It with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Eddie Pickering who passed away on Wednesday 1st February 2012.
Eddie was a founder member of Northampton Sailability and was its Chairman for some of the early years.
He was a very active member for several years, although recently his health curtailed his sailing.
Eddie was a major contributor to the fundraising efforts of Sailability including the conversion of the clubrooms to cater for disabled access, the pontoon and the first Safety Boat.
The introduction of the Martin 16 to Pitsford and the holding of the National Championships here are among his other achievements.
Eddie was a forthright character who always said what he was thinking. His "Can Do" attitude was an example to us all, and he will be sorely missed.
Roy adds: The passing of Eddie will be a great loss to our community. He was a sometimes misunderstood man as he sometimes came across as brash or rude. Deep down he cared a great deal about people - especially people with disabilities. His main drive in life was to promote the equality and rights of the disabled. He did not suffer well people who showed disrespect or ignorance towards others and this sometimes led to bad feelings towards him. This he just shrugged off and carried on regardlesss. We will all miss him.
Northampton Sailing Club hosted the annual Steve Nicholson Memorial Regatta on Saturday, 28th January, 2012. The event, sponsored by Northampton’s Pinnell & Bax, attracted a magnificent fleet of 150 boats from a wide range of classes.
Steve Nicholson was employed by Pinnell & Bax. He was a talented sailor and very much respected in the sailing world. He sadly died following an asthma attack in 2002. A regatta has been held in Steve’s memory each year since his untimely death. Over £2000 was raised at this year’s event, for Asthma UK.
Northampton Sailability provided additional help to the Club in running this major event, including use of our new RIB, the first time it has seen real action!
Rob Jackson, Commodore, Northampton Sailing Club; commented ‘Steve was a popular club member who was always ready to help sailors whether they were new to the sport or experienced racers looking for that extra competitive edge. All of us at the club are pleased to host this event in Steve’s memory.’
Congratulations to Sue Emberson and Frank Morgan for enduring a very cold winter day and gaining their RYA Safety Boat certificates.
Northampton Sailablity cannot operate without a large team of enthusiastic volunteers, of which the Safety Boat drivers are an essential and much valued part.
These additions to the team will help to ensure a high level of safety cover at all times
Thanks to Grant Wilson and John Norman for running this course. More courses will be available later this year
Here it is!
The unveiling
January 25th saw the arrival our new rib. This is the culmination of many months of hard work by Chris Dabbs, Frank Morgan and others.
Funding was provided by generous donations from BarclayCard staff and the company itself.
The RIB was made by Rib-Eye and is powered by a Yamaha 40HP engine. Both companies were very helpful in meeting our requirements for specification and price!
Many thanks to all involved. (A fuller account of this story will appear here shortly: Ed)
Giving it a bit of wellie!
Playtime Over!