which had enabled us to sponsor or subsidise three young sailors on the Scottish cruise, part sponsor Rosie Creber on her participation in the ‘Clipper Round the World Race’ and subsidise three members on the new RYA Skippers’ Development course.
There were Powerpoint picture presentations of the three successful 2018 cruises to Scotland, Denmark and the Azores and the organisers for each of the 2019 cruises paraded ‘their wares’ – see below for more details. The final presentation was from Rosie Creber, who gave an excellent account of her experiences on the ‘Round the World’ race.
The Spirit of Penguin Award was presented posthumously to James Raby for his outstanding contributions to the Club over the years.
He was also awarded the Golden Gaff Award for his overenthusiastic scrubbing of the heads seat at the end of the Denmark cruise, which took the gloss off the seat and ended up with the charterer billing us for a new one!
His awards were accepted by his brothers Andrew and Charles
Simon Morton was awarded the Dodo Award for innovation and improvisation for his calibrated lead-lines. If anyone is interested in acquiring one of these, Simon is willing to make some more for £10 each.
The formal meeting was followed by the traditional dinner and Ceilidh, although this time we had a Western theme, in recognition of the forthcoming Cruise on Lake Huron. The participants enjoyed Western-style fare, including: Ham, Turkey, Sausages, Boston beans, Spiced beans, Pecan pie and New York style cheesecake. This was followed by country & western dancing and line dancing, enjoyed by most of the attendees, although Jonty Pearce was seen to demonstrate a very impressive backward sprint when called to dance.
James Raby Memorial Photographic Competition -
In memory of James, we are introducing a new competition for photos of the season’s cruises. For details, see the Club website.
Appeal - to all you IT gurus! -
James Raby providied much of theClub's IT support and since his departure, we have been struggling to fully re-establish our IT systems. We are therefore appealing for any member of the Club who has an IT background with expertise in SQL and PHP to help us resolve the remaining problems and develop a suitable IT platform for our future needs.
If you think you coud help, please contact either David Newman (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Ian Rose (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or Simon Morton (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
2019 Cruises -
These are to Skye (13th -20th April), Scotland to Malin Waters (8th- 22nd June) and Lake Huron (7th-21st September). The Skye cruise is now fully booked, but there is a possibility of any new applicants being placed on a reserves list as there may be some last-minute cancellations!
There are still some spare berths on the Malin cruise for Scotland cruising aficionados. Cruise Organiser Charles is ready and waiting for any more applicants.
Very surprisingly, not all the places have been taken on the Lake Huron cruise. If you’re thinking of coming on this spectacular cruise, there is just one berth vacant. Please contact Cruise Organiser Mark for the latest status as we have had to reduce the number of boats we charter.
2020 (Our Golden Anniversary) Cruise Plans -
The Golden Anniversary cruise will be hopefully a 2 week cruise in mid-summer visiting the ‘old Penguin haunts’ and maybe a trip out to St Kilda. In addition, we are planning a cruise to the Western Canaries and a camping/dinghy long weekend at Llangorse Lake, Brecon at the end of the summer.
Tight Halyards 
Pugwash