The General Committee

Jo Barnard – Commodore

With Chris Barnard being a keen sailor Jo was lucky enough to grow up at the ferry and Chris ensured Jo could sail and row from an early age. Weekends and summer holidays were always spent at the ferry staying on the houseboat or Alvista, and whilst Dad raced Mum would be cooking the galley. As a teenager Jo enjoyed cruising to Holland and Belgium on Callidus before working overseas for UNHCR and UNICEF.Over the years Jo has been involved at the club to support Chris when he served as Commodore on 3 occasions and also when Diana was social secretary.Jo is enjoying being involved in the running of the club and also enjoys being back on the water, sailing and rowing I also race for Stour Sailing Club – rowing. In 2023 Jo completed her PB2 and learnt lot managing the beach during the Firefly National.
As Commodore I will be working hard to encourage you all back into the club; the pandemic sadly changed our routines.

Contact via commodore@ffsc.co.uk

Bob Bennett – Vice Commodore

Having served on the Club in the past aa a Rear Commodore, Vice Commodore and Commodore, I am once again on the Committee in a familiar role and also as a Director. Watersports have been a passion for longer than I can remember, principally as a yachtsman competing in many RORC and EAORA series over the years. More recently I have taken up wind-surfing and paddle-boarding; activities which I regret not have started when i was much younger (and fitter!)

Contact via vicecommodore@ffsc.co.uk

Joe Read – Rear Commodore (Water)

Coming Soon!

Contact via sailing@ffsc.co.uk

Open position – Rear Commodore (House)

Roger Lewis – Secretary

Roger first started sailing in 1972 in a Mirror dinghy in Dover. He sailed at FFSC in 1976 during the National Schools Sailing Team Championships and later in 1999 during the Laser 5000 Open Meeting. He later joined the club in 2003 and has previously been Sailing Captain and Rear Commodore (Sailing). He competitively races his RS400 and has cruised the Suffolk and Essex coasts and rivers a Pandora 22.

Contact via secretary@ffsc.co.uk

Carol Gant – Treasurer

Coming soon!

Contact via treasurer@ffsc.co.uk

Donald Sloan – Membership Secretary

I’ve been a member at FFSC since 2016 and I’ve greatly enjoyed sailing here and making friends with the members. I’m originally from Glasgow and I worked for BT at Martlesham for 36 years as a software developer until February 2022 when I retired. I volunteered to be membership secretary because my skills are a good fit for the role and I’d like to serve this great club. I’m a keen catamaran sailor (Dart 15) doing most Wednesday races and as many Saturday sailing in company as I can given my other commitments, as well as Open Meeting and National events. My wife is a Curate the C of E and I’m church warden and treasurer in All Hallows Church Ipswich.

Contact via membership@ffsc.co.uk

Extended Committee

Jane Billing – Publicity Officer

I have been a member since 1966. My father (Patrick Billing) was a keen firefly sailor and active member of the club back in the day. He encouraged me to sail at age 10. I did my RYA certificates around that time. I sailed ‘Mirrors’ at the club for around 5 years, winning the FFSC ladies race/cup during that time. I then had a break to do my exams and returned to sailing ‘Larks’ around age 25. The club had a water skiing section, which I joined in for many years. I don’t sail dinghies anymore, but am very much part of the club, doing the Wednesday night race office during the Summer and I help out on the shore with National championship and Open meeting events. I have also been social secretary and secretary over the years. My business Billie Box sponsors the club too.

Contact via publicity@ffsc.co.uk

Open Position – Social Secretary

Josh Fisk – Sailing Captain

Josh has been a club member since 2016 starting off with youth sailing learning in Wayfarers and soon moving up to sail RS Fevas and Laser 2000s. He then started racing in Laser 1s and later Dart 15s and 18s. Now he is Sailing Captain who spends time organising events for the club members including Wednesday Night Racing, Sailing in Company, Dinghy Cruises and Open Events. He also manages the dinghy park and hire of the club boats.

Andy Robinson – Yacht Captain

I was born and grew up in Margate where my mum and dad sailed, my dad being commodore of Margate Yacht Club on two occasions.

I started sailing in a GP14 with my dad from the age of three, it was not until I was ten that I started helming a mirror dinghy attending my first championship in 1974, the mirror southern areas with over 100 boats.

From mirrors I progressed to GP14, laser and then a fireball. When my son Mark was young, I bought another mirror which we club sailed at Margate before progressing onto a Miracle. When my job moved to Ipswich in 1993 I joined FFSC, initially sailing a laser before buying my first Dart 18. With over 30 years of dart sailing at the club including numerous world and national championships and a short time sailing F18 I progressed to a yacht.

My yacht sailing started in the 1970s with my dad including a number of holidays in Holland followed by more recently crewing experience with David Robertson in his Ketch Nina Soraya. Having sailed over 5,000 miles in Nina I decided to buy Ocean Dancer a Moody 376 in 2021.

I hope I bring some enthusiasm and act as a focal point as yacht captain, but I am always involved in the clubs activities.

Alan Rutterford – Training Centre Manager

Alan sailed regularly at the ferry from 1959 to 1965 when he moved away. He resumed sailing at Felixstowe in 1984 when he took the First Felixstowe Sea Scouts sailing fromthe beach,in front of the Victoria. He quickly joined the club again and together with Mike Tehan and Betty Smith started Felixstowe Ferry Youth Sailing. Between 2001 and 2016 he wasmanager at Bawdsey Quay Watersports. He is an RYA Senior Instructor and Advanced Power Boat Instructor and is passionate about getting people on the water enjoying themselves safely and training them to acquire skills in dinghies, catamarans and powerboats. He is the principal of the FFSC RYA Recognised Training Centre.

Contact via training@ffsc.co.uk

Paul Smith – Youth Sailing

Paul has been an active club member since 2007 when he joined Youth Sailing as an adult helper, progressing to senior instructor and group leader at various times. He has been a trustee and secretary of Youth Sailing since February 2010 and represented Youth Sailing on the general committee since 2018. He previously sailed a Laser 2000 and joined the yachting fraternity in 2016 with Freya (Pandora Mk1), upgrading to Roamer (Seamaster 815) in 2018. As the Youth Sailing representative, he wants to ensure that the young sailors, who are the future of the club, are well represented on behalf of the Youth Sailing committee, that the club is a viable business concern, and that the committee is equally representative of all members of the club.

Contact via youthsailing@ffsc.co.uk