Page 64 - Masthead - Salcombe Yacht Club 2019 Yearbook

62 SYC Stories
HAVING FUN ON THE WATER
We all do it, that is have fun on the water. The estuary is what Salcombe is all about and most members of SYC will at some stage in their life be on the water and quite possibly in the water!
I still do not fully understand why I have such a fascination and love of sailing, but
I do know I still derive great pleasure from being on the water and in particular sailing. In the distant past (the 1970s onwards) our family summer holidays were spent based at Goodshelter on the Portlemouth side
of the estuary and where every maritime trip in one of Alec Stones wooden clinker hire boats armed with an erratic Seagull outboard was a journey into the unknown and great fun too.
Now in the 21st Century, things have changed and whilst the spirit of Swallows and Amazons still survives, the Salcombe estuary has changed too. In the summer months, the level of water born activity
has increased massively and the need for
a more responsible attitude by everyone and every organisation has also increased. Qualifications, licences, rules, regulations, guidelines, best practice are all words
that are now familiar to us all, and which
I for one, in the past have resisted all my professional life.
Until last year I was proud of the fact
I had not one qualification for sailing or water born activities and it was with some uncertainty that my Merlin Rocket sailing daughter Sophie and her husband William Warren gave me a birthday present of a two day RYA level 2 Powerboat course based from SYC using the club safety boats. But I did it, I enjoyed it and I learnt a lot! In the
past I have done SYC Safety Boat duty and considered myself to be reasonably competent; however, the course taught me a whole range of “small things” that added up to something quite large. Safety boat duties are now a very important part of SYC responsibilities for due diligence and by doing the RYA level 2 course you are not only improving your own awareness
of powerboat handling but also assisting the Club by having more “qualified” people assisting with the racing.
In the last five years, I have experienced two occasions, both near Blackstone,
on SYC rescue boat duty where I have been in potentially scary “life-threatening” situations. Fortunately, common sense and the presence of a second person in the boat saved the situation, but I now know that proper education about powerboat handling would have helped.
My suggestion is to encourage, not force, others to do the course for anyone that goes on the water with a power boat. Sailing boats remain my favourite form of water born transport, but powerboats can be fun too!
Malcolm Mackley