A bit about the club: it has a full length open veranda facing towards the boats
and the city with a wonderful view of the iconic statue of Columbus prominently on
the foreground. It provides service from seven in the morning until after midnight
and the personnel are busy tidying up and serving tasty food and necessary (!!) drinks
to the assembled members. Even on a Sunday there are several people in the office
for assistance. And not only do you find people with their laptops in comfortable
easychairs preparing for the regattas, but also “old” members having a nap in a quiet
corners (and some not so old S&S Association members).
The lavish drinks and the superb food helped the fifty-odd Association members get
into party mode. As usual, it was like a family reunion: you see a lot of the same
faces and soon you pick up the conversation about the boating and then about life
since we last met. But this year too, we saw also several new faces – both new to
the AGM and new to the Association. At first glance the timing of the meeting seemed
disastrous, with lots of members apologising for not being able to come. It seemed
that the date chosen was too close to the holidays for many and for others it conflicted
with the “racing scene”. For example: several Spanish S&S boats were competing around
Mallorca since it turned out to be “San Juan”, a bank holiday for most Spaniards.
It certainly gave the organisers a headache before the start, but as the event kicked
off it became apparent, that for those of use who could make it, a fun, lively and
memorable AGM was on the cards.
