Page 38 - Yachter Spring 2023

38 SOCIAL REPORTS
FROM REAR COMMODORE HOUSE
Since my last article in The Yachter, a lot has been going on at the Club, with changes in personnel being the most obvious. This all happened at a time when the hospitality market proved incredibly challenging. For a few months late last summer Tina Daniel (Rear Commodore Facilities) and I found ourselves taking on the roles of Clubhouse Manager, waiters, kitchen
porters and general run-arounds. It was hard work but gave us both an insight into the demands of these roles and what was required in terms of staffing going forward. Hopefully you were all blissfully unaware that we were struggling to find replacement staff and your experiences of service in the Clubhouse continued as normal – well nearly normal!
As I am sure you are all aware we have
now overcome our recruitment challenges. In November 2022 we appointed Stuart Earp as Clubhouse Manager. However, given his depth of experience in General Management and following a robust interview process he has now been appointed as our Business Manager.We
are now working to recruit a replacement Clubhouse Manager and hope to have a new appointee in place by the time you read this article in the Spring.
In addition to staffing matters, House and Facilities have been working together with some volunteers to give the Clubhouse a new lick of paint to freshen it up for the upcoming Season.We had a tidy up and ‘de- cluttered downstairs’, giving us more much needed storage space in the gear store and cupboards.
At NewYear it’s traditional to make resolutions and mine for 2023 is to improve our website.Whilst the current site has many good features we’d like to improve
it so there’s more functionality meaning
members will be able to navigate the site more easily. Feedback from the Members Survey will, of course, direct the focus for our improvements. Once we have the results, we will start upgrading the site.
With energy prices rising and costs increasing we have been reviewing our running costs and renegotiating contracts, and in some cases changing suppliers altogether. For example, we have moved to Ringwood Brewery, a local brewery, who offer us much better value for money and I’m told great beer.We have also reviewed our wine, not necessarily to reduce costs
but to offer some more imaginative choices. Local wine expert, Helen McGinn with Solent Cella, will be hosting an evening of wine tasting on 25th May and we shall be stocking the most popular selections from the evening in our wine cellar.And speaking of wine, to celebrate your birthdays we’ve reintroduced the ‘Complimentary Birthday Bottle of Wine’ so you can enjoy a bottle
of House red or white wine with a meal at Gins on or around your birthday.Terms and
Geoff Holt – Speaker’s Supper