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Peter has been a member of the Welton Sailing Club for 34 years and is the current commodore of the club. It's a position he's familiar with having held the post for a couple of years in the early 1980's. He's also the Company Secretary for the Welton Water Sports Club which runs the facilities.

He's proud of the club and its location saying it offers people of all abilities and ages the opportunity to become members. He says it has a 'family feel' as many families participate in sailing activities at the 100 acre site not only in competition but also purely for pleasure. His wife Sue has accompanied Peter on sailing expeditions in the past and although not quite so keen these days to brave the elements, she too is an accomplished sailor, as is his daughter who has taken up the sport.

As a novice he knew very little about sailing but over the years his experience has grown. He's a trained RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Dingy Instructor and passes on his skills to others who are just starting out and those who are more advanced in their skills. Although not a legal requirement to have training before sailing, Peter says there's plenty to be gained in terms of safety and race competence by taking tuition. At Welton there are eight trained instructors who are keen to pass on their knowledge.

Peter freely admits sailing is a challenge and that not everyone 'takes to the water' easily, which is why the club offers people the opportunity of trying sailing before taking the plunge as a long term hobby and financial investment. The club has a small number of craft available for this purpose.

There's a great deal of excitement around the club at the moment thanks to the talents shown by eleven-year-old Ross Flemming. Ross travels from West Yorkshire on a regular basis to the club and has taken to sailing and also RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) racing.

In May the club hosted a competition to find the Honda RYA Youth RIB Yorkshire Regional Champion 2008. Divided into two groups the youngsters competed to get the fastest times. Ross's time amazed organisers and with practice Ross stands a good chance of winning the national title at the UK championships which take place at the Southampton Boat Show in September.

Should he be successful, he'd win for the club one of the prize speedboats supplied by the sponsors. To this end, Peter is hopeful that someone might make available a 50 hp RIB for Ross to practice with over two or three weekends in the next few weeks. Peter can be contacted by phone: 07752 897 816 or e-mail: hirschfeld4@hirschfeld4.karoo.co.uk