David Ward, Sailing Committee member and Moorings Officer at EDYC has been awarded an RYA NI Outstanding Contribution to Sailing and Club Development Award at a ceremony on Friday (15 February) in Belfast. This is the result of the club Executive highlighting his contribution and is in addition to the award he received at our own club AGM.
David Ward is widely respected throughout the club and its membership. David is truly one of the unsung heroes of EDYC. He has been working tirelessly behind the scenes as a constant support to EDYC for over 3 decades.
He is regularly at the club several days per week consistently throughout the year, volunteering his services to maintain the club committee boat, RIBs, racing marks and other vital equipment in and around the boatyard. David has volunteered to carry out a range of tasks for the club over the years but has spent most time as our ‘moorings officer’ and is out on the water throughout the winter, often in challenging conditions helping Strangford moorings. Often arriving on site at short notice to assist members experiencing difficulties launching or recovering boats from the moorings.
David would be the first to admit that he has no interest in racing, but he willingly carries out on-the-water duties to support the club racing on Wednesdays, Saturdays and during open events. He organises the boat park storage every year to ensure all cruisers and dinghies are well positioned and secure. He provides committee members with advice and guidance drawing on his vast experience and knowledge on site and vessel maintenance. He is always on hand to fix and renovate any equipment during our Youth series and for any other training or sailing events during the season. His knowledge and experience within the club is second to none in maintaining our ability to be on the water in a safe environment.
For many years David has served on the Sailing Committee, sharing his expertise and experience towards developing our club. As a member, David has always been unassuming and happy to quietly work in the background, often shunning the limelight and acknowledgement.
East Down Yacht club prides itself on having a strong self-help ethos. Whilst our members are happy to contribute some hours of their time during the season to enable the club to run, David’s contribution to the club runs into the 100s of hours volunteered. In this, the clubs 50th year, the committee have been reflecting on the achievements and contributions made by members. It is all too easy to overlook the quiet tireless work such as David’s and not acknowledge their efforts and putting volunteers forward for awards and recognition, however, we acknowledge the significant contribution he has made over the years and would commend David Ward for his voluntary contributions to the well being and ongoing development of our club, which is well beyond any expectation. He is a fine example of generosity, commitment and the volunteering spirit towards others.
Executive, East Down Yacht Club
