John Dowd - RYA Lifetime Achievement Award 2005
John & family first joined the club in 1983, due to his Son Christopher crewing for George Moore in an Enterprise in the early eighties, but John was soon pressed into service on the management committee by Roy Gunstone, who was Vice Commodore at the time. When Roy became Commodore at the 1983 AGM, John as he had a little sailing experience , joined the committee as House Steward. This turned out to be the start of 24 years continuous service on the management committee taking up the various roles of Rear Commodore, Commodore & finally Treasurer.
Throughout this time, Ulley nearly always had a thriving Youth Section which produced an almost continuous stream of competent sailors that were to put the club on the map locally, regionally, nationally and in at least one case internationally! John took on the role of Co-ordinator for the Yorkshire Schools Traveller Series and throughout the nineties he built up the series to a point where its standing was such that the winners enjoyed recognition far beyond Yorkshire. One of our Ulley sailors won the series three times in the nineties and went on to find International recognition - no prizes for guessing who!
In 2005 John received an RYA Community Award in recognition of his services to Ulley SC and to Youth Sailing in the Yorkshire region over the previous twenty years. The photograph shows John being presented with his medal and certificate by the HRH Princess Anne, President of the RYA. The Management Committee's nomination for this award was as follows:
We wish to nominate John Dowd for an RYA Community Award for his lifetime commitment to the development of youth sailing in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, as well as for his longstanding service on the Management Committees of Ulley Sailing Club, the National Schools Sailing Association and the RYA Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Committee. John has served on the USC Management Committee continuously for more than 20 years. His role as Rear Commodore allowed him to indulge his passion for real ale; as Vice Commodore he helped to found the club's junior section; and, as Commodore from 1996/98, he succeeded in expanding the membership of the club and putting it onto a sustainable financial footing - a status that he has subsequently helped to maintain as a very efficient club Treasurer. He also serves as Treasurer on the Management Committee for the RYA Yorkshire and Humberside Region.
As a teacher in Rotherham, John became active in the National Schools Sailing Association and was instrumental in establishing the Yorkshire Schools Travellers series to provide a first step for young people in the region towards national competition. Olympian Paul Goodison, and RYA Junior coach Duncan Truswell, as well as John's own three children, were among the many hundreds of youngsters who subsequently cut their teeth in this series, experiencing venues ranging from open sea to sheltered inland lakes to windswept moorland reservoirs.
John remained the principal organiser for this series for 20 years, achieving regular turnouts of 30 or more boats. Such was his enthusiasm that, for many years, participation in “The Travellers” was considered virtually compulsory for every eligible youngster at Ulley! Eventually, the management of the series was taken over by the Yorkshire and Humberside Youth Sailing Association and it continues to flourish.
After retirement, John continued to assist Rotherham school teams and regularly ferried them across the country to national regattas and team racing events. He currently edits the NSSA's 'School Sailing Matters' and, building on his previous experience of organising the Redcar regatta, helped to bring NSSA sailing back to the North of England in 2004, this time hosted by the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club.
John continues to sail regularly in club competitions and has recently renewed his certificate as power boat instructor. It would be particularly appropriate to honour his lifetime commitment to sailing in this his 65th birthday year.
John is still active in the Yorkshire & Humberside Youth Sailing Association and as Treasurer of the National Schools Sailing Association.
As background to the photo with Paul Goodison, John Writes:
This photo of Paul and I at the 2009 Dinghy Show records a special moment for me and somehow, I think Paul realised it too. He came over to see us all at the NSSA stand and was kept busy signing autographs and chatting when I remembered that I had not had my photo taken with Paul at that unforgettable night at Ulley in August 2008 when he returned from Beijing with a special piece of Gold. However, Paul soon agreed to put things right and thankfully Dougie Conway was on hand to capture the moment for posterity