Impact Award for dedicated member of Llandudno Sailing Club

Recognition for Rob Davies following more than 40 years of commitment and giving back to the sport

17 Jun 24

RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award winner Rob Davies with the wooden award and framed certificate, and wearing a blue drysuit and red woolly RYA CW hat on shore in the sunshine outside Llandudo SC with the sea in the background.

A long-serving member of Llandudno Sailing Club has been awarded an RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award in recognition of his dedication to the sport over four decades.

The Impact Awards are presented to exceptional individuals and organisations by the sport’s governing body in Wales, which through its Together on our Waters strategy aims to create a connected, inspired and inclusive Welsh sailing and boating community.

Rob Davies, aged 80, of Abergele, has been a member of Llandudno SC more than 40 years and still turns out regularly for racing on Wednesday evenings and at weekends, attaining over the last 12 months a number of second places in various club competitions.

In nominating Rob for an Impact Award, fellow member and former club secretary Ruth Brown added: “Rob is a regular at work parties throughout the year and was very on hands during the building of our extension. He is always ready to help the less experienced sailors and is an inspiration to the younger members.”

Rob first got into windsurfing in the early-1980s and enjoyed getting on the water from Colwyn Bay, then joined Llandudno SC after attending a club open day.

Impressed by the clubhouse with its ideal location on the promenade by the waters’ edge, Rob signed up as a member with the intention of windsurfing – but as dinghies would sail past him on light wind evenings, decided to get a boat as well.

RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award winner Rob Davies, aged 80, on the promenade at Llandudno, getting his ILCA rigged and ready to go sailing.

Switching to singlehanded Laser/ILCA dinghy racing in 1995, Rob went on to serve on the club committee, and before retiring was a Principal Design Engineer at Thales Optics in St Asaph.

He said: “I’m a practical sort of person and I enjoy lending a hand at the club and the camaraderie. Some years back the front of the clubhouse was extended towards the sea to include an office, training room and store and I helped to lay the concrete foundations and roofing blocks.

“I like to help out with work parties and meeting and greeting visitors to the club. When I realised that I’d been nominated for an RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award I was blown away because I’m not the only one who does things, it’s a real team effort at the club.

“Everybody is friendly, everybody that comes to the club really enjoys it, and when you’re on the water and look back at the shore, you’ve got the Great Orme and Little Orme, all the hills in the background plus the row of hotels in the foreground, so it’s also just a stunning location!”

Find out more about opportunities to get on the water with Llandudno Sailing Club or explore how to begin your own sailing journey at www.rya.org.uk/start-boating.

Do you know an individual or organisation that goes the extra mile to support activities on the water in Wales? The RYA Cymru Wales Impact Awards recognise the hard work of individuals and organisations including participants, staff and volunteers; instructors, coaches and race officials; clubs, classes and training centres.