WOA National AGM and Formal Dinner - 9th February 2008

The 2008 AGM was again held at the Thames Four Pillars Hotel in Oxford.

The formal proceedings were opened at 2p.m. by the Commodore, who explained the rationale for holding an Extraordinary Meeting in advance of the normal AGM. The proposals to make changes to the Constitution were accepted and business moved swiftly on to the AGM.

The Past and Present Commodore

Martin Perry receiving the Commodore's Clock

Winston Waller receiving his prize for Best Log

During the course of the AGM ,Brian Easteal was elected as the new Commodore, John Maries as the Vice Commodore, Peter Boylan as the Rear Commodore, together with a further five Committee appointments.

Full minutes for both meetings will be provided to members in the normal manner. The AGM was followed by presentation of a number of prizes:

The Commodore’s Clock went to Martin Perry for his outstanding work in maintaining the Website over a number of years and laying the foundation for the new site which has recently been released under the care of the Membership Administration Office. Magazine prizes were awarded to Mike Dible (Best 2007 article) for ‘Damaged Seahawk’; Paul Shave (Best Technical article) ‘Another 8 years on a drying mooring’, and Winston Waller (Best Log) for ‘Faversham to Calais in a Centaur’. New Commodore Brian Easteal presented a new DSC radio to Wendy and Roger Gentle for allowing the use of their Merlin, ‘Rowen’, during the London (Excel) Boat Show in January.

The ‘Rayner Challenge Plate’ was awarded to the Fenton–Jones family (Tamarisk of Rye) for their account of Tamarisk’s North Atlantic Circuit, captured in the article ‘And the Children came too’ as published in the Spring 2007 Magazine. Bob Shapland, the outgoing Commodore, presented Honorary Life Membership to Mary and Rod Herdman in recognition of their outstanding service to the Association at both National and Local level over many years.

After a Tea and Coffee break, members assembled for presentations by David Harding, renowned boat tester and professional photographer, and Alan Priddey who is in the middle of a circumnavigation in Sir Alec Rose’s boat, ‘Lively Lady’, which is being crewed, in stages, by disadvantaged young adults.

David Harding talked through a sequence of superb photographs entitled ‘wind’, ‘waves’, ‘sky’ and ‘unusual sightings’, which showed the best and worst of our sport. ‘Broaching’ was demonstrated as an art form!

Following on from David, Alan entertained the members with his methodology of turning disadvantaged youngsters into mature, responsible and self reliant young adults using the power of the sea, and the motto ‘If you believe you can, you can!’. The experiences he related enthralled the members so much that an impromptu collection was taken to assist in some small way with the expenses to be incurred on the journey back from Australia. (Alan later informed the Commodore that the £371 collected would pay for the Transit through the Suez Canal)

The afternoon was excellent and very informative, and laid the foundation for the new Commodore’s Dinner in the evening. Sixty members attended the formal dinner to mark the occasion. Members were entertained by the guest speaker Bill Giles O.B.E. It was a most enjoyable and lively evening.

Full version in our Spring 2008 magazine. More Photos in Photos of Events