On behalf of the Club, the Commodore congratulated Mr. Mark Dowding who had been nominated to receive the Noel Croucher Award for Sailing for his truly exceptional contribution to the Club and the sport of sailing over many years.
Mark has a penchant for the more challenging roles on the water. He can often be seen on the foredeck of a number of the big boat fleet.
This willingness to take on less glamorous jobs has led him to develop his mark laying skills; he has been senior mark layer at numerous important club events including Hong Kong Race Week. Mark now runs mark laying courses with Barry Truhol, and is a member of the Race Management Sub Committee. Young members will recognise him as the regular Race Officer for the Alma Mater and Po Toi Challenge.
However, the most demanding of the tasks that he has tackled and for which he has been recognised with this award, is that of managing and coordinating the Etchells 555 Program. Mark has held this position for more than three years during which time more than 100 individuals have been given the opportunity to develop their sailing skills on an Etchells.
Sailing with a new crew each week takes a great deal of patience on one of the more complicated class boats. As well as teaching and mentoring on the water, Mark also coordinates the 555 crew list making sure that the program provides crew for class and big boats that are in need. It is to his credit that 555 had a 100% sailing record last year and was the most used Etchells in the fleet.
The Commodore invited Mr Mark Dowding to come forward to receive the Noel Croucher Award 2024 for his outstanding contribution to sailing.