RIP Riain Timon
Riain Timon was a hugely committed advocate for dinghy sailing and for safety afloat and his death will leave a huge void in Howth YC. His contribution to supporting dinghy sailing since joining the Club in 1985, initially in the area of Junior sailing and in latter years with all dinghy activity, was enormous and it continued right up to recent weeks, when declining mobility became an impediment to his regular inspection and monitoring of the Club’s RIB fleet.
Riain’s involvement in sailing started as a member of Sutton Dinghy Club, where he owned an IDRA 14 called Sundowner 2. His interest in dinghy racing remained to the forefront when he joined Howth YC and he quickly became involved at Committee level to help develop the structures needed for it to thrive, particularly emphasising safety afloat and consistent race management.
Safety cover for small boat sailing back in what is now the last century could sometimes be quite random when judged by current standards, with whoever was free on the day being volunteered to go out in whatever type of small boat was available for the task and hopefully providing assistance if called upon. Riain was to the forefront in developing safety protocols and crew training programmes and in optimising the type of boats used for the provision of safety cover.
When the RYA commenced running safety courses at their Plas Menai facility in Wales, Riain was one of the first Irish people to sign up to become a Powerboat Trainer. This led on to Howth YC establishing a Recognised Training Centre to deliver powerboat training and Riain became the first Centre Principal. In that role, he oversaw the delivery of training to a number of generations of sailing instructors and the Centre also offered courses to both members and non-members of Howth YC seeking to learn to drive the increasingly powerful boats that were becoming available. Riain’s ‘day job’ in charge of catering activities for Aer Lingus required a focus on detail, driven by hygiene standards and customer satisfaction requirements, and he brought the same level of attention to ensuring that trainees under his tutelage acquired the range of skills and awareness required to keep themselves safe and look out for others afloat. In the era when the concept of doing a course to learn how to drive a RIB safely was a novelty, those who were the proud possessors of a certificate signed by Riain were acknowledged to be the best trained drivers around, capable of handling whatever conditions they might encounter.
Riain prepared the first formal HYC documentation setting out the procedures for safely running events afloat and that document continues in use to this day, albeit with regular tweaks to address changes in focus and updates in thinking, and he continued to keep abreast of policy changes that might require edits to it. He also took on the responsibility for safety afloat for various championship events, up to Worlds level, and was the ‘Safety Lead’ for them many years before that term entered the race management dictionary.
Having the correct equipment was a fundamental requirement for Riain and he took personal charge of ensuring Howth YC obtained the most suitable boats to provide safety cover for its sail training and dinghy sailing activities. He created the Club’s RIB procurement, maintenance and replacement programme that now sees the Club’s ten boat RIB fleet being regularly maintained and kept ready for use whenever they are needed. He managed the engine replacement programme that ensures their outboards are replaced on a cyclical basis before their reliability wanes (and their trade-in value diminishes) and he developed the procurement specification to ensure that Club boats are suitable for the sometimes-challenging conditions that are encountered north of Ireland’s Eye. He was also instrumental in creating the RIB co-ordinator role whereby a person is appointed to take responsibility for routine maintenance of the Club RIBs and rostering crews for them and Riain was a fixture on the interview panel that oversaw recruitment when the appointee, usually a student, moved on.
Despite some ill-health in recent years, Riain was fastidious about the care of ‘his’ boats and woe betide whoever was seen to have allowed water to accumulate in one, departed from the end of day berthing and sign off procedure or was noted to be operating a boat in a manner that was ‘not by the book’. Riain was Howth YC’s ‘Mr. Safety Afloat’ for going on forty years and his death represents a huge loss to the Club and its members. He was a pleasure to work with, had high standards and expected the same of others.
Our condolences go to Juliet, Riain’s wife, and to his family and we thank them for sharing him with Howth YC for so many years. His commitment to the Club and to the sport was boundless and his company, advice and contribution will be sadly missed.