Focus On: Starters

March 05, 2014

FOCUS ON – our wonderful starters, Marilyn Richardson, Fiona Heffron, Kathie Meyers, and Phil Johnson.

Each week these folks volunteer their time to do that most important of jobs: starting and finishing our races.

Marilyn is the wife of Tommy Richardson, who manages our Bar. She is there every Friday nigh,t and is in charge of writing down sail numbers and finishing times.  I particularly like the stacked double seat she sits on!

Fiona sits in the middle of the group to capture any premature starters. At end of the reace she is involved with the all-important finishing time as each competitor crosses the line.

Kathie, tucked up in the corner of the desk, does Lights, horn and Radio. She has those ten second countdowns for each start timed perfectly!

Phil is there on Sundays to start and finish our dinghies and the yachts during the winter months.

One thing you may not know is that the name of your boat and what division it is in is not important to them. They need your sail number. So if your boat is not carrying a sail number then you may miss out on getting a finishing time. Please ensure that your boat is entered and that all regular crew are members of the Balmain Sailing Club.  You may miss out of a finishing result if your Race Fees and Memberships are not up to date.

Secret Birthdays! In true Marilyn and Kathie fashion, neither of them mentioned that it was their birthday on the 31st January. They sat together for hours! So we surprised them both with a nice cake and a resounding “Happy Birthday to You”  You should have seen the look on their faces when they realised that they share the same birthday!

Take a moment next time you are in the clubhouse to thank the starters for their important and tireless efforts so we can have fun on the water!

Proud Sponsors of the Balmain Sailing Club