Regional Committee

Chris Edwards - Immediate Past chairman

Chris was elected chairman of the Eastern Regional Committee in 2006, having represented BACSPA since he became its chairman in 2000. He also chairs the RYA Planning and Environmental Committee.

After a career in the Royal Navy from which he retired as a Weapons Engineer Commander, he spent eight years writing computer software and then joined the Design Council as head of personnel; finally retiring in 2005.

Chris has been a member of Tollesbury Cruising Club since 1995, has served as a flag officer and in1999/2000 Commodore of the Club.Having learnt to sail in Fireflys in the early fifties he’s now the permanent crew and navigator on the Westerly Oceanquest Calidris sailing out of the Blackwater, regularly cruising in the North Sea and Channel.

Chris Edwards
9 Woodrolfe Park
Tollesbury
Maldon
Essex
CM9 8TB

Tel 01621 868834 Fax 01621862615

Members Elected by Area Associations

Terry Corner - Council member

Terry is a commercial power and sailing Yachtmaster. He represents the Royal Naval Sailing Association (RNSA) on the regional committee and is a Personal Members’ representative on the RYA Council, is a member of the RYA Cruising and Government Affairs Committee (CGAC) and is the Eastern Region representative and chairman of the Offshore and Coastal Consultative Panel (OCCP). Terry is a retired member of Royal Naval Reserve, former chairman of the RNSA (East Coast Unit) and a past commodore of Royal Harwich Yacht Club (RHYC).

In his spare time he leads the Harwich Lifeboat Sea Safety team delivering sea safety messages to all sectors of the marine community. Terry sails a Nonsuch Ultra 30, currently berthed in the Netherlands.

Terry Corner
Tel 01473 730970 Mobile  07711 576843

John Crisp

John Crisp represents the Association of Nene River Clubs and says he started sailing on a ditch with a friend in a punt rigged with potato sack sails! Later he joined Peterborough YC and acquired a National 12 in which he admits to occasionally winning races.

He was Commodore of PYC from 1971 to ’73 and has looked after the coffers as treasurer since 1986. He’s been an RYA Shorebased Instructor since 1976.

Now he sails a Westerly Storm out of the Deben at Woodbridge. He’s been a member of the committee for eight years.

John Crisp
Tel 01733 566468

Ted Evans

Ted is one of two representatives for HASA on the Regional Committee. He is immediate past Commodore of the Woodbridge Cruising Club (having been Treasurer for six years), and currently East Coast Organiser of the Hillyard Owners Association, Treasurer and Trustee of the Arthur Ransome Society (TARS), and with his wife Diana, joint secretaries of the East Region of TARS.

He sails and maintains two Hillyards, a 4 tonner Twinkler (1922), one of the first to be built, and a 6 tonner, Ragged Robin III, first owned by Arthur Ransome in 1951/2 when it was then called Lottie Blossom. Ted and Diana have sailed Ragged Robin extensively in the Netherlands, Denmark, Northern Germany the Scillies and Brittany. He has no spare time!

Ted Evans
Tel 01394 388295

Martyn Garnsey

Martyn Garnsey represents the Association of Yacht Clubs of Southend-on-Sea. Martyn got his first sailing dinghy, an Albacore, in 1970 (age 7) and at the same time joined Benfleet Yacht Club. He moved up to a Dragonfly pocket cruiser in ’72 and the same year took on the position of Sailing Secretary. Two years later he switched to a Kestrel 22 in which he cruised the East Coast until 1981 when he bought the Holman 26 Canewdon Witch (his favourite boat). In 1995 he bought a Jeanneau Arcadia lift keel, which he still owns.

He joined the regional committee representing the clubs in the Southend area in 1990 and is a past vice-chairman. He’s an RYA Dayboat and Dinghy Instructor (tidal).

Martyn Garnsey
Tel 01702 201596 mobile 07860 681633

Janet Gilmour

Janet Gilmour represents the Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association (NBSA). Janet joined the Regional Committee in 2002. After first sailing a dinghy on holiday in Greece in 1981, she joined Buckenham Sailing Club (BSC) on the River Yare in Norfolk and has enjoyed racing on one of the finest stretches of river on the Broads ever since. For many years she owned and raced a Javelin and now owns and races a Leader.

She has been a committee member of BSC since 1985 and has held positions of Sailing Secretary and Commodore. She produces the club’s Year Book and co-organises the annual Buckenham to Breydon and Back passage race for fast dinghies, a race started when she was Commodore in 1992.

She was appointed to the NSBA General Purposes Committee in 1999.

Janet Gilmour
Tel 01986 896017 mobile 0986 896017

William Hadley

William Hadley represents the Crouch-based clubs as one of two Crouch Area Yachting Federation (CAYF) delegates. William is a printer and marine photographer and lives with his wife Liesl and four young children at South Woodham Ferrers. The family are members of Eyott Sailing Club, and sail Toppers, Herons or Miracle dinghies as often as the tides will allow.

William started sailing at Stone on the Blackwater as a youngster before the family moved to the Isle of White and he sailed a variety of boats on the Solent. When not on the water he can be found deep under the surface scuba diving. In 2006 he funded the RNLI D-Class lifeboat – The William Hadley – D653 – stationed at Mabelthorpe, Lincs by running several marathons and cycling ‘uphill’ from Lands End to John O’Groats.

William Hadley
Tel 01268 533121  mobile 07974 933040

Tony James

Tony James represents the Harwich Area Sailing Association (HASA) on the regional committee. A retired chartered accountant he’s been chairman of the Association and is now its treasurer. Tony is a past double commodore of Royal Harwich Yacht Club and for five years was club president.

A life long dinghy and keelboat racer he regularly races an Ajax 23 at RHYC, of which club he is a life member, as well as cruising the North Sea coasts in his 10-metre Buchanan Ketch.



Tony James
Tel 01473 328596

Geoff Parrish

Geoff Parrish represents the Great Ouse Boating Association.

Geoff Parrish
Tel 01353 740420

Peter Waghorn

Peter Waghorn represents the Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Area Association. Peter Waghorn is one of the longest serving members of Regional Committee having been elected by his area association back in the early '90s.

Peter has been a member of Grafham Water Sailing Club since 1973 becoming Commodore in 1986. He’s also been chairman of the sailing committee and the open meeting co-ordinator for a number of years until 2002. He is also a Club Race Officer and has run his area association regatta for a number of years and is an active club racer in the Flying Fifteen fleet at Grafham. He is also very involved in his 'other' sport of cycling and still promotes cycle racing at the Gosling Sports Park velodrome near his home in Welwyn Garden City.

Peter Waghorn
Tel 01707 327011

Geoff Town

Geoff Town represents Herts and the  West Essex area

Geoff Town
Tel 01277 821355