| 12 September 2006, 11:42 am |
| No. 1 Wooden Spoon Yacht Squadron of Ulster |
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| The second outing of the WS Yacht Squadron kicked off at Strangford Lough Yacht Club, known locally as Whiterock, to the north of the Lough, on 16th of August. |
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 Over 140 crews and guests gathered for tea and coffee. The Squadron was led by the Joint Commodores, Willie John McBride and Jack Kyle, ably supported by Vice Commodore Jimmy Burns and Rear Commodore Colin Anderson. Further, each Squadron yacht had on board a rugby player, either old or new, ranging from obviously Jack Kyle himself and Willie John to the svelte figures of David Duckham, Tyrone Howe, Andy Ward, Trevor Ringland, Willie Duncan, his brother Stewart and stalwarts such as Billy Brown and even Tony Richards, the Deputy Chief Executive of Spoon. The inimitable Willie Duncan believed he was in Majorca and took a header off the yacht Andante, skippered by Tim Andrew, to find that yes, indeed, Strangford Lough was created by a glacier!
 So in spite of a few accidents en route, none too serious, the Squadron arrived in one of the most beautiful settings in the world, the Quoile Yacht Club in the south of the Lough. Almost landlocked, the Quoile Yacht Club nestles in an oasis of calm and serenity. Believe it or not some of the rugby internationals led the crews and guests of the yachts astray by imbibing en route, hence, with the sun splitting the skies, Quoile Yacht Club was doubly outstanding.
The ladies of Quoile supplied a seafood banquet fit for kings with the music of Alan Crawford and the occasional subtle tones of Bing Crosby (yes another Bing Crosby!). The day was remarkable, even the BBC did a live radio interview. The sight of the entire Squadron fully dressed alongside the pontoons of the Quoile Yacht Club with 150 people enjoying themselves all in a good cause made the whole day very worthwhile. The day really proved an outstanding event. The skippers and crews did the Squadron justice and they raised, after all expenses, in excess of £8,000 for the Wooden Spoon.
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| Author: Suzanne Doyle-Morris |
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