A brief report on the Zoom AGM meeting on Feb 10th. Full details to follow later with the minutes.
28 members attended the 2021 AGM, only a couple more than the numbers required to form a quorum. Well done and thank you all very much for keeping our decisions legal. We only made a few, the first to confirm that I will remain your chair, Nigel Green Vice Chair and liaison with Salcombe Harbour Authority, John Elliott Secretary and that Piers Rogers has become Treasurer. The Committee now comprises those officers plus Richard Benton Coastwatch coordinator, Linda Lee events and charities, Norman Hore events, Peter Rendell members adverts on the web site, Penny Masters membership secretary and one new member, Rosemary Speed, who will be our liaison with the Estuary Conservation Forum. Give me a couple of days to get the web site updated.
There were no questions on the Treasurers report. As a result of increasing overheads, mostly insurance, we discussed increasing the annual subscription. Members present pointed out that the sub hasn’t been changed for 13years and was now lagging behind the costs. It was also mentioned that the shops and services that offer members discounts allowed all of us to reclaim our membership fees very easily. It was unanimously agreed to increase the annual sub to £15 pa from January 1st. 2002.
The AGM closed after about 20 minutes and a short discussion on Boatwatch followed. Encouragingly, we have ten or a dozen new Boatwatch volunteers signed up for the coming season starting in April. So we will be able to replace those who have retired having done their share over past years and maintain our watch on the Estuary in support of the Harbour Office and the Police
Next Assistant Harbour Master, Phil Goodhead gave us a run down on how the Authority has dealt with Covid, kept its winter mooring maintenance programme on course and planned the dredging of approach channels in March. He took questions on many aspects of the Harbour’s work. He was thanked sincerely for his attention to members’ concerns and in the user friendly way the harbour is now being run.
The meeting closed with a short discussion of future events. The next Zoom event will be on March 24th. when Roger Barrett from Salcombe Maritime Museum will give an illustrated talk about the American Navy in the harbour during WW2. This is a one week change of date due to other commitments.
I hope all members woke up to large and ornate Valentines Day cards this morning along with the compulsory chocolates and flowers.
Hope to see lots of you on March 24th. It promises to be very interesting.
Tony Watson.