It was a cold, wet Sunday in November when Ian and I finally managed to find the time to unwrap the stand from the 2006 Boat Show at Excel. This year, we had been shoe horned into a smaller stand. Narrower but slightly deeper, so we started a cut and shunt job on ,what was by now, a fairly miserable batch of flat panels and frames recovered from the previous January’s show. Since then, the stand had laid, flat packed wrapped up in tarpaulin next to our tent in Pin Mill. Damp, and other creepy crawlies had found its way into the cavities, nooks and crannies that lay within.

Working fast and not wishing to be put off, we set to reshaping the stand to fit the new floor plate. The decision had been made this year to use the stand to explain at the show what we had been up to in our first year of sailing. Big pictures of boats, people sailing boats and some of the places we had sailed to was the brief. To this extent we only needed blank walls on which to hang the images and thus, after much sawing, discussion on measurement, 3 new sheets of MDF and a half sawn off finger did we eventually pack the whole thing back on the trailer for delivery to Excel in the docklands.

Concepts agreed, images sent off for printing, it was all go for the stand build up and that deadline of January the 5th. Richard Elkan of Autograph Graphics did an amazing job helping me with the technical side of our idea and putting the printing together. It all arrived on the day looking fantastic. The stand, resurrected from  last year was up and still standing as we set out the graphics panels. Incredibly, we even managed to put it up in the right place; right opposite Classic Boat magazine.

Open day, January 5th and we have furniture, postcards, raffle tickets and last but not least 2 kegs of beer kindly donated by the Butt and Oyster in Pin Mill. Our boat show offer was free membership to the club with a subscription to Classic Boat. Along with the membership was entry into a raffle to win a coracle to be built on the stand by member Nick Hewetson. (pictured above)

Interest in the club mounted slowly over the Friday, 15 memberships. It developed over the weekend and increased through the following week up to the Thursday when we signed up 50 new members in one day! Nick built his Coracle, watched over by Mario the floor manager who kindly gave us the space to allow visitors to the stand and observe the whole fascinating spectacle. Our efforts on the stand were helped hugely by club members, Sarah, Brian, Kevin, Marion, Ben and Al Mackenzie for picking the raffle. The whole show was a very enjoyable experience not least because of the presence of Dan Houston and his excellent team who made a massive effort on the subscription offer.

By the last day, we had signed up over 250 new members, booked several  weekend sails and agreed charters on Infanta, Caressa, Night Wind, Marcita, Myfanwy, Hampshire Maid and a week on Rocquette in the Summer. Star of the show was Jonjo, having built the stand, he worked on it every day and after it was all over, helped demolish it ready for a new start next year.

Thanks to everyone who took part and a big welcome to our new members. It’s shaping up to be a very busy year.

Jonathan Stickland.