JOck Douglas
You’ve only recently become Commodore of the RDYC – how did that come about?
It was all a bit of surprise to be suddenly asked in April this year but it’s an honour to represent such a long established and important yacht club. I have said publicly that I will do this for just a year. It’s a big commitment as it’s the type of job that needs to be done well and I’m of an age when I‘d expected to be taking life easier.
What’s your connection with Dartmouth and the RDYC?
I’ve had a house in the area for the past 15 years and moved down permanently from mid-Devon about 9 years ago. I first came to Dartmouth in 1954 as a seaman standing on the foredeck of a Minesweeper very early one beautiful summer morning – I thought then what a lovely place. It was really very striking and who would have thought I’d be living here 50 years later! We’ve also kept boats down here for more than 25 years and we’ve been pretty active in the local sailing and racing scene.
You’ve only recently become Commodore of the RDYC – how did that come about?
It was all a bit of surprise to be suddenly asked in April this year but it’s an honour to represent such a long established and important yacht club. I have said publicly that I will do this for just a year. It’s a big commitment as it’s the type of job that needs to be done well and I’m of an age when I‘d expected to be taking life easier.
What’s your connection with Dartmouth and the RDYC?
I’ve had a house in the area for the past 15 years and moved down permanently from mid-Devon about 9 years ago. I first came to Dartmouth in 1954 as a seaman standing on the foredeck of a Minesweeper very early one beautiful summer morning – I thought then what a lovely place. It was really very striking and who would have thought I’d be living here 50 years later! We’ve also kept boats down here for more than 25 years and we’ve been pretty active in the local sailing and racing scene.
Has sailing been a big part of your life?
Yes it has. I first started sailing 67 years ago in home-built dinghies. As a youngster, we used to sail Cadets and Firefly dinghies in various championships. We often used to travel down from Scotland to England, which in those days seemed a very different country! I was once accused of being “professional” because I won a guinea in a yacht race at the Royal Tay Yacht Club when I was 14. I have just sold my Dragon which I’ve raced for about 14 years which is a source of great sadness and have bought a small yacht in order to teach the grandchildren to sail.
What is your role as commodore?
I do view it like a non-executive role in a company. You’re there to represent the organisation, keeping an overall eye on its direction, ensure it’s properly managed and democratically run and deal with the issues common to many small businesses. But around me, we have a lot of very able and experienced people helping run the Club - we once worked out that at least 200 volunteers are involved which is alot for such an organisation. In the long term, I’d like to see the Club host more small championship regattas for racing yachts as Start Bay and the river are such great venues as the Annual Regatta proves.
Is there something special about being a Royal club?
It obviously has a particular status. The history of the club is very interesting and it occupies such a great position in Dartmouth although perhaps the clubhouse is not best suited to the demands nowadays placed on it. The Club has an important role in the town as more than half of our more than 1,000 members live locally. The number of boats our members own is greater than 400, which is surprisingly high for such a club.
What have you enjoyed so far about being Commodore?
I have really enjoyed getting involved with the Junior Sailing. They are a delightful bunch of kids and it’s been great fun helping out. My main ‘perk’ so far as Commodore is when I got a special day tour of HMS Echo, the hydrographic ship, which was a real eye-opener given my previous experience as a navigator.
Maritime activities have featured strongly in your life?
Indeed, I started in the Navy as part of my national service and the Navy, in their wisdom, gave me a commission. I spent four years there, mainly as a navigator in Coastal Forces, and was subsequently a reservist in the Royal Canadian Navy when we lived for a time in Vancouver. My father was in shipping and I also got involved in the industry, particularly running ships providing the offshore oil & gas industry with supply and standby vessels. My younger son is a Marine Superintendent for a shipping company based in Melbourne, Australia. We visit often to see the family. It amuses me that my very first “maritime” experience happened before I was born when my mother officially launched a merchant ship whilst she was pregnant with me!
First Published September 2008 By The Dart