Hi all,
Within the committee, we’ve been turning our attention to communication with you, the members. In an attempt to keep you guys up to speed with issues, discussions, and decisions at committee level, and our interactions with the outside world, it was decided to set up a quarterly update from the Chairperson. Well that’s me, and this is it!
The idea is not to cut across the more regular emails from Michael as Membership Secretary, but more to fill in the gaps on what’s happening at a strategic level. There’s nothing pressing or immediate in this email, but you may find something of interest, something that answers a question you may have had, or something you’d like to get involved in within the club.
Celtic Challenge
As you may know, the club has entered the Celtic Challenge rowing race from Arklow to Aberystwyth on the May Bank Holiday weekend. Following an invitation for expressions of interest to all members, a squad and subcommittee (headed up by HL) was formed that have been busy training and making the necessary preparations over recent weeks. As with previous years’ entries, they have begun weekend training in the skiffs before the rest of us, so if you hear tell of beloved rowers around the harbour, that’s them! They will be fundraising 50/50 for the RNLI and for the club (more on this later). No doubt there will be more news from this intrepid squad over the coming weeks, and best of luck to all involved. It’s some experience.
Boatshed refurbishment
We received a grant from the Department of Sport (etc.) in 2016 for 3 individual projects. Firstly, we got a ’40 foot’ shipping container which the harbour company have allowed us put on the Carlisle Pier. This is currently keeping our 2 race boats and a load of equipment safe and dry. The second part was for 5 boat covers. Modifications are still needed to bring these into service. The 3rd part was for the refurbishment of the boatshed/archway to put a more substantial barrier between the ever-dripping ceiling and walls and our lovely boats and equipment; essentially a shed within a shed. Yet another subcommittee (GR AS CG KS BW) is beavering away towards getting this constructed between now and the start of ‘normal’ training at the end of March. This is a very big undertaking for the club, and will need the support of all members. More on this below. Temporary storage for oars etc. will be available for the Celtic Challenge weekend rowers.
Boats and equipment
Winter maintenance has gone really well so far this winter, under the watchful eye of CG. Well done to all who participated, and continue to participate. There have been no significant additions to our fleet or equipment other than a set of fibreglass ‘all Ireland’ oars that were purchased on foot of a 2015 grant from the county council along with matching funding. We are in the process of putting together a grant application for the 2017 Sports Capital Grant for a new skiff, oars, and road trailer. This would effectively be a ‘carbon copy’ of the successful application that brought us the Naomh Michael, would be proportionate to our growth in membership, and is consistent with our 2016-2021 Club Strategy. MO is heading up this application. Fingers crossed!
Fundraising
Our ambitions for 2017 will only be possible if we can mobilise our fundraising capabilities within the club. A meaty proportion of matching funding will be required for the shed refurbishment and (hopefully) the 3rd race boat, and there are significant other pressures on our dwindling finances. AI has been working on a fundraising strategy and calendar, and AS has been working on financial planning and projections. A separate email will follow on this matter, but suffice as to say, we’ll need everyone to put their shoulder to the wheel. Not a bother to us!
ECRC AGM and fixtures
The East Coast Rowing Council AGM was held last Sunday, and the club reps worked hard for St. Michael’s and for the sport, and got some really positive things across the line. Our ECRC reps for 2017 are HL, DC, and KA. Thanks to members who contributed to the club’s position on AGM motions. A separate email will follow on this topic.
Winter activities
There has been winter maintenance on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and indoor ‘boxercise’ training with Monkstown Boxing Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays, all on a ‘drop in’ basis for members. Aside from this, we had our Christmas Karaoke party, and several of our members have represented the club at miscellaneous rowing events such as the Leinster (SR SN GR HL MO) and Irish (MO) Indoor rowing championships, and the ‘All in a Row’ charity row on the Liffey (CB HL CS NF ME BW). There was also Saturday rowing in the ‘All Ireland’ boat for a period, for any member who wished to avail, headed up by HL. KA ran a successful caption competition for the kids, and is in the process of beefing up our ‘garda vetted’ members to help with the kids crews in 2017.
2017 season
There will be much to follow from the captain and membership secretary about the rowing season to come, but by way of headline facts, but weeknight training for everyone is due to start on Monday 27th March (the day after the clocks change), and our home regatta is scheduled for Sunday 9th July, as part of the 2017 ECRC fixtures calendar, which is hot off the press! We are working with our harbour neighbours to integrate our regatta with the biannual Volvo Sailing Regatta and with the bicentenary of the harbour itself. The 2017 Selection committee (putting together crews etc.) will be HL, CG, DE, and DC.
In the coming weeks, we will be turning our attention on the committee to delivering a long race for the end of the season, in the slot that had been occupied by the Hobblers Challenge in recent years. This fixture had brought with it some difficulties in the past, be it run or not run. We nearly pulled off the event in 2016, but not quite. I feel it’s fair to say that the committee and the club at large are committed to this event being a long term and sustainable fixture in the St. Michael’s calendar. The committee will also be looking to a date for the intra-club ‘Family Regatta’ towards the beginning of the season, after the success of 2016.
DL Harbour Company and DLR County Council
Relations with our landlord (DLHC) are good at present, and club representatives have attended both meetings of ‘The Public Boatyard Users’ Group’ (link , scroll down). The club has also contributed to the County Council’s Draft Sports Facilities Strategy , courtesy of a robust submission from MO! As per the 2016-2021 Club Strategy, it remains an objective to secure suitable clubhouse facilities, but with governance structures in the harbour in a state of flux , it makes sense to keep a ‘watching eye’ on matters for the time being, and to work on keeping what we have in good shape.
Committee workings
The committee has met each month since the 2016 AGM –Nov, Dec, Jan – and have been very busy progressing a number of off-season activities and projects. By way of a quick reminder, your committee are; Captain-Hilary Lovejoy, Chairperson-Ger Ryan, General Secretary – Martin Dowd, Membership Secretary – Michael McCurtain, Treasurer – Amy Smith, Maintenance Coordinator – Chris Greene, Fundraising and Social – Aisling Lahiffe, Safety and logistics – Cathy Brooks, Youth Officer – Katie Gaynor.
Along with operational matters, we will be working through the 2016-2021 Club Strategy (attached) which was launched at the 2016 AGM. Strategic leaders and co-leaders within the committee for each of the 4 groups of targets were assigned as follows:
– Rowing Targets: HL & KG
– Facilities, Fleet &Equipment: CB & CG
– Community/Social Involvement Targets: AL & MM
– Finance and Governance Targets: AS & MO
One notable project being progressed on foot of the strategic plan is a Communications Strategy, which is being headed up by MM, including some work to our club website with some help from VS. CG and CB are also looking at updating our boat launching and recovery procedures, which will involve consultation with you, the members.
A number of additional subcommittees have been formed, and will be formed to manage tasks on hand, and are being put together on the principle of containing a 50/50 split between committee members and general members.
So that’s it from me until the next quarterly Chairperson’s update in April. Well done to everyone who’s grafting away in the off-season for the future of the club, and here’s to pulling together in 2017!
Yours rowingly,
Ger Ryan, Club Chairperson, St. Michael’s Rowing Club – Dun Laoghaire.
