All the members of the board of the Caribbean Sailing Association would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing president Cary Byerley and outgoing secretariat Petra Gilders for their many years of service to the association.
As with many associations which are voluntary, it can be very difficult to gain not only feedback and direction from the members but also their support. In her six year tenure as President, Cary kept the CSA torch burning at times with very little help or support from the wider group. The advent of the Annual Regatta Organisers Conference, behind which Cary was the driving force, without doubt, enabled members of sailing organizations across the Caribbean to form a tight and worthwhile network of industry professionals from whom we can seek support when needed.
Cary has gone on to be elected Group O Council representative for the Caribbean along with Hector Duval from the Dominican Republic and will continue to be a positive influence on Sailing in the Caribbean. Group O represents 23 member national authorities on the ISAF council including the central Americas and represents member nation opinion at ISAF meetings. Of her new role Cary says, ‘ I am honoured to have been elected to the role and look forward to representing the region along with Hector to ensure our needs are met in the future decision making process taking place at ISAF. Of course there is also an element of learning on the job, but I will continue to use new media to share what is happening with member nations.’ Cary invites us all to keep up to date with what is happening on their official Facebook page ISAF Group O.
Petra Gilders was recruited by Cary and there began her five year production of the CSA newsletter which reached a staggering 57 editions. It started off as one(1) page sheet and quickly grew into a five (5) page newsletter chock full of Caribbean Sailing News. She worked with Cary on planning, layout and content of the newsletters.
Petra’s commitment to the value of the newsletter is reflected on her parting words to the CSA: “I implore regatta organizers to keep their websites up to date with press releases and photos during and immediately after their events to ensure that participants get to relive events on their return home. They also need to ensure they send their releases to the CSA so that they can continue to be shared across the region and the world”.
A big thank you from all of us and the Caribbean sailing community in general to Cary and Petra for their relentless hard work over the last few years and your generous contribution to the sport of sailing in our region. We look forward to more exciting things to come from you both.
