Archives: Helensburgh Sailing Club's 2009 clubhouse opening

Here's how we reported the news in the Advertiser on July 2, 2009...

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HELENSBURGH Sailing Club members were feeling justly proud as former member Stephen Park OBE, Team GB’s Olympic sailing team manager, declared their new clubhouse open.

The simple ceremony, watched by club members who had come from near and far, was the culmination of years of hard work by the club and marks a new era in the life of a club which has spawned many champions.

Olympic gold medallist Mike McIntyre (who, until Saturday, was the club’s only honorary commodore), round-the-world yachtswoman Emma Richardson and, of course. Stephen Park, all learned their love of sailing at the Helensburgh club.

And all had a part to play in the celebrations at the weekend.

Emma, who is expecting her second child very soon, sent greetings from her home in Spain.

Mike attended the weekend events and joined in the racing on Sunday when the club re-enacted the very first race.

The evening began on Saturday with a champagne reception followed by the official opening when commodore Alan Jeffrey paid tribute to everyone who had made the project possible.

The next day sailors of all ages took to the water for a race from the club to the Bell Buoy and back.

There were dozens of youngsters in Toppers, a number of other dinghies of all kinds and a large fleet of keel boats sailed by the older members of the club who have given up the discomforts of dinghy sailing for the relative ease of keel boat racing.

Who won? Mike McIntyre of course! The race was followed by a big family barbecue which was well attended.

The club was founded in 1951 and has become a major influence in the world of sailing but that didn’t help them when they wanted to replace their old clubhouse.

Turned down by the Royal Yachting Association and the Big Lottery, members set about raising the money themselves and, with determination and a lot of work, they did it.