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"Mirror" Class Dinner. 

Cultra, 19 March 2005.

Gales of laughter on a misty evening

By Maurice Withers, Editor, "Spreader"

The Northern Area "Mirror" class dinner held at Royal North on 19 March - an evening characterised by considerable and unseasonal mist and fog throughout Belfast - was one of the most entertaining, humorous and memorable occasions of its kind to have been staged at the Club for a very long time indeed.

Those  attending were kept in uncontrollable stitches of laughter from the moment the guest speaker and Club member Mr.Victor Haslett took to the floor, to the moment he regained his seat.

As the evening wore on,  Mr. Haslett delivered joke after joke and anecdote after anecdote with the polished skill and impeccable timing of a professional comic - all of which was hugely appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed by the 53 members of the "Mirror" class attending.

Mr. Haslett is no stranger to after-dinner speeches.  He is the former chairman of Bangor Football Club, and if his previous speeches were as lively as the one he delivered on March 19 he would have been a highly popular and greatly admired chairman indeed.
                                      Best thing

He commented," My wife Sheila and I joined Royal North some time after moving to Cultra and I can honestly say it is the best thing we have done in a very long time. 

"I am thrilled to see so many young people involved are in sailing and in the 'Mirror' class in particular. My original impression was that this Club's age profile was heavily weighted in favour of more elderly members, but it is great to see that this is not the case at all.

"I understand there are now some 70,000 'Mirror' class dinghies sailing world wide - this is a very impressive figure indeed, to say the very least.

"A yacht club is about people, and a yacht club is about sailing classes.  Here at Royal North you have them both and I can only see this Club going from strength to strength in the years to come. 

"You have a very fine Club and I understand that the 'Mirror' class is flourishing. I regard it as a great honour to have been asked to speak to you tonight and I hope to be back again on future occasions. Keep it up - all of you!" he said.

Mr. Nigel Kearney, Northern representative of the "Mirror" class Association , commended on the enthusiasm of young crews who had taken part in the pre-2005 Season training programme which had been taking place in the waters off Cultra during the past eight Sunday afternoons.

"Some of those sessions were extremely cold indeed but I can honestly say the crews that went sailing on Belfast Lough those Sunday afternoons can only be admired. They learned a great deal from their coaches and I can only hope that during the forthcoming Season all of their ambitions on the water will be fulfilled."

Thanked

Nigel Kearney thanked Chris and Des Clayton, Michael Kearney, John Driscoll and Ruan O'Tiarnaigh for coaching the crews.  He also thanked members who operated the rescue boats and parents who ensured the young sailors arrived at Royal North in time and were treated to a hot meal in the Clubhouse afterwards. 

"The Northern 'Mirror' fleet is very much concentrated at Royal North at the moment," he said, but I hope that the word will get out and we will soon see other Clubs increasing the size of their 'Mirror' fleets soon. We know there are many 'Mirrors' out there and there are a lot of people who want to sail them - so let's get the numbers built up."

Mr. Kearney congratulated Woo Kearney, Ross Vaughan and Andrew Todd on joining the 29-strong Irish fleet which will be participating in the World Mirror Class championships in Sweden in August. He also welcomed two new boat owners to the Class - Catherine Vaughan and Andrew Todd.

New crews to the Class were also welcomed. "It is great to see you all taking part in Class events and I hope you will all become helms in due course," said Mr. Kearney, who also proposed the Loyal toast.

The meal was provided by the Club's resident caterers Knots Catering. The head of Knots Catering, Miss Lesley Armstrong,  had chosen a menu for the young sailors (it should be reported) that was undoubtedly worthy of a prestigious luncheon at Harland and Wolff following a 1950s launching of a Union Castle liner. It comprised smoked chicken Caesars salad for starters; a main course of roast stuffed loin of pork in an apple and dry cider sauce and mixed fruit pavlova for dessert.

The Royal North dining-room was looking its very best on  March 19 with colourful balloons adorning each of the seven tables (which were covered in impeccably ironed table cloths) and the soft lighting highlighting the yachting pictures on the surrounding walls.   

Two young "Mirror" sailors Zoe McCullough and Catherine Vaughan presented the wife of the guest speaker Mrs. Sheila Haslett with a bouquet of flowers.

Many of the young sailors who attended the dinner on Saturday resumed training the following afternoon….

Attending:-

Des Clayton,  Alma Clayton, Denis Todd (RNIYC Safety Officer), Rosemary Todd (RNIYC "Mirror" class sec.), Richard Goldstone, Ingrid Goldstone, Fiona Isherwood, Mike Hill, John Driscoll, Clea McKee, Mike Vaughan, Val Vaughan, John Metcalf, Alison Kearney, Michael Kearney, Kevin Rooney, Nicola Rooney, Conleth Rooney, Caoimhe Rooney, Daire Rooney, Adam Hill, Mark Gilmore, Ryan Gilmore, Erica Goldstone, Gavin Vaughan, Odile Vaughan, Neale McCullough, Wendy McCullough, Mark Gilmore, Una Gilmore, Mark Brien, Julie Brien, Julie Handley, Ross Kearney, Woo Kearney, Andrew Todd, Andrew Vaughan, Steven Nelson, Gemma Ferguson, Charlotte Luft, Rebecca Ferguson, Peter Todd, Adam McCullough, Craig Martin, Ross Vaughan, Patrick Luft, Catherine Vaughan, Zoe McCullough, Tiffany Brien and Jessica Brien.

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