Martin James elected new Commodore of CYCA

by Peter Campbell, CYCA on 13 Jul 2004 Members of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia this evening elected ocean racing yachtsman and prominent Sydney lawyer Martin James unopposed as their new Commodore.

Commodore James takes over from Commodore John Messenger who has completed his two-year term of office and retires after eight years as a Club Director and Flag Officer.

New Vice Commodore is another well known ocean racing yachtsman, Roger Hickman, while the two Rear Commodores are Geoff Lavis (former Vice Commodore) and Alan Green (former Hon. Treasurer).

Commodore James - B. Juris (Hons) LLB (Hons), is a Partner in the legal firm, Mallesons Stephen Jacques, and is owner/skipper of the Farr 65, Infinity III, on which he is a regular competitor in the CYCA’s long ocean race.

Originally from Perth, Commodore James began his sailing career as a nine-year-old in Pelican dinghies, later moving into keelboats and buying his first Infinity, a Northshore 38 which he raced out of Royal Perth Yacht Club until moving to Sydney.

Infinity II was a Beneteau 45.5 and in 1994, he acquired George Snow’s original Brindabella and re-named it Infinity III, racing the boat with some good results, including wins in the Short Ocean Pointscore, Ocean Pointscore, 1995-96 Tasman Performance Series, a handicap victory in the Sydney Gold Coast Race, Big Boat Champion at Hamilton Island Race Week in 1999, and Line Honours wins in the 1997 and 1998 Gosford Lord Howe Island races, as well contesting four Sydney Hobart Races.

The new Commodore has been a member of the CYCA since 1992 and a Director since 1998, also holding the Flag positions of Vice Commodore and Rear Commodore during his time on the Board. He is Chairman of the Club’s Audit, Planning and Risk Committee and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Committee.

In these roles, he has over the last six years made significant contributions to the CYCA’s many complex administration, sponsorship, finance and legal matters, including arranging the finance the Club’s various capital works and major acquisitions, the negotiations with Rolex as sponsor of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the development of the award-winning website and the Yacht Tracker system for the Royal Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and other long ocean races.

The new Commodore has also been Chairman since its inception of CYCA SOLAS Ltd, the trustee of the CYCA Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Safety of Life at Sea Trust which has donated more than $170,000 to Australian search and rescue organisations.

Commodore Martin James and his wife, Catherine, have two young children.

Only one ballot was required at this evening’s Annual General Meeting, to decide the position of Hon Treasurer, with Graham Swan being elected.

The new Director to replace Past Commodore Messenger on the Board is John S. Walton, a CYCA member since 1970 and owner skipper of the Beneteau Oceanis 461, A’Bientot.

Other Directors are Matt Allen, Michael Cranitch, Les Goodridge, Gary Linacre and Rod Skellet.

• Sailors who competed in Sunday’s final pointscore race of the BMW Sydney Winter Series donated a record $3400 to SOLAS in a raffle after the racing, with Commodore-elect Martin James drawing the winning ticket.