Friday 19 January
UPDATE – over 50 members and guests packed the club room for a great evening in the company of Dave Selby who stayed on after his talk to exchange stories with URYC members, It was a great success plus contributions made by members to gaincharity who Dave is supporting through his invaluable fundraising and awareness work.
Original post:
done A great night at Up River Yacht Club is in store as we welcome Dave Selby as our guest speaker. Dave’s articles appear every month in Practical Boat Owner – they are very funny and written from a truly local perspective featuring his infamous Sailfish 18 and mishaps on the Blackwater.
Come along and enjoy an evening in Dave’s company and enjoy his stories first hand.
To quote Dave, “You won’t learn a thing: that’s a promise, in fact a commitment. But we’ll all have fun and a night of laughter to remember.”
A man in tune with us Up River members with boats that regularly take the mud, either on purpose or (e’hem) accidentally. For the modest cost of just £3 a head, this is a rare treat and well worth inviting your friends too.
When
Friday 19 January, Dave will arrive at 20.00 hrs and after saying hi to everyone will be ‘on stage’ from 20.30 hrs
Where
Up River Yacht Club
Who
Dave Selby – check out his website please click here.
Good to know
Worth getting to the club early, especially if you have guests to find a seat or a comfortable spot by the bar.
‘Refreshments’
The bar is open and fully stocked for what may prove to be a busy night.
Let us know
Several members have already been in touch to confirm they are coming along. There is also a list on the Club Noticeboard. However if you can’t get to the club to put your name down it’s not essential to book in advance, but if you are thinking of coming please send a quick email to Graham. This will help the us when arranging the best seating layout and ensuring we have enough chairs and bar staff available. Grahams email address is grahamlazell@hotmail.com
Dave Selby is a passionate but useless sailor who’s been fumbling around the east coast for years in Marlin, his 18-ft Sailfish, without dying once.
In 2016 the PBO columnist set his horizons further afield, heading off on Marlin’s Mission to sail 340 miles up the Thames to London and on to Southampton to exhibit his boat at The Southampton Boat Show. The aim was to demonstrate that cost is no barrier to getting afloat, that in this day and age sailing has never been more affordable. Another impetus of Marlin’s Mission was to raise money for charity.
In 2012 Dave was struck down by a rare viral condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. In Dave’s case it means that the messages stop getting through to his legs every four weeks or so; then he spends three days in hospital where antibodies from the blood of 800 donors are pumped into him to restore his legs.
So far Dave has raised over £9000 for the charity (gaincharity.org.uk) that funds research into this rare illness and provides support for those with it. Dave has also launched his first sailing book, The Impractical Boat Owner, a light-hearted commentary on “the yachting condition,” charting his meteoric rise from total novice to complete incompetent. “Everything I haven’t learned is in there,” says Dave proudly. Dave will be telling the tale of his adventures and signing copies of his book.
Message from Graham
Cost for the evening is £3 per person payable on the night.
There is a list on clubhouse noticeboard to add names to, but don’t worry if you can’t get down to add your name just turn up on the night.
Should be an entertaining night, lets see if we can pack the club out. Pretty sure we have some stories to share with Dave as well.
Images used in this article are from Dave Selby with full acknowledgement given for our grateful use and a link to his website.