HISTORY
The Club was founded in 1948, to promote the association of RAE and attached personnel, having a common interest in sailing and seamanship. It continues to operate in a similar role today offering many of the same benefits to its members. The club is now open to anyone.
What does CODY stand for?
We get this question a lot – and the name of the club is derived from the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough’s employees’ Sports and Social Club, which is called the Cody Sports and Social Club, in memory of the pioneer of commercial aviation Samuel Franklin Cody. Naturally, when one of the subsidiary sports clubs was formed as a sailing club, it was called Cody Sailing Club. Rumours that it stands for Cruising Of Dinghies and Yachts are completely unfounded, yet uncannily accurate.
ACTIVITIES
Amongst our members, currently numbering over 50, there are the usual widely divergent interests, from the really keen racing helms, through to the non-boat owner, who nevertheless likes to come and talk boats and sailing at our winter meetings. We try to offer something for everyone with the following Activities:
Dinghy Racing
The members of the Dinghy Section can join the existing racing using club boats at Frensham Pond SC.
Dinghy Cruising
One of the most popular features of the Club’s activities is the programme of dinghy cruises and beach days which take place in the Solent and surrounding waters. The dinghy cruising programme usually includes camping weekends (e.g. at Chichester Harbour and Rutland Water) and an extended camping and sailing holiday somewhat further afield, such as the West Country, Wales or Scotland. These events are always extremely popular with members and offer a pleasant mix of sailing and social activities.
Nearly all the weekend cruises are on the Solent where the wind is less fluky than at Frensham Pond and waves and tides add an extra dimension.
The number of boats being taken is sometimes limited by the number of towbars, so if you have one on your car, you may be in demand. People that aren’t towing boats usually pile into the towing cars to share the cost of petrol and make the event more sociable. Really keen sailors spend the whole journey listening for weather forecasts and trying to tune into Radio Solent for the local outlook, while the rest of us just prepare for the coming day of events! As long as the wind is not too strong, the cruise generally goes ahead as planned, but if the forecast is bad the previous evening or the forecast changes overnight then all participants are informed that the sail is off.
A set of waterproofs is required by everyone. Wetsuits, drysuits and special boots etc are worn by some, but they are not essential during Summer months. The essentials are: packed lunch including plenty of water/squash/hot drink, soft-soled shoes (e.g. deck strollers, trainers etc), a set of spare clothes, waterproof jacket and trousers, sun-cream, and a small amount of money for petrol sharing and drinks at the pub/ice creams on the beach. If you are planning to sail with us when the waters are cold we will strongly recommend that you protect yourself from Cold Shock by wearing the appropriate clothing.
Once down at the coast, everybody wakes up again and the boats are rigged; this is a good exercise for learning the ropes as the boats are completely dismantled for the journey and the skippers invariably refer to every bit of string by its proper name. There are usually four or more boats and enough sailors to warrant three to a boat on most occasions; this leads to a more sociable sail, especially if you change boats for the return trip. There are a variety of dinghies owned by Club members providing opportunity to sail, and Club Comet Trios (an exciting sail with an asymmetric spinnaker) and possibly some others too. Once the crews are organised so everyone is happy, the Officer of the Day gets the charts and tidal atlas out to explain to everyone exactly where we are planning to cruise to. At this stage of the proceedings the mood and capability of all the participants, the latest weather forecast, and the prevailing weather conditions help to tailor the goals of the day.
We will facilitate the daysail, in that we will organise a group of people together who may choose to make the independent choice to sail from the same location at roughly the same time to the same destination, and then return together. At all times the skipper of the vessel is responsible for the vessel itself and has a duty of care to their crew. They take the decision to sail for themselves.
We will look out for each other, and if someone gets in difficulty we will all stop, gather together, and render assistance as proportionate to the situation. We may provide direct assistance to others, and help to ensure that the right decisions are taken to maximise safety.
The trip over to the Isle of Wight takes between 40 minutes (on a force 4 beam reach from Wooton Creek to Stokes Bay) to typically 2-3 hours, maybe less in a good wind or much longer in a poor one, and there is usually a pub with easy access by boat. We all bask in the sun for an hour, eat and drink (not too much), and laugh with anyone who capsized. Depending on the timing of lunch and factors previously outlined, the dinghies then head straight home or on an indirect cruise via some other point of interest (getting an ice cream from Ryde has been attempted and failed due to localised Doldrums). Once back on land the boats are packed up ready for the return journey, and everybody gets changed into clean dry clothes. On the return journey, a stop at a Public House is mostly essential, especially in nice weather, and a cool beverage may be all it takes to knock you out at the end of the day. By 10pm everybody is home, in the bath (but not necessarily all together!).
Cruising
There are a number of cruiser owners in the Club and we currently run 1 or 2 cruising events per year, ranging from a one day social occasion to a weekend cross-channel cruise. For non-cruiser owners, there are opportunities for crewing during the course of a season.
Other Watersports
A number of members own windsurfers, canoes, ribs, catamarans etc. These tend to sailed mainly on the camps and join the dinghies on beach days rather than organising their own events (although you are welcome to if you are interested!)
Winter Activities
During the winter season, the Club has a wide variety of activities, which can be seen on the Events section of the site.
DINGHY SECTION
This is a special section of the Club for which members pay a supplement to the annual subscription. Members of the Dinghy Section are entitled to use the Club’s sailing dinghies (Comet Trios). All the boats are normally kept at Frensham Pond SC where dinghy section members may use them freely. The Club has group membership of both Frensham Pond SC and Southampton SC, for the benefit of the dinghy section; the boats can be used elsewhere by special arrangement.
To make this clear, if you have a seaworthy dinghy of your own, you do not need to subscribe to the Dinghy Section Membership – if you use your own boat, and it is seaworthy then you are set. Only if you don’t have a dinghy of your own, or your dinghy is not strong, equipped well enough or not suitable for adventurous sea cruising (or you just fancy using the Club Boats) do you need to subscribe to this.
In order to skipper one of the Club dinghies on non-tidal waters, a member must be approved and is required to have obtained at least an RYA Level 2 Dinghy Sailing Certificate.
In order to skipper one of the Club dinghies on tidal waters, a member must be approved and is required to have obtained at least an RYA Seamanship Sailing Certificate. If a skipper is prepared to let someone helm a club boat, they may. The skipper retains full responsibility for the vessel and has a duty of care to the crew.
In order to keep costs down, all dinghy section members assist in the maintenance of the dinghies – this usually takes place during the winter months, is sociable and seldom arduous. Membership of the Dinghy Section does not give any entitlement to sail a member’s boat on Frensham Pond.
TROPHIES
Each year there are three trophies that can be awarded to Club members during the AGM
Peter Martin Memorial Trophy
The Peter Martin Memorial Trophy is awarded to a member for outstanding sailing achievement during the year.
| Year | Name | Reason for award |
| 1965 | Ann & Blade Penoyre | |
| 1966 | Philip J Bateman | |
| 1967 | Jock McIlroy | |
| 1969 | Frank Fairfoul | |
| 1970 | Brian Grant | |
| 1971 | Dick Allen | |
| 1973 | Dick Allen | |
| 1974 | Derrick Higton | |
| 1976 | John Beasley | |
| 1979 | Dick Faulder | |
| 1982 | Slade Penoyre | |
| 1983 | Les Mayhew | |
| 1989 | Mike Childs | |
| 1990 | Alan Jones | |
| 1994 | Malcolm Arthur | |
| 2000 | Keith Bannister | Winning the Comet Trio Nationals |
| 2004 | Mike Forrest | Transatlantic Sailing |
| 2010 | Paul McLeod | Building his own boat “Frenzy” |
| 2012 | Hannah Comfort | Being in the National Topper Squad |
| 2014 | Jenny & Roy C | Long yacht cruise to Isles of Scilly |
| 2018 | Jenny & Roy C | Long yacht cruise to beyond Morbihan |
| 2019 | Ged Kennett | Participation in Sail Caledonia and awarded the “Highlander trophy ” for completing the event unsupported. |
| 2020 | Ged Kennett | Adventures in Western Scotland |
| 2021 | Not Awarded | |
| 2022 | Not Awarded | |
| 2023 | Not awarded | |
| 2024 | Roy and Jenny | Roy and Jenny for the sailing in the Netherlands in 2023 – see newsletters for the excellent and engaging write-ups, and an adventure for us as mmembers in reading their activities in the Newsletter |
| 2025 | Ginny | Ginny built her own 15ft sailing dinghy which was on show at the Dinghy Show. We look forward to sailing with the new boat in our fleet. |
Commodores Cup
- The Commodores Cup is awarded for achievement in training.
| Year | Winner | Training Accomplishment |
| 2020 | Anna and Adri | Passing Seamanship under difficult Covid conditions |
| 2021 | James P | All in this single year, James did the RYA L1&2, then joined Cody, has taken part in daysails and sails the Laser regularly on Frensham. He has made very good progress in learning to sail, attended the Outboard workshop and got fully involved and is learning around the subject. |
| 2022 | Martin | Martin has improved his sailing tremendously well in the last year, and is recognised for his improvement. |
| 2023 | Martin | A lot of us have known Martin since he joined the club, and he has made tremendous progress. |
| 2024 | Vanessa and Andy | Vanessa and Andy for the vast amount of training they have undertaken in 2022 and 2023 to prepare themselves for yacht ownership and cruising. |
| 2025 | Anna and Adri | Anna and Adri for accomplished sailing in a Trio from Helford to Coverack. |
Alan Jones Trophy
- The most recent trophy is the Alan Jones Trophy which is awarded in recognition for services to the Club.
| Year | Name | Achievement |
| 2003 | D J Nicholls | |
| 2004 | M T Arthur | |
| 2005 | A P Mills | |
| 2006 | G E Keyte | |
| 2007 | J Austin | |
| 2008 | R Chilvers | |
| 2009 | V A Stocks | Organising 60th Anniversary Celebration |
| 2010 | I Hiscocks | |
| 2011 | S Millington | |
| 2012 | D Mills | |
| 2013 | S White | Internet Presence Re-platforming |
| 2014 | S Millington | |
| 2015 | G Bailey | Maintenance of club equipment |
| 2016 | J Austin | |
| 2017 | S White | |
| 2018 | G Bailey | Maintenance of club equipment |
| 2019 | V Stocks & S Jeffries | Organising 70th Anniversary Celebration |
| 2021 | T Gillespie | Sterling work as the Club Secretary over 4 years, including agreeing to carry on for a 4th year when there were no volunteers for this post last year. |
| 2022 | Vanessa | For staying on the committee as Treasurer for an additional year, until we found a volunteer to take over the position. |
| 2023 | Gordon | Gordon Keyte for services to the club – Newsletter is a great service to the club and this is a well deserved award. The newsletter is delivered unfailingly and unstintingly. Pete and Ally were asked to pass on our thanks to Gordon |
| 2024 | Pete | Pete joined the committee around 1974, and has almost continuously volunteered to steer the club as a committee member, Commodore, newsletter editor, rear commodore, vice commodore and secretary. He was the principle of the club for the RYA when we ran training courses as well as a training instructor. He was instrumental in securing the Salcombe camp site over twenty five years ago and still continues to maintain a positive relationship with the land owner and has acted as a trusted advisor to the club for 50 years. In recognition of this milestone in long service to the club we recognise his services with the Alan Jones Trophy for this year. |
| 2025 | Rob B | Rob B for being the Commodore and leading the club for the last 5 years. |
The Overall Winner
The Winner of the Overall is the person who wins the annual handicap race at Summer Camp.
| Year | Winner of the Overall |
| 1999 | John Hall |
| 2000 | Andrew Brocklehurst |
| 2001 | Alan Whitehead |
| 2002 | Mike Forrest |
| 2003 | Jamie Keyte |
| 2004 | Colin Waters |
| 2005 | Chris Reid |
| 2006 | Ian Scott |
| 2007 | Jamie Keyte |
| 2008 | Jamie Keyte |
| 2009 | Roy Chilvers |
| 2010 | Jamie Keyte |
| 2011 | Hannah Comfort |
| 2012 | David Brand |
| 2013 | Roy Chilvers |
| 2014 | Gordon Keyte |
| 2015 | Roy Chilvers |
| 2016 | Ginny Harvey |
| 2017 | Andy Stocks |
| 2018 | Steve White |
| 2019 | Regatta not conducted – Unsuitable Weather Conditions |
| 2020 | Regatta not conducted – Coronavirus |
| 2021 | Regatta not conducted – Coronavirus |
| 2022 | Let’s hope for good weather |
Other cups include the Asymmetric Cup, the Mirror Cup (for the winner of the small boat race), the GP14 Trophy, the Ladies Helm and the Chicken Run Trophy which are awarded at Summer Camp.