Green Wyvern Yachting Club
Len Bromley discovered the original letter sent to all founder members of the Club, outlining its aims and objectives. It also names those invited to join the Club as skipper, first mate or mate. Interestingly, there is a suggestion that the first cruise should sail in 1950. The circular reads as follows:
A. OBJECTS
The general object of the club is to organise cruises for those yachtsmen connected with the Alderman Newton's and City Boys' Schools, to train their crews and grade them, to maintain high standards of sailing, and where possible to provide suitable amenities and transport.
The club's funds will be used to secure cheaper bulk bookings, to purchase burgees, to improve mooring facilities, to obtain rooms for recreation, to guarantee transport, and to provide partial insurance against failure to take up berths through accident.
B. CONSTITUTION
The Club will cruise under the command of C. Howard as Commodore, with J.H. Plumb as Vice-Commodore. H.E. Howard will act as Chairman of Committee.
Other skippers invited to join are:
W.R. Eaton, E.N. Williams, A. Needham, J.A. Lawson
E.G. Winterton, L.L. Green, G. Matthews, D.G. Birch
E.W. Mackman
The subscription for skipper-members shall be one guinea per annum, payable on the autumn equinox.
The commodore and Vice-Commodore shall from time to time invite other members to become skipper-members.
Certain members will be invited by the Commodore and Vice-Commodore to join as First Mate-members. The qualification for First Mate is to be capable of organising a ship's commissariat and/or taking sole charge of a ship under reasonable conditions. First Mates who have been offered a ship by the Commodore shall be known as Acting Skippers until such time as they have been admitted as Skippers, and during the cruise on which the act shall have the privileges of Skippers. Subscriptions for First Mates (including Acting Skippers) shall be five shillings per annum.
Mate-members must be capable of sailing (including tacking) under the skipper's supervision, and of bringing in and taking out a ship. They must be able to take responsibility for sail raising and lowering, for care of halyards and gear, and for running a cooking party. They will be required to know the elements of splicing and ordinary whipping, and the following knots:
| Single Sheet Bend | Round turn & two (topsail sheet-bend) |
| Double Sheet Bend | Highwaymans Hitch |
| Bowline | Short splice |
| Bowline on bight | Eye-splice |
The annual subscription is two shillings and sixpence.
Crew-members shall be invited from those who have spent
at least two weeks sailing (though under special circumstances the Commodore
and Vice-Commodore may invite certain persons to be members after one
week, on the recommendation of their skipper). Crews must know their ropes,
be capable of lowering and stowing sails, of putting on awnings, of sailing
(other than tacking), of tying reef and half-hitch and clove-hitch knots,
and be reliable at lighting a primus. The annual subscription for crew
is one shilling and sixpence.
Those members who have been admitted to a given grade
at the foundation of the Club should make it their business to master
any technical points, appropriate to their grade, of which they are ignorant,
as well as any appertaining to grades below theirs.
Probationer crews will be invited by the Club, or by
individual skippers with no immediate obligation of membership. It is
understood that members will have prior rights in any calendar year, and
as far as possible will be given the berths they wish for. Those who have
declined invitations to become members will not be invited to sail.
The following shall be invited to join as First Mates:
| P.J. Carver (AN) - Acting Skipper | I. Vesty - Acting Skipper | ||
| D.F. Campailla | J.R. Lander | G.F. Butler | A.N. Smart |
| E.R. Nixon - Acting Skipper | D.R. Valentine | A.R. Smith (AN) | |
| K.G. Taylor | J.E. Flint | P.J. Coles | |
The following shall be invited to join as Mates:
| L.J. Bromley | G. Bromley | R. Smith | J.N. Cox |
| F.H. Cant | A. Davies | K.M. Roper | D. Kirby |
| G.R. Smith | F.C. Seal | J.Jewsbury | S.V. Tuff |
| P.. Atkinson | A.G. Halliday | C. Pritchard | P.J. Pole |
| C.D. Ragg | D. Lovatt | P.. Ratcliffe | J.G. Parker |
| R.R. Everett | D.C. Lambley | B. Houghton | E.W. Mason |
| D.C. Clements | C.W. Dunn | D. Hipwell | J.E. Hale |
C. CRUISING RULES
Cruises shall fall into two classes:
a) Cruises undertaken independently by skippers
b) Official cruises organised by the Club
In the case on independent cruises, skippers may fly
the Club Burgee, and shall be responsible, singly or in groups, for the
finance of their ships. If more than one skipper is flying the Burgee
at the same time, those skippers shall observe the cruising rules below.
The Club is prepared to organise and finance transport for groups of skippers
on independent cruises as they require it.
First Mates acting as skippers in a fleet containing
skippers will be allowed to fly the Club Burgee.
Official cruises will be financed on a common basis by the Club. It is suggested that the first of such cruises take place during the festival of Easter 1950. It is understood that in official cruises the financial arrangements will be such as to relieve strain on the skippers taking part.
In general, the following additions to normal sailing rules apply when two or more skippers are cruising under the Club Burgee:
When running, the overtaking yacht shall have the right to go to windward.
In the case of delay at swing bridges, the first yacht to approach shall be the
first yacht through.
Sailing rules shall be announced from time to time by the Commodore (or his Deputy) who shall have control over the movements of all ships sailing in the fleet.