RYA Dinghy Show feature article
In November, the Smith and Jones family from Bala Sailing Club in North Wales were honoured with the Family Award at the annual RYA Volunteer Awards.
The Family Award, introduced for the first time in 2012, is awarded to a family group deserving of recognition for the impact they have made both as individuals and collectively to a sailing club or organisation. Their contribution encourages people to sail at club, national or international level, and benefits our sport.
Philip and Carole Smith, along with their son Christopher, his wife Laurel, their daughter Helen and her husband Mark were recognised for their commitment, dedication and efforts to support Bala Sailing Club over the past twenty years.
For Phil, sailing has become a vital part of his life since his first taster session on the River Mersey at the age of 12, having gone on to sail regularly at Fiddler’s Ferry Sailing Club, Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club and eventually Bala Sailing Club, where he has been for over 30 years.
More importantly, sailing has become interwoven into everyday life for his entire family since meeting his wife more than three decades ago.
Philip said: ‘I started at a taster sailing with a guy with a Cornish Coble. I had the biggest blisters and it was thoroughly enjoyable. After that, someone took me sailing in a Merlin rocket, and then I progressed into GP14s.
“I’ve been at Bala Sailing Club for over 30 years ago, after moving from Wigan to Wrexham.
“I met my wife who was working at a Chandler’s in Wigan. We met through sailing, and as we were like minds, things just progressed from there.”
Philip works in the motor trade, repairing cars, and is able to transfer his skills to helping Bala Sailing Club maintain and fix their range of safety boats.
Having met through their shared passion for sailing, it was inevitable that Philip and Carole’s two children would also go on to dedicate themselves to the sport. Having encouraged this interest from a young age, it is unsurprising to find that father and son still spend time together on the water.
“When the youngsters first started sailing about 6 years old, we bought them each a GP14. We asked Helen what colour she wanted the boat and she said pink, so we sprayed it pink, found a pink spinnaker and a pink wetsuit. Her and my wife played in that boat, and my son and I played in the second GP14. Christopher and I still sail together regularly. The pink boat made her want to sail, and because of that she became very competent at a very young age”
As Christopher and Helen grew up they became increasingly involved at Bala Sailing Club, with Christopher acting as Club Bosun from 2007 until 2012, using his skills as an engineer to maintain and repair the club’s fleet of patrol boats, committee boats and race marks. Helen has also taken on a key role as Club Youth Squad Coordinator since 2012. Remarkably, despite neither having prior sailing experience, both Christopher and Helen’s partners have since become similarly devoted to the club.
Philip said: “Both of our children always stayed in the local area so they’ve remained attached to sailing. As a family, there has to be some shared interests, and for us that is sailing.
“Neither of their partners sailed previously, but they are now both Dinghy Instructors. My daughter’s husband Mark has recently taken over from me as Training principal at the club. It gives me time to do other things, but also means I’m there to help and support him when he needs it, which is a vital part of how we work as a family.”
Since joining Bala Sailing Club, the whole family have been involved in all aspects of life at the club. Philip, Training Principal at the club for 20 years, believes his proudest moment was helping to organise the first ever North Wales OnBoard Festival in 2011, attracting over 120 boats to the club for a weekend of racing.
“We started organising OnBoard Festivals four years ago. It was a big, the first in the region. To actually get all of those boats on to the water, it was a massive success. We had more than 120 race boats and to get that to work left me breathless. It was a case of working with RYA Cymru Wales to make it work, and it was a proud moment for me.
“There were very experienced sailors helping out the beginners, and that was really good to see. One particular event was very windy. To get it work safely and enjoyably was a huge achievement. All of the family and volunteers at the club were involved to make it a success.
You can tag your family values into the volunteering team, they’re a close group of people, like an extended family.”
Whilst his children are now grown up and starting their own families, Philip believes the family values they share are continuing to be passed on to the next generation. As foster parents, both Philip and Carole are still actively helping young people take up the sport.
Philip said: “I see the work we put in as a family reflected throughout the club. In recent years, there are more family groups coming into the club – sons and daughters joining and bringing their families. It’s great to see the club and the sport becoming more family-oriented.
“We just fostered one child for two years, who went from having no clue to sailing a Laser competently, and now continues sailing with his new family. That makes me proud.
“Our current foster child comes and sits on the shore and watches, and sure soon she will ask to have a go. There is no pressure on her, it is entirely her decision. There are currently six families at the club who foster children, and I think that’s really great and shows the ethos and spirit at the club.
“It’s about getting the most out of life. If you don’t do anything with your life, then you’re just compost.”
