Regional Committee

Principal Officers

Regional Secretary - Richard Taylor

Richard Taylor retired in 2010 after a varied career spanning marketing, management consultancy and electrical engineering. For 10 years he worked with Oyster Marine in Ipswich, where he was involved
in sales, health and safety, personnel, and the organisation of their world-wide boat show programme including both London (Excel) and Southampton. As an active member of the West Mersea Yacht Club, Richard was treasurer for nearly 20 years as well as doing a stint as Vice Commodore. He served 12 years as a crew member and helmsman of the West Mersea lifeboat, in which he reckons to have participated in over 100 “shouts”.

 Secretary - RYA Eastern Region
10 Brickhouse Close
West Mersea
Colchester
CO5 8LA
tel: 01206 382843  mobile 07815 737319
email: crtaylor@btconnect.com

Chairman - Fiona Wylie

Fiona is Regional Chairman and represents the National Schools Sailing Association (NSSA) on the committee. Having been a classroom teacher, she now works as a home tutor with children excluded from school for health or behavioural reasons.

Fiona was an active team racer when at Oxford; captaining the ladies’ university sailing team for two years. With umpteen ocean races under her belt, including 17 Fastnets (she holds the record for a woman), and a host of North Sea races, Channel races, a double-handed Round Britain Race with Mary Falk and a fully crewed one on Clarionet.

Fiona’s now more involved with race management with RORC, East Coast regattas and the recent Sail for Gold 2008 regatta at Weymouth. A member of RORC (she was rear commodore from ’82 to ’84), Pin Mill SC and the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC), Fiona has twice sat on the RYA governing council, first as a personal members’ representative and then as official RYA East delegate. For several years she was Sailability organiser for the region.

Fiona Wylie
Chairman - RYA Eastern Region
13 Woodlands
Chelmondiston
Ipswich
IP9 1DT

Tel 01473 780965 Mobile  07860 691905

Vice Chairman and Regional Communicator - Garth Cooper

Garth has been on the Regional Committee since early 2001 when he was appointed Regional Communicator. He is regional vice-chairman and chairman of the Regional Training Panel and seems to get involved in most sub-committees. He's a member of the East Anglian Sailing Trust (E.A.S.T.) disabled sailing centre. He also helps run the family farm in Norfolk.A full-time marine writer and author, he's technical correspondent of Anglia Afloat, technical editor of East Coast Sailing, co-author of East Coast Pilot and Where Land Meets Sea, published by Imray. A member of Haven Ports Yacht Club (HPYC), he sails a 34 ft Kim Holman-designed classic yacht.

 

Garth Cooper
Regional Communicator RYA Eastern Region
Home Farm
Whinburgh
Dereham
Norfolk
NR19 1QR

Tel 01362 699195 Mob 07836 530970

Treasurer - Peter Woods 

Peter Woods has been on the Committee for eight years as a representative of BACSPA and has served as Regional Treasurer for four years. He retired from banking in 1996 after 34 years and now has a part time job with Essex Ambulance Service. He’s married with three married daughters and four grandchildren.

Peter’s been sailing for 54 years having started in Fleetwind dinghies at Maldon and after progressing through a number of sailing cruisers now owns a Hallberg Rassy 342 that he sailed with his wife back from Sweden in 2006 and then went round Britain in 2007. Peter also helps to raise funds for the RNLI and has been Treasurer of the Maldon branch for over 30 years.

He’s been a member of Maldon Little Ship Club for 54 years and is also a member of Bradwell Cruising Club.

Peter Woods
Treasurer RYA Eastern Region
1 Wellington Road
Maldon
Essex
CM9 6HL

Tel 01621 853015