Malahide Yacht Club has announced the appointment of Brian McDowell as Sailing Development Manager, a newly created position which will be a critical element of an ambitious development strategy for the Club to make sailing more accessible to the public, better utilise its modern Dinghy Sailing Centre facilities at the Broadmeadows, provide more sail training courses and further encourage membership growth.
Among his responsibilities will be the organisation of junior and adult dinghy sailing and training on the Broadmeadows, and keelboat sailing from the Lower Estuary.
A highly experienced sailor and long-time member of the Club who in the past has been MYC's Junior Affairs Officer and Sailing Development Officer, Brian was also the Project Manager in the construction of the new Dinghy Sailing Centre opened a year ago as part of its development strategy.
The paid post of Sailing Development Manager is an unusual step for a club the size of Malahide, but the MYC Executive Committee felt it was needed if it was to properly fulfill its commitment to open the sport up to a wider audience.
"We believe we couldn't achieve these objectives through voluntary effort alone," said Commodore Bob Sugrue "so we have gone down this route. Brian's experience, his vision for the future and his enthusiasm marked him out as the right person for the task and we are pleased to have him on board as we go forward."