Welcome to the Commode's blog
August and September have been fantastic months for the IHYC. Visitors to the Club are up over 10% on last year, this compares with the Marina increase in visitor berthing up 7.5% year on year.
Hog Roasts, BBQs, tender steaks, and IPA at £2.00 a pint have meant that the Club has been very busy. We welcomed the Old Gaffers and the Woodbridge Cruising Club in August and had a great evening. We served a mixture of Hog Roast and BBQ food to 150 guests. There was an outside bar positioned downstairs and a great time was had by all.
We opened for 7 days a week during August. This did not prove financially viable. Our takings Monday to Thursday for four weeks were only £250.Taking into account the running costs of the Clubhouse we decided to cease midweek opening. We will of course review this again next season.
During the blustery weather in late August the roof of the marquee ripped apart. We managed to replace it within a week .A heater has now been installed in the marquee enabling the decked area to be used as the evenings get colder.
The weather, over the last two weeks of September and indeed almost all of October ,has been fantastic meaning the season has extended for us. We welcomed the sea cadets on 26 September. 20 + guests enjoyed BBQ, lots of drink and breakfast the next day albeit in a bit of a hung-over state! It was good to see a number of members supporting the event too.
Our cruising schedule this year has been successful with trips along the East Coast and a good week in Belgium and Holland; this included some challenging sailing along the Belgium coast.
A number of our skippers have also been involved with the East Anglian sailing Trust ( EAST ) sailing to Belgium and France. EAST are always looking for more skippers for this very worthwhile cause. The winner of the Bridge to Bridge race held on 17th October was Richard & Janet of Easily Led beating last year’s winner Happy Dayz by 3 minutes !
On October 17th we held our laying up supper. Let us dwell on the positive first. The Mayor of Ipswich and the Ipswich Seal keeper officially endorsed our use of the Town seal within our Club logo. The Mayor presented us with an official plaque commemorating the event, this is now proudly displayed on the wall inside Club.
The rest of the evening was a disaster and enough has been said. We have parted company with our franchisee, Prestige. By mutual agreement they will be moving out of the clubhouse during November. We are now seeking a new partner to take on the bar and catering management. To this end we have placed an advert in the Ipswich Evening Star and are following up a number of other avenues.
As you are aware we have made the offer to refund monies to members and guests who were unhappy with the laying up supper. For your information IHYC have not paid Prestige for the evening. Your committee has made the decision that all remaining monies, after the refunds have been issued, will be invested in the kitchen and bar area of the Club.
In the meantime we intend, by bringing in outside caterers, to run Club functions. We hope to provide Sunday Lunches linked with a quiz or guest speakers and we are looking to organise an IHYC Xmas party too. We may be able also to open the bar on Friday/Saturday evening. Full details will be announced soon.
As the season draws to a close the committee are in the final stages of putting together a 3 year business plan for the development of the IHYC . We have run for the last two years with an inadequate kitchen/bar facility which hinders efficient operation so hopefully, together with our new partner, we will be able to invest in new equipment. During the close season we plan to replace the ceiling and upgrade the lighting, also replace the carpet and if sufficient funds allow extend the decking area around the side of the building creating a wonderful suntrap.
A number of the Committee are coming to the end of their tenure. In order to facilitate a smooth handover and ensure that the new committee is up to speed for the 2010 season we have co-opted 3 new committee members. Steph Heenan ( Nyang ) will be the new Club secretary, Richard Putland ( Easily Led ) will be the new sailing secretary and Andy Scott ( Abacab ). We still require a volunteer to take on the Treasurer‘s role and the Commodore will be stepping down too.
STOP PRESS: Our application to be an RYA affiliated Club has been successful. This will give the Club significant benefits, more details next month.
The IHYC is a members club; run by committee members on a voluntary basis for the benefit of its members therefore any constructive comments would be appreciated.