Commodore's view
Andy Whittle
You would think that successfully to run the World’s biggest and most prestigious dinghy team-racing championship would take a huge chunk of time. Indeed you may think a sub-committee of members have the selfless task of attending meeting after meeting, fine-tuning next year’s event following an in-depth debrief of the previous event.
Well to some extent I suppose this is true – maybe not the continuous formal meetings, but certainly this year with the sale of our Porter boats, new Rondars on order, a reappraisal of our sponsorship requirements and the extra requirements and demands of a 60th Wilson, one or two of our members are putting in a bit more time than usual.
To labour a point, we aim continually to improve upon perfection - the membership appreciates that this is the ethos we have at West Kirby Sailing Club. Whether it is to put on the best kids’ Christmas party we can, the best regatta at the Menai Straits Fortnight, the best Solo open meeting or the best British Open Team Racing Championship we can deliver on and off the water we do it and we don’t like to settle for anything less than perfection.
Over 100 members are probably involved over a Wilson weekend one way or another but the beauty of it is (and what I think I am trying to say) is that the event is not our every waking thought. It has not consumed the Club and that is because from Optimists and Illusions to Morecambe Bay Prawners; from Thursday Bridge and the Wednesday Quiz to the Gentlemen’s Lunch – there is so much going on that continual talk of the Wilson would damage the package that IS the Wilson Trophy.
OK, there is a picture of Billy Wilson in the room at the top of the stairs (The Wilson Room) and there is a picture of horses dragging a flight of fireflies across the sand in the estuary at the first Wilson Trophy all those years ago. We have those pictures on show because we are very proud of the event. We also have framed burgees from New York Yacht Club and Royal St George to name but two because the relationships we have developed with those sorts of clubs and their members really is very special to us – arguably more so than the event that facilitated those friendships.
As your commodore I have enjoyed immensely watching over the Championship these last two years – the work that went into preparing the boats last May in particular – and I will always remember the stunned silence as our American friends tried to understand the significance of a team of Liverpool youngsters taking off Ferrari Formula One wheels quicker than the team mechanics! That was part of a joke I relayed at the Wilson dinner speech in 2008; it got a few titters which I appreciated.
Anyway on to 2009 and the 60th. Preparations are well in hand to provide a fantastic championship to you the competitors and spectators. May I wish you all a favourable event and trust that our then commodore Kay Johnson and her team manage to enjoy the whole proceedings as much as I did.