Prize Giving

 

A Day for Giving back the Silver and Collecting New Prizes

The Upper Thames Sailing Club amassed a large collection of Silverware Prizes to give out to the 2024 prize winners. The silverware was returned by the previous year's winners and put on display in the clubhouse for the 2024 ceremony of presenting the prizes, re
ady for the new winners to take them home for another year.

A Long History

With a history going back some 140 years, the club has accumulated a huge number of cups and trophies—and these were only the ones won by the club members. Each year, the club also holds national competitions, and that silverware had already been presented at the events throughout the year. One of the oldest cups is the Queens Cup, awarded to the A-Rater champions at the Bourne End Weekend festival. For nearly an hour, member after member went up to the front to collect their first, second, and third prizes—some of them walking away with quite a haul of trophies for all their different races.

As for Paul and me? Well, we didn't win any prizes this time, as we came in last in every race we entered. But as newcomers to sailing and still learning, this was to be expected. Besides, there’s always next year, and in the meantime, we’ve got plenty of experience points (and a few good stories) to show for our efforts!

The 2024 AGM
New Roles and responsibilities.  My wife and I volunteered, so my wife joined the house committee to help organise the events and the food to help all the sailors. Her first event is to help organise the Christmas Entertainment. I took on the role as sailing secretary - quite a big role keeping track of all the races and to start soon with helping to organise the Bourne End  weekend. Paul carries on his post as the IT Manager, so all in alll we are now quite heavily involved in the club.

Wrapping the boats up
Nearly a couple of months ago we put the boats out of the rising floods. I thought that we had secured them well for the rains, but the Whaly was a little flooded so we had to rethink how to cover up the boat with what we had available and also to remove the leaves from the Toura​.