A record gathering of commodores at Felpham Sailing Club?

Photo - the gathering of commodores at Felpham, credit Tony Lord

Most are still members with varying levels of involvement and activity. The earliest in the photo held the post in 1986.

Could this possibly be a record making gathering? Can any other club beat this? And what might the most appropriate collective noun for such an esteemed group? Perhaps a “rank” of Commodores? Or maybe a “wave”? Or possibly a “swell”? Answers by e-mail please.  

West Wittering Sailing Club previously arranged a similar photo with 10 commodores (the first one from 1989), and you can read the story here. They decided that their collective noun would be a “raft” of commodores.

Photo - West Wittering's former commodores

Roger Belton, a former Felpham commodore and chair of the RYA regional team, says: “I’m not sure who came up the idea, and it did take some time in gestation, but the end result was a very sociable and harmonious celebration of nearly 40 years of club leadership. While many of those present continue to be active in the club in a variety of different ways, some have moved on to pastures new, and others look down from above, having left this mortal coil.

“The tricky issue for clubs and voluntary organisations is finding new volunteers to step in and step up. By limiting (via the club constitution) the tenure of the commodore to two years, Felpham SC has put in place a simple strategy that supports succession planning and keeps the leadership team fresh.

“It is still challenging to find new people willing to fill committee posts but the good news is that by creating a vibrant, fun packed programme that appeals to a wide range of sailors, social members and families there is a good influx of newbies just waiting to be asked."

Felpham Sailing Club is a British Youth Sailing Recognised Club, an RYA Recognised Training Centre and RYA OnBoard Provider.

Discover the love of sailing at the club's Discover Sailing event on 15 June. Book now