Some of the key members of the 2023 organising team that participants are likely to meet during an event. To ensure the event is a success there are of course many others including assistant race officers, and rescue boat crews who give their time willingly.
Jan Allen
Merchandise
Jan has sailed and raced in the local waters of the Fal for many years. St Mawes One Designs have been her classic dinghy of choice. Today teaching her grandchildren and other youngsters to enjoy sailing is very close to her heart. She is likely to be aboard her family boat “Bullseye” during the event, one of the mark boats for the Parade of Sail and Power.
Kristian Butler
Berthing Master
Originally from Exmouth and a long standing member of the Exe sailing club, Kristian studied in Falmouth and was one of the founder members of the Universities sailing club. He moved back to Cornwall in 2016 and started working for Falmouth Haven. He is now a permanent employee of the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners and looks after all conservancy in the Fal area.
He owns a beautiful Heard 28 and has previously had a Heard 20, Tamarisk 29 and for some mad reason tried a Westerly Centaur (didn’t get on with the rig). Kristian is always around the harbour and happy to help anyone, he believes the Classics is the greatest festival Falmouth has to offer, especially now it runs alongside the Falmouth International Shanty Festival. He will be pleased to welcome you in the Haven on your arrival.
Malcolm Clark
Race Results
During Falmouth Classics I’m responsible for the collation and generation of the daily and overall results, and their publication in time for prize-giving. Most years we do this afloat and publish remotely. I usually also assist with the Parade of Sail, identifying and recording participants. I also score and publish the Falmouth Sailing Week results, and am responsible for Flushing Sailing Club’s results. I seem to have been doing this for a long time.
He has used his safety boat experience to manage regatta Past Commodore of Banbury Sailing Club, located about as far from the sea as you can get.
Patrick Clarke
Safety Officer
Patrick is a keen yachtsman and dinghy sailor mainly in racing gained during a successful and enjoyable 36-year Army career. Since leaving the service he has been involved in sailing and powerboat instruction for the Falmouth School of Sailing, RNAS Culdrose and Southwest Powerboating.
He has used his safety boat experience to manage regatta safety, especially for major events in Falmouth. Patrick is a regular dinghy racer at Restronguet SC and in the past has sailed a gaffer successfully in the Round the Island Race. His first involvement with Falmouth Classics was in 2013. He is also voluntary member of Falmouth Lifeboat Visits Team.
Don Garman
Vice Chairman, Media, PR and Sponsorship, Berthing Master and South West Gaffers’ Representative
Don has been involved with the Classics both as a participant and as a member of the organising team from 2014. He and his wife sail “Mary Ritchie” a 27’ carvel gaff cutter, moored on the Helford and built by John Fuge of Golant in 1992. They have owned her for 25 years and have regularly raced in club and Old Gaffers Association events and cruised on the East Coast and to the Netherlands.
Gilly Grigg
Regatta Office
Gilly, as a teenager, learnt to sail small boats in the Solent with her father. Life and work took her away from the sea until 3 years ago when she moved to Falmouth and rekindled her love of the sea.
Gilly joined the RCYC and became an active member of the social committee, she also helped organise the social calendar for the AZAB 2019. As a boat buddy for this event she became great friends with her participants and was invited to join them in their home country to celebrate their achievement of completing the AZAB race.
Regular involvement with the RCYC Meanderers has enabled Gilly to enjoy sailing in some beautiful and varied yachts. She has recently acquired part ownership of a Devon Yawl and hopes to enjoy the fantastic sailing of the Fal and Helford estuaries.
Paul Hobson
Deputy Safety Officer
Paul joined the team in 2018. He has been messing around in boats in Falmouth for the last half century, having also kept boats on the East Coast and the Solent. He now attempts to sail “Tehidy”, a 40 year old cutter rigged Rossiter Pintail, (his third Rossiter!). Paul is also involved with organising the annual Point and Penpol Regatta.
Holly Latham
Small Boat Parade Director and Social Media
Holly has participated in the Falmouth Classics for the last few years before joining the committee in 2018. Qualified as a marine biologist, she grew up messing about in boats from a very young age but only came into the traditional maritime community of Falmouth relatively recently, assisting in running one of the local boatyards before striking out on her own in Cornwall’s traditional boatbuilding fold. She lives aboard her well-known Cornish lugger Veracity, which she has sailed around Cornwall and the Brittany coast, and of course in the Falmouth Classics – between busy periods of refit!
Kaye Price
Chief Race Officer
Kaye began her sailing in 1970, first in dinghies and later a Sadler 25 and a Contessa 32 with all women crews both racing and cruising. She has owned a gaffer and sailed with the Solent region of the OGA and has also crewed on a selection of traditional boats. Long distance racing has included the two handed AZAB and Round Britain and Ireland.
Kaye is an RYA Regional Race Officer. As well as assisting with the Falmouth Classics, Kaye is also involved in organizing club racing and acting as a Falmouth Week Race officer. She currently owns a Westerly Longbow, which is used for local sailing when she is not on a race committee boat!
Henry Roberts
Past Chairman
Henry’s boating background includes 32 years’ service with the Royal Naval Reserve as well as serving as a flag officer of Royal Cornwall Yacht Club and holding an RYA Regional Race Officer qualification. He is proud to have chaired the team that moved a single day sailing event with mostly local entrants, into a top class rally and regatta, covering three days and holding its own with the best of the French classic rallies.
With the support of the team he is committed to the improvement of the event as a whole, whilst doing his With the support of the team, he is committed to the improvement of the event as a whole, whilst doing his utmost to see that costs to participants are kept to a minimum by providing sponsors with the maximum benefit for their companies. Having retired as Chairman, he cannot leave Classics alone and fills in where ever there is a need.
Viv Rose
Parade Director
Viv, a new member of the Classics team, will be responsible for organising the Parade of Sail and Power. Although he has been offshore and coastal sailing for many years, Viv doesn’t have too much experience of classic yachts. He’s just happy to give up some of his time to lend a hand and will take the hit on his golf handicap!
Robert Talbot
Deputy Race Officer
Robert learned to sail on Frensham Pond in Surrey and developed his dinghy sailing skills at school before leading his College sailing team. His career in engineering and project management took him around the world, sailing in Indonesia, California, Texas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi where he was privileged to crew on bigger boats.
His interest in Race Management began in 2016 when he was asked to help run the St Feock and Pill Creek (Loe Beach) Regatta. He now Chairs the team responsible for that regatta and helps to organise Falmouth Sailing Week, assisting with the Carrick Fleet racing.
Sue Treneer
Event Administration
Sue started sailing in Falmouth at the age of 8, and has continued racing and cruising in Cadets, Sunbeams, and a variety of yachts ever since, both locally and long distance, including the Fastnet.
Many years as Sailing Secretary of Mylor Yacht Club, working within Port of Falmouth Sailing Association, and over 30 years racing in a working boat, led to her involvement with the first Classics in 1987. She has enjoyed participating in running the event and is very pleased to still be involved.
Keith Tullet
Chairman and Sponsorship
Keith has a long-lasting involvement with classic boats, having previously owned a Maurice Griffiths designed Barbican 33 and since 2005 a 13 ton Hillyard. He was involved with the first of the new era Falmouth Classics as an officer of the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club and hosted the events when he was commodore between 2013 and 2016. After a two-year holiday he was persuaded to return in 2018 as chairman.
Keith and his wife Lynne now keep their 1974 13 ton Hillyard “Vivona” in Brest and attend many of the Breton classic boat festivals from Binic, around the coast and down to the Golfe of Morbihan. At future Falmouth Classics Keith may be found crewing on his son’s 1964 18 ton Hillyard, if “Vivona” is still in Brittany. They also have a 12 foot clinker lugger, presently under repair.
Chris Williams
Treasurer
An interest in promoting sailing events in Falmouth resulted in involvement with the Falmouth Classics. He usually crews on a participating yacht. Chris is a member of Mylor Yacht Club, Restronguet Sailing Club and the Treasurer of Port of Falmouth Sailing Association. He often holidays in Brittany and enjoys visiting the classic events.
Melissa Williams
Advertising and Marketing of the Maritime Village
Having spent many years involved in skippering large traditional sailing boats around the West Country, Scotland and Brittany and also competing in Falmouth Classics regattas, Melissa is now looking forward to getting involved in the organisation of the event. During the event she is likely to be out on the water on her Nordic Folkboat “Orzel”.
