Displaying items by tag: New Elder Brethren

17th October 2023

New Elder Brethren Welcomed by General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales & Channel Islands

The General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England, Wales, Channel Islands and Gibraltar, Trinity House has welcomed three new Elder Brethren.

At a meeting of its Court today, 17 October, Trinity House swore in the three new Elder Brethren: Captain Fran Collins, Commodore Duncan Lamb and Rear Admiral Iain Lower joined the Court, the maritime corporation’s uppermost level of governance.

Captain Fran Collins MNM

Fran joined Red Funnel as CEO in June 2018, having spent over 20 years in the Merchant Navy.

Fran’s career as a seafarer started with a dual cadetship at South Tyneside College sponsored by Shell Shipping, qualifying in 1997 with both Deck and Engineer (Steam & Motor) licences.

In 2008, Fran transferred into shore-based management and since then has continued to develop her career through several executive roles that have included operational management, business leadership and the delivery of major strategic projects, several of which involved significant and extensive stakeholder management.

Alongside her role as CEO at Red Funnel, Fran also provides support to Saga Cruises as a Non-Executive Director as well as being an active member of a number of industry bodies at a strategic level, including the Department for Transport’s Clean Maritime Council and the Isle of Wight’s Chamber of Commerce.

In November 2019, Fran received the Merchant Navy Medal for her contribution to the shipping industry.

Commodore Duncan Lamb CMMar AFNI RFA (Retd.)

Duncan retired as Head of Service for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (COMRFA) in October 2020. In this role he was responsible for the safe operation of the flotilla and the recruitment, training and management of 1,900 UK civilian mariners.

As part of the Royal Navy’s senior management, he was the Senior Responsible Owner for replacement fleet tankers, a £560 million project within the Government’s Major Programme Portfolio that delivered four ships into service during 2016-19. He was involved in a comprehensive personnel change programme for the RFA that he then delivered as COMRFA. An advocate for diversity and inclusion, he was an early signatory to Maritime UK’s Women in Maritime initiatives and senior ethnicity champion for Navy Command HQ.

Since retiring, he remains professionally active and is a Warden of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners (HCMM) and an advisor for the RNRM Charity. He chairs the Chartered Master Mariner Registration Authority, which governs Chartership on behalf of HCMM and the Nautical Institute.

Rear Admiral Iain Lower CB MA AFNI

Following the announcement by Trinity House in September that Rear Admiral Iain Lower had been nominated to succeed Captain Ian McNaught in February 2024 as the Deputy Master of the Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of the General Lighthouse Authority, he was sworn in as an Elder Brother in advance of February’s Court meeting.

Iain joins Trinity House from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission following a distinguished career in the Royal Navy.

On promotion to Rear Admiral, Iain became the Royal Navy’s Director of Strategy, Policy, and External Affairs. An executive member of the Navy Board, he was responsible for strategic planning, policy alignment, international liaison, reputation management and public affairs including relations across Whitehall, think-tanks, academia, and the maritime sector.

At the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, as the Director of Strategy, Communications & Commonwealth Affairs, he led the development and implementation of the new organisational strategy. Iain is also a trustee of The Seafarers’ Charity.

Welcoming the new members to the Court, Deputy Master Captain Ian McNaught said: “I am pleased that we are able to build upon the Court’s strengths with the experience and intellect that Fran, Duncan and Iain bring as new members. The Court oversees the Lighthouse Board and the Corporate Board, and so it is important to us that we bring fresh new perspectives and insights to the table, to ensure that we are operating at our best when we provide our best-in-class safety at sea and maritime welfare and training services.

“I look forward to working with them, and wish to express my gratitude to them for joining our organisation.”

Trinity House is a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers, providing education, support and welfare to the seafaring community with a statutory duty as a General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) to deliver a reliable, efficient and cost-effective aids to navigation service for the benefit and safety of all mariners.

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

At A Glance - National Yacht Club 2024 Events