From the Commodore

May 2017 From The Commodore There has been a very busy start to the year. The sea based sailing season has now got under way with Wednesday night sailing starting on May 10th (next week). We had a very successful open day at the pond on Saturday 22nd April where four new family sailing members signed up. We are attending Plumpton open day on Saturday 13th May promoting our club along with our link to the college. The following weekend sees another open day at Piddinghoe in the format of the RYA ‘Push the Boat Out’. It runs on a very similar format as our recent open day. April has been a very busy month with the refurbishment of the Seaford clubroom from standard mag- nolia walls to shades of blue. An army of volunteers supported this work and made these long overdue changes, and what an amazing difference it has made. We now have somewhere that looks fit for the purpose of feeling welcoming to you our members and the public that frequent the Galley during the daytime. I will not mention people by name as there have been a vast number of individuals supporting the open day and the launch of TGSL (Our new and improved Galley operation). New outside furni- ture along with new chairs inside have helped to complete the makeover. During the month we mentioned that the funding bid for the Pid- dinghoe build had not been successful. This was very disap- pointing but does not mean the end of the road for a new clubroom at Piddinghoe. The project is led by Jim Skinner and he is looking at other funding schemes. There is an ar- ticle further in this mainsheet that covers the concept. However, before anything is made concrete, there will be a full consultation with the membership and particularly those who use the pond. There has been a spend in the 1 region of £18,000 on this project. However that is money well-spent as it will lay the foundations to a future facility at the Pond, whilst maintaining the pond as a members asset and not a commercial sailing centre. Our Seaford development plans are also progressing and concept drawings are starting to appear, as like with the Piddinghoe development concept there will be initial costs and these are expected to be similar to those for Piddinghoe. The reason we must commit to these costs is that without accurate professional detailed surveys etc. we will not be in a position to seek funding from many sources. This moves me onto club finances. A reflection on last year’s finance against the previous year. You have heard that we risk running at a loss. This is not the case and what has happened this year since January 1st your management board has invested in essential purchases for the club Toppers, Out- board for Orange Rib, and in the process of refurbishment of the showers at the Piddinghoe site. These items will be depreciated over the coming years. They will not show on the annual profit and loss account as they are recorded under asset depreciation The investment in both potential build projects will also be depreciated over the next five years whilst the surveys etc. remain valid. There is a clear budget for the remainder of this year with the aim to keep the accounts profitable for the duration. This will be achieved by careful financial management between now and the year end. The Galley has exceeded week one target and there is a very positive vibe around the place both from the members and public that have visited so far. Yes it is early days but we must remain positive and support this venture in whatever way we all can. There is a clear financial forecast for TGSL and there should be increased revenue to NSSC from its operation. Going forward TGSL management board will keep the membership abreast of its success along with its social programme and special events. There is a very reasonable menu priced with members in mind. You get a discount of 20% plus off of the public published price. Going one better there is available on club nights and Sunday a ‘Sailors Special’ priced at £5.00. It’s not just for sailors but all members. There are reports within this mainsheet on both projects. If you have questions please direct them to the project leads (Piddinghoe –Jim Skinner / Seaford – Ian Johnson) or the management board for clarification. We are still looking at adding Cat Sailing to our training and we are still in the process of completing a funding bid to cover the purchase of a couple of Cats. This is being led by Mike Godwin, fully supported by our other Cat sailors. With the sailing season now in full swing it’s time to get sailing, for me I wish to get more sailing in and possibly join the Cat fleet during the season. Stuart Ford Commodore [email protected] 2 Commodore Candidates’ Statements The position of Commodore is contested this year. The vote will take place at the AGM on 13th May. Each candidate has been given 500 words to make a statement putting forward his case for election. Fisrtly, there’s a statement from the current Commodore, Stuart Ford, and then one by the second candidate, Stephen Quinn. Stuart Ford I am proud to have been Commodore for the last year and believe that your committee and I have worked hard to make a success of your Club. As newcomers to our various roles we took a while to settle in but have embarked on four major projects for the Club, to replace Seaford and Piddinghoe Clubhous- es, take control of the Galley and replace our fleet. We have spent money on the Piddinghoe project, although one recent bid failed to raise funds we are still well placed to go forward with a major lottery bid. We have recently taken over the Gal- ley and members will have already seen the great improve- ments in the service to members as well as cheaper prices. The cafe is going from strength to strength and looks set to provide a steady income stream for the Club into the future. Last year the finances worked out well for the Club, we have restarted the boat replacement programme which has been languishing for a long while, we have bought several new Top- pers for the cadets and two nearly new bigger boats to en- hance the Sailing School fleet. We have also recently bought a new outboard for one of the RIBs. You will see that there is a balance of investment between the two sites and my wide experience in the Club (I was Rear Commodore Piddinghoe for several years and my children went to cadets) following this I was Vice Commodore and both fits well with the role of Commodore. Moreover my wide experience in finance, business and voluntary management boards is vital to this Club, especially with the launch of the Galley, both in procurement and financial management. Your committee has spent endless hours trying to manage franchises over many years, this is behind us and we need to build on the recent initial successes of our new business that supports your club. In the past year we have not run the most successful social programme and with our new grasp of Galley operations, prioritising members and social events Sundays are member’s days and the Friday evening club meal is back. I know another issue has been transparency and some members have said that they do not know what is going on. But you only had to ask! You will appreciate that we have had to deal with a difficult commercially sensitive issue of the franchise so matters have been kept close. However transparency has been better than in previous years with minutes of meetings available online to not only members but potential members as well. I have been an RYA Instructor for over 20 years with a vast knowledge and experience of teaching both young and older people; I have trained and supported our cadets as well as Monday night’s. I have the time and passion to continue on the journey of brining the club together for the benefit of all of its members It takes more than a year to make the changes needed. 3 Stephen Quinn Hello to all members. If you haven't already had the dubious pleasure of making my acquaintance, my name is Steve Quinn and I am running this year for the role as Commodore of this wonderful estab- lishment, NSSC. A bit of a surprise to a lot of you, I know, but I honestly believe I can bring something to the club that many members believe has been missing recently. I am a family man with three children in the cadet race squads, Madeleine, George and Harry. Many of you will know my partner Sarah who runs the Galley at Piddinghoe at cadets and other social oc- casions. Probably best not to mention my own sailing abilities, but if you see an upturned hull on the pond at Piddinghoe there is a good chance I am beneath it. My background is in construction, property development and running a couple of pubs before own- ing my own café bar. We only joined the club a few years ago but couldn't believe our luck. Perfect days and nights at the pond, bring-and-burn barbecues and beer at the beach, watching the children have the times of their life whilst at the same time, progressing in their sailing abilities.

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