Sail in Stunning Northumberland

KWSC News Articles

(Article from September 2004)

A Commodore's Lot

Last weekend your indefatigable Editor suggested that I wrote something for the Newsletter with regard to the three years I have spent as Commodore of Kielder Water SC.

“Come on Steve you could have asked me to do something less boring! No one will want to know about that and, anyway, if you had only published the article I did for you in June in ten parts I would not have needed to write anything else for years.”

“No pressure but I just thought………” replied Steve.

It really is difficult to resist someone doing an onerous task amongst, in Steve’s case, several that are equally demanding. I forced myself to remember how grateful I was when he took on the Editor’s mantel and decided that yes there was no pressure but…….!

So “Been there - done that - got the “T” shirt - gone sailing/climbing/walking/skiing etc” seemed like a concise and accurate summation (and response).

“Well I was thinking of a little bit more” came back the reply.

I got the message and apologise profusely for what follows. My Grandfather, I suspect with the wisdom gained in the trenches, always counselled me to be very careful before I volunteered for anything. I followed this advice throughout my professional career and, apart from some notable exceptions where colleagues, like now, did the volunteering for me, managed to create a lifestyle where after work there was time for family and pleasure. I am sure it would be much more difficult to achieve this balance today even though we are only a decade into the future and maybe that was why I was downsized and shortly afterwards pensioned off . (Top Tip - Senior colleagues tend not to like reluctant volunteers who put life before work.) Whatever, this lifestyle brought me to Kielder Water in November 1995 in search of a mountain bike ride in the trees so that I could hide from gale force winds. There was also the beginnings of a plan which had started earlier in the month as I sat on the top of Chair Ladder near Land’s End with Ian my climbing partner. We had just completed an easy but interesting route that had taken us from sea level up the full 200 ft height of the cliff and were watching a small cruiser running up to Penzance on the flood.

Ian - have you ever sailed?”

The answer was no but the seeds had been sown and my little expedition to Kielder was one of a number that I took to various clubs before joining KWSC at the back end of 1995. I had contemplated joining back in the early eighties but a look at the wind patterns around Leaplish had put me off. With the Club now at Tower Knowe there was direct access to the best part of Kielder Water and, in effect direct access to one of the best bits of inland water in the Country. Four years and three Ospreys later in 1999 we were not disappointed but it was apparent that the “old (younger than me) guard” were standing down and that Vic, the then Vice Commodore, was about to take up office as Commodore. Garage door talk at the time suggested there was no one to take over the Vice Commodores role and I have to admit that this embarrassed me to the point that, during a momentary lapse of reason and ignoring my Grandfathers sound advice, I put my name down on the list. Some would say that this was not a good reason and Vic indicated he would have been quite happy to go it alone. Indeed for all I did during the first year he might as well have done just this and, when my life and personal circumstances changed dramatically in the Summer of 2000, I had a wobble that could have taken me away from the Club and on an entirely different and, possibly, equally interesting course.

At this time, however, it was obvious that the Club was struggling despite a great deal of, mainly practical, work by Vic. We were down to 80 units of membership and the decline had taken place over a number of years. There was a strong lobby around that we should abandon Open Meetings and that the racing programme should be severely curtailed which if acted upon would have led, in my opinion, to further decline. It seemed at the point of decision wrong to leave and I girded myself for a long haul. The fact that as I write we have over 130 membership units and are on course to increase our total membership for the fourth consecutive year would indicate that the long haul has been worth it and, if nothing else, the Club’s fortunes have been reversed.

I could write screeds on how this has been achieved but suffice it to say that I have done very little that could not be gleaned swiftly from any basic book on management. I was fortunate to be able to assemble a team of good hard working people around me who have done most of the graft. We started by creating a business plan from the ashes of the last, very successful one, and have subsequently attacked this plan wherever possible. Writing the plan has helped improve our knowledge of problems specific to Kielder and this , in turn, has assisted us in making acquisitions and changes that play to our strengths and, hopefully, improve the quality of membership experience. We have also attempted to run events etc. with a view to creating a surplus and, as a consequence, the club is now in a healthy financial state. To all these people who have worked hard to make these changes happen and help the Club develop I would wish to say a big thank you.

Although I have enjoyed the challenge and believe that the Club is in a much healthier state than when I became involved with the committee my time in office has not been without its frustrations. There have been many occasions when I would have preferred to be elsewhere sailing or climbing or, at times, doing anything else. There have been “no win” situations I would rather not have been involved in attempting to sort out. The speed at which change happens has felt painfully slow and there is no doubt that on many issues I am amazed that progress has been minimal. Resistance to change has also caused me problems and made me feel, at times, that perhaps we should have continued as before. These feelings have always been cast aside by the enthusiasm of the people around me. Volunteers are an increasingly rare breed and we are very fortunate at Kielder that there are a number of people who are genuinely committed to the Club. Other members not yet involved in the direct running of the Club beyond annual duties should nurture and assist these people at every possible opportunity because without them the Club would be a poorer place. (And there would be even more duties to do!)

Personally I feel that I have only helped to make a start in reversing the downward trend in the Club’s fortunes which I believe was caused my our own complacency. Indeed I am a sufficient realist to know that the increase in membership might be purely down to serendipity and that I have been fortunate to preside over an upward part of the cycle. Nevertheless if we become complacent once again we will loose direction, focus and, as a consequence, return to a period of stagnation or decline. On a more positive note I am confident that those who are about to take up the gauntlet will take the Club even further than has been possible during my time.

I wish them well.

And yes I am going sailing /climbing/walking/skiing etc. See you!

Alec Mamwell, Commodore

 

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