If you've visited the Club recently, you'll know it's been buzzing with activity. Members are laying up their boats after another action-packed season, cruisers are being hauled out on every tide and the moorings are being prepared for winter.

Managing the moorings is a big job that requires careful coordination — and much of it is led by dedicated volunteers.

To recognise the incredible contribution of volunteers across the Club, the Web & Comms team will be spotlighting individuals on the BSC news pages. And who better to start with than our Moorings Officer, Dick Garside.

Dick has been a BSC member since 1986. Before taking on his current role, he served on the Main Committee, the HPE Sub-Committee, and contributed to several Club redevelopment projects. He stepped into the Moorings Officer role in 2019, just as the moorings system was being digitised. There are up to 169 moorings available at BSC, with 120 currently in use.

As Moorings Officer, Dick's responsibilities include:

• Keeping records of mooring condition, and allocation to boats and members
  
• Allocating boats to suitable moorings to reduce the risk of conflict
  
• Organising the biennial inspections and sharing results with members
  
• Organising mooring work with the Warden and Stewards
  
• Keeping an adequate stock of mooring tackle
  
• Keeping the Wild Apricot database up to date
  
• Getting invoices for mooring tackle to members
  
• Proposing annual updates for consideration by the Moorings Sub-Committee
  

When asked what first drew him to the Club, Dick says:

"The main attraction was that it was a 'DIY' club, where members take responsibility for their own equipment and support each other. I think this spirit largely continues today — encouraging members to do as much as they can themselves, while recognising the Club must manage higher-risk activities. It would be sad to see the Club become one where members expect everything to be done for them. I was fortunate that when I started as Mooring Officer I inherited the comprehensive records kept by predecessors John Clark and Mick Sargeant. In fact the present mooring pattern was instituted by Mick’s father.”

There's no question that Dick does a huge amount for the Club. His background in seafaring, engineering, construction and naval architecture helps keep everything running smoothly. And he's keen to involve more members in the moorings team — ensuring things continue to run well in future. Could you learn from the calm and capable Dick Garside?

A heartfelt thank you to Dick for everything he does — and continues to do — for the Club. We hope his efforts inspire others to get involved. The moorings team will be happy to mentor anyone interested!

If you think there is a volunteer that should be mentioned on our news pages, then let us know by emailing – news@blackwatersailingclub.org.uk