2022 saw a year start with Covid infections again causing disruptions to boating but things began to get better as the year went on, and French Ports welcoming Guernsey vessels.

We had long delays in getting our lay by moorings along the East Coast of Guernsey reinstated with the new deadmen into position and chains and mooring buoys in place. It was well into the summer season before they were finished so we took the decision to leave them in use later into the autumn depending on weather conditions.

I was very pleased when Tim Lowe took on the position as Treasurer earlier this year and as the spring went on we closed one of our accounts with HSBC which means that the old standing order payments ranging from £1.00 to £15.00 were stopped- I hope, as I am waiting for the next set of bank statements for November to arrive.

With our new Treasurers advice we opened an account at Skipton which he will explain in his report.

Our membership is hovering around 500 with some people not renewing every year as has been the case as long as I can remember, gone are the days when we had over 1000 members when people joined because the discounts offered to them quickly repaid the fee when buying anti fouling and anodes, but so many people shop on line these days with out buying from local traders.

We held our Spring Boating Boot sale at Beaucette Marina Site again and the members who had a pitch all seemed happy with what they managed to sell and we donated the money from pitch prices and goods donated for charity sale, went to the Local Lifeboat fund, a total of £388.00. We already have provisional plans with Ricky at Beaucette for April 2023 again.

As I wrote in the AGM Notice we now have Boatworks joining in to offer members a discount on goods and take subscriptions and sell burgees as well as M&G and AB Marine.

Again I must remind members that when you give up boating if you pay by standing order you must cancel your payment because we can’t. Also if you move house please let me know so I can up date our records.

As Nick our President will have reminded you we celebrate our 100th anniversary next year 2023, of when we were founded as originally The Guernsey Boat Owners Association and in 1975 amalgamated with the Small Boatowners Association, which catered for Boatowners in the island’s many bays.

I know I have been on the committee for a long time but not that long, I joined the GBA back in 1977 and got voted on to the committee a couple of years after that as rep’ for the Albert Marina as I was on a mooring on “V” pontoon.

I still have the card index box from those days with records of who had paid each year when John Torode was President,

Peter Rouxel Treasurer and Ian Larby Secretary and all the various rep’s from the different mooring areas around the Island, the small ferry operators and commercial fishermen as well. Am I past my use by date? well may be!!

If you want to join the committee? just form an orderly line we need new younger blood!

Jeremy Witham

 

GBA Secretary