Scotand's youngest commodore: Meet Jack Walls

The sound of wet boots and laughter drifts up the sand-dusted stairs to where we sit with Jack Walls in Peterhead Sailing Club. Surrounded by photos of recent racing, tangles of rope, and comfortable armchairs, the clubhouse holds a warm nostalgia.

Jack is now 20 years old, and has been the commodore of Peterhead Sailing Club, on Scotland’s north-east coast, since he was 18, making him the country’s youngest commodore - at least, the youngest we have ever come across.

He seems at home in the clubhouse, surrounded by dripping wetsuits and smiling children, and is comfortable discussing his uncommon role.

“For the members it was nothing unordinary,” Jack explained. “It wasn't ‘here's the youngest person in the club becoming commodore’. It was just a change in role. It wasn't a massive change. It didn't take much convincing.”

Jack got started with the club back in 2019, beginning his sailing journey, like most, in Toppers and Oppies. When COVID rolled around, however, his pathway took a turn.

The Route to Commodore: “I probably never, at age 15, intended on joining the club committee.”

“I was into sailing, I was doing a lot of it, and then it all got cut off. And at the same time, a lot of the club members dropped off.”

In 2021, during the second part of lockdown, Jack took on developing the website whilst there was plenty of time to spare. Teaching himself how to build the site at age 15, it was the first task that helped the club greatly. Jack dealt with memberships in the process of building the new online system, leading him into the membership secretary role, and therefore, the committee.

“I probably never, at age 15, intended on joining the club committee. But I was led into it quite nicely,” he said, smiling.

By 2022, Jack was streamlining the club’s communications with social media, new logos, and new branding. Already, only in his mid-teens, Jack’s efforts were making an impact on the success of Peterhead Sailing Club. The next step was more physical, as Jack trained up to be a dinghy instructor.

“I was at the club all the time... I took on the maintenance, fixing things, and I was self-taught at this point. I had no experience. I was still at school, fixing things up, taking on smaller projects, and just building it from there, making the place nicer.

“I think it builds into the ethos we started building at that time, which was just a welcoming, safe environment for everyone.”

Jack was appointed Commodore in 2024, following his predecessor Martin Thain, who last year was awarded the RYA Scotland impact award celebrating his contribution to youth development at Peterhead, choosing to step down.

“Everything here happens organically,” Jack explained. “Martin took it on in 2021 via online AGM because there was nobody else, and he was doing everything at the time. He'd taken on all the responsibilities, and I could see that…We were bouncing ideas off each other, and essentially, we were running the main part of the club.

“So when Martin was starting to want to think about stepping down, I was in a position where I was ready to step up without a massive jump…essentially, it was almost like a swap. We both got new responsibilities, but we're both still supporting each other.”

Innovation and accessibility: “My belief is that there should be no barrier to anyone”

Since Martin and Jack’s appointments, the club has been progressing in leaps and bounds, recovering from the COVID damage with small, yet vital, steps. As the club builds its membership base, they are connecting with more organisations, including Aberdeenshire Sailing Trust who support people of all ages, from of all backgrounds through access to sport and training opportunities.

“My belief is that there should be no barrier to anyone, whether that be on the shore or out on the water, so I spent a lot of time on little things,” Jack explained. “There was a bump at the door as you came through the front door. I removed that. The biggest one is probably the kitchen downstairs - it used to be shut off so nobody could get in in a wheelchair. So opening that space up was a massive change. There is the lowered section, the hob is accessible, and the fridges too. I believe that everyone should be able to do the things we also do, and just be a part of the club.”

“I'm always thinking; what can we change? What can we do? How can we make everyone welcome? It's back to our ethos again: welcoming and safe. Everyone should be welcome.”

Protecting future generations: “If we lose this, it's gone forever.”

PSC is certainly doing a grand job of welcoming everyone. In the last few years, the club has put a lot of effort into expanding further into the community. Since COVID, the membership base of PSC has become much more local, with increasing numbers of Peterhead kids getting stuck in.

“We started a youth group at the end of the year in 2023 because the sailing finished in October, and traditionally we always stopped. This place was shut from October to Easter. Nobody really went out. We said, "What if we keep it open and do inside things?” We had no idea what it would become. We just went with it.

“We kept the club open after school, four till six. What's the worst that can happen? We've got the adults, we've got the knowledge to do stuff, and… it was pretty chaotic. Probably not the plan. You can't plan too much, but it was probably not the plans we expected. It was absolute chaos with that group, but we saw the potential, and we kept it going, and we found what they wanted to do.

“The group went from, “we can stay in winter and do powerboat and sailing theory” to learning music, they would do cooking, they would do everything that the volunteers have the knowledge of.”

“We're here, why shouldn't we help?" Jack concluded. The youth group continues to come along to the sailing club frequently.

Peterhead Sailing Club has been a part of the community for a long time, and Jack feels strongly about continuing the club’s legacy.

“It's the future,” he stated.

“If we lose this, it's gone forever. It would never come back…There are so many young folk that would rather sit on a phone all day and not do anything, which is a massive shame. So giving them a reason to come off their phone - not making them, but making them want to come off their phone - is absolutely massive. Connecting them with something like the water, where they can go out, they can have fun, and just be themselves for all the time they're here - this is the future of the club.”

Next steps for Jack and the club: “We're doing absolutely everything. Everyone's expanding. Everyone's changing”

Jack has been balancing student life and studying electrical engineering whilst holding the commodore role, and is starting work next month. However, despite impressive personal developments, his heart and soul remains embedded in improving the club and safeguarding its future. He explained:

“A lot of my focus is on the club now. There are so many projects and so many funding opportunities coming to Peterhead that it's such a good time to get this place ready for the future. I'll be happy when this place is ready to hand over.

“If we can get this place so that it's ready for the future in terms of its paperwork, how it runs, and processes for everything, so it means when we move on - if I move on - it's actually really easy to get other people to take on small chunks, opposed to having masses and feeling overloaded.”

Many sailing clubs across the UK are struggling to stay afloat, with the cost-of-living crises creating barriers to both members and the clubs themselves. How come Peterhead Sailing Club is expanding so successfully in such challenging times?

“We're doing absolutely everything. Everyone's expanding. Everyone's changing, and ultimately, it's really exciting for the club to be able to support that and see everyone wanting to grow here as well.”

PSC is teamed up with five other clubs in a set-up rather unique to them. The Aberdeenshire Sailing Trust, Bridge of Don Sea Cadets, the windsurf club, the University of Aberdeen Sailing Club, and the local rowing club all partner with PSC to enjoy everything that watersports has to offer.

“You come in each day, and there's so many different things on for different people and different reasons. It's just it's not just a club. It's a home to all these different organisations that also run great programs.

“Without them, the club wouldn't be a club, and without us, they wouldn't be clubs and organisations. We're valuable to each other, because without one, the other doesn't run, so it's really valuable having all of them.

“It's quite an unusual setup for a lot of places. I know I've spoken to other clubs where I've helped them get their head around how it works.”

So, it’s without a doubt that Peterhead Sailing Club is being set up confidently for the future. Jack’s innovation, community involvement, and unfiltered pride and passion are creating a very special watersports hub on the shores of the North Sea. But, how to keep expanding?

“If you don't listen, you don't see people, or they don't want to be here because we've not listened and we're not doing what they want to do,” said Jack. “Ultimately, we're running the club for them, with them, so we get them involved and we're always thinking of ways on how to change things up.”

“Sometimes you've got to be brutal. You look at something and you go, we need to change this. How can we make it fun? How can we change it? The experience of being through the club so recently as well, and also working with so many different organisations, travelling about with them, and seeing different places, helps.

“Again, it goes back to this: keep changing. Every year, I look and see what can we change for the better and for people's enjoyment at the club.”

It’s safe to say that PSC is in safe hands under Jack’s leadership. Perhaps the time is right to abandon the constraints of tradition, and hand the helm to the youngsters - if Peterhead Sailing Club is any case to follow, young leadership like Jack’s will go miles in protecting the future of local watersports.