James Heron – Chapter Captain
Harry Patterson – Chapter Vice Captain

Ireland Chapter AGM 2nd December 2023
Royal Irish yacht Club
Dun Laoghaire Co. Dublin

The 2023 AGM of the Ireland Chapter was held on the 2nd December 2023 at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

Instead of the usual evening event, I decided to hold the AGM in the middle of the day and this proved to be a good decision resulting in the event being very well attended with members travelling from as far afield as Belfast Lough in Northern Ireland and Cork in the South of Ireland. James Heron was elected Captain (Rodney Croly retiring) and Harry Patterson was elected Vice Captain.

After the business of the AGM was concluded, we were treated to a really excellent talk by Capt. John O’Leary, a Dublin man who was Chief Pilot in British Airways and who after retiring from BA became Safety Director in Ryanair. Instead of the usual sailing talk after such events, Capt. John gave us a fascinating insight into all things aeronautical including possible future developments in aviation such as single crew cockpits and AI in the cockpit! He also touched on technical issues regarding the Boeing Max and explained the processes and procedures which make aviation statistically such an exceptionally safe mode of transport. All agreed John’s presentation was fascinating, so much so we were still talking about it at the MOA Belfast AGM.

After the presentation we retired to the dining room where we were treated to a delicious lunch prepare by our club’s chef and served by the friendly catering staff. After lunch we retired to the drawing room for tea and coffee etc. and after spending some hours discussing all things nautical and aeronautical, we reluctantly made our way home after what had been a very successful AGM.

Rodney Croly
outgoing Chapter Captain