Please select your home edition
Edition
Armstrong 728x90 - MA Foil Range - TOP

New Junior trophy for North East & Yorkshire Youth Travellers (NEYYTS) in memory of John Dowd

by Paula Irish 21 Jun 2021 09:03 PDT
John Dowd worked very hard supporting the North East & Yorkshire Youth Traveller Series © Dowd family

A new trophy for regatta fleet competitors in the North East & Yorkshire Youth Traveller Series (NEYYTS) is to be introduced in memory of dedicated volunteer John Dowd.

John, who died aged 80 from cancer in March, was instrumental to the series getting started in the 1980s and was involved with youth and junior sailing across the region over three decades.

At the first event of the 2021 series hosted by Pennine SC, his wife Jean and daughter Anne were invited to present the prizes. The family is now also looking forward to the final event at Yorkshire Dales SC on Saturday 18th September, when a new trophy will be presented in memory of John for the overall regatta fleet series winner.

Jean said: "A lovely trophy of a boat has been crafted by a friend of John's and we're looking forward to presenting it because John was always so keen to encourage young sailors. I remember John doing such a lot for children and youth sailors.

"He introduced a trophy to the traveller series himself called the Leapfrog Trophy, presented to the most improved sailor, and this one in his memory is similar but would encourage the novices."

John was a secondary school maths teacher at Swinton who became interested in sailing when his son Chris started crewing through school at Ulley SC in Yorkshire. He bought an Enterprise for the family and became involved in club life, the traveller series and then the National School Sailing Association. He was commodore of Ulley SC from 1996-7, and then treasurer, and a member of the RYA Regional Volunteer Team.

Jean, a retired primary school teacher, recalls: "In between taking our own three children to regattas he was organising them and gradually got more and more involved with the National School Sailing Association as well. He was just so enthusiastic with children and as a teacher he was always involved with teenagers and he really loved to encourage them to sail.

"He thought it was such a good thing for them to do and a good discipline for them along with the enjoyment of getting out in the fresh air. He wasn't terribly competitive himself but was always very enthusiastic when it came to organising a youth regatta."

David Staniforth, who worked with John on the committee at Ulley SC and on the regional RYA team, said: "Over the years John's influence in encouraging youth and junior sailors was amazing. He was very patient and had an easy manner, he was friendly and approachable. He was a well-liked and well-loved person with a good sense of humour. You would always hear his laugh before you saw him and he is missed."

He added that John, who was also a Streaker sailor, was among a group of sailing secretaries representing South Yorkshire, Ulley, Viking, Denholme, Rotherham and Pennine, who met on the first Monday of each month in the Fat Cat real ale pub in Sheffield in the early 80s to compare fixtures, which led to the start of the youth and junior series with a programme for school sailing.

Ulley SC was a hub for Rotherham Schools Sailing Association and John worked closely with Andy Rangecroft on NSSA regattas, including two at Bridlington. They also set up an international sailing exchange in 1990 with the Ukraine following the Chernobyl incident and took the children to the NSSA regatta at Rutland that year, where the then Prime Minister John Major handed out the prizes. Children from Chernobyl still sail at Ulley SC each year through an annual visit organised by churches in Sheffield.

John was presented an RYA Volunteer Award for his services to youth sailing by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, who he met again when the NSSA Nationals were the last regatta in Weymouth before the 2012 Olympics. John was NSSA treasurer at the time and later returned to watch the Games, proud that among those who grew up developing their racing skills through the series was Ulley SC's Olympian and 2008 gold medallist Paul Goodison.

Josie Gentry, of Pennine SC, who worked with John for NSSA over many years, said: "He was just lovely. He was very easy to work with but also highly organised and sensible and made sure everything was done properly. He was very well liked and respected by the sailors. John loved working with the children and I really enjoyed working with John."

When no longer able to sail, John continued to enjoy visiting the club and volunteering along with Jean for other organisations, including the National Trust and Rotherham talking newspapers. Their children have followed his interests, with Paul a brewer and Chris and Anne both sailing instructors.

When John first started helping with the youth and junior traveller series it spanned Yorkshire, then Humberside as well, and it now also encompasses the North East and includes a north and south mini-series.

Some of those who remember John from when they competed as children are now introducing their own young sailors to racing through the series, including current organiser Fiona Spence, who said: "We're very touched that the family wanted to honour John's memory with a new trophy recognising the achievement of sailors in the regatta fleet.

"It also very fitting alongside the Leapfrog trophy, which John introduced, for the most improved sailor over the series. We'd like to say thank you to the family for their ongoing support of the series and its continued success in encouraging young sailors from across the region."

For series information please see www.yhysa.org

Related Articles

Transat Paprec Day 3
Pier-Paolo Dean & Tiphaine Rideau: "We're having an incredible time!" They are the youngest duo in the Transat Paprec fleet. At just 19 and 20 years old, Tiphaine Rideau and Pier-Paolo Dean (Banques Alimentaires) have embarked on their first transatlantic crossing. Posted today at 7:33 pm
56th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères day 2
Hyères demands patience before the Mistral with sunset finish Racing in Hyères can test every sinew and synapse, and the second day of the 56th French Olympic Week (Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - Toulon Provence Méditerranée) was a test of patience. Posted today at 7:16 pm
Transat Paprec, Classics, US Sailing, Cup news
Some parts of North America are experiencing a faster approach of spring's warm tidings than others While some parts of North America are experiencing a faster approach of spring's warm tidings than others, the offshore racing action is plenty hot in the Transat Paprec. Posted today at 3:00 pm
Exposure Marine adds 3 unique RAW range products
All developed to meet World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations for safety Unique to the sailing world, these latest products feature red light designed to optimise night vision. They have all been developed to meet World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations for safety. Posted today at 2:36 pm
Stockholm International Team Race Regatta Preview
Top Tier Team Racing in the Heart of Stockholm Gamla Stans Yacht Sällskap is proud to announce the Stockholm International Team Race Regatta, a thrilling precursor to the World Championships in Team Racing for keelboats, which GSYS will host in 2026. Posted today at 2:12 pm
Make me smile even wider and brighter
What's better than writing about a great programme to get people into yachting? Only one thing... What's better than writing about a great programme to get people into yachting? Well, how about actually speaking with a former participant who has then gone on to work in the industry. That's what! Posted today at 5:00 am
56th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères day 1
“Best day ever” as French Olympic Week sets sail in Hyères The 56th edition of French Olympic Week (Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - Toulon Provence Méditerranée) began in classic Côte d'Azur conditions as 729 competitors from 56 nations started six days of racing. Posted on 21 Apr
Canadian winner of Marblehead to Halifax returns
A total of 53 boats are signed up to compete in the event With just ten weeks to go before the start of this year's Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race (MHOR) a total of 53 boats are signed up to compete in the event, co-sponsored by the Boston Yacht Club and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. Posted on 21 Apr
Transat Paprec Day 2
Cap St Barth, the thrill of chasing a dream! Cindy Brin and Thomas André created quite the surprise by positioning themselves among the front runners during yesterday's coastal course, holding pace throughout the evening and into Monday. Posted on 21 Apr
Gorgeous sunny Spring Fest on San Francisco Bay
OIne-design fleets of J/24s, J/88s, and J/105s go racing The battle-hardened, hard-core sailors of San Francisco Bay, accustomed to the worst their Bay can dish out, were pleasantly surprised to contend with a very sybaritic weekend of sunny weather and light to moderate wind conditions! Posted on 21 Apr
Lloyd Stevenson - Catalyst Yacht Tender 1456x180px BOTTOMArmstrong 728x90 - A-Wing XPS - BOTTOMRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER