FORMER STAR SAILOR
PAUL HENDERSON,
NEW IYRU PRESIDENT
(Starlights, January 1995, p. 1)
The November meetings of the International Yacht Racing Union in London, England, did determine a number of changes and to elect new Officers. Having served the IYRU for 16 years as its Vice President, Paul Henderson of Toronto, Canada, was elected as the President of the IYRU. A former Star sailor with the Lake Ontario [Canadian] Fleet, he holds Two Gold Chevron Honours as the winner of the last race [holder of the Tim Parkman Perpetual Trophy] in the 1978 World Championship held in San Francisco, CA, USA, and sailed by 99 boats. After his election he said, "Sailing is a participatory sport, it is run in the main by volunteers and it is environmentally friendly. I would like the sailors of the world to know that they have a friend at the IYRU. Once we have accomplished that, then we can move to do other things. If there is one single thing I have in front of me then that is it. The IYRU should be a service rather than a control organization."
Paul's principal dedication is to ensure that the IYRU is a service organization to the sport in all its forms, from Optimist dinghies to the America's Cup, with the added direction now being explored of servicing the international needs of oceanic sailing. His main concern has always been to shift the sport from the more expensive technical driven equipment to the more exciting tactical side of the sport focusing on the skills of the competitors. He believes that the IYRU must be a strong, healthy and active International Federation dedicated to the service of its main constituency, the sailors, recognizing the fact that sailing is an environmentally friendly, participatory sport run by volunteers. He has our congratulations and very best wishes.
At the awards portion of the meeting, the IYRU awarded medals to long serving members who have made significant contributions to the Union's work and development across many years. Star sailors so honored were Peter Siemsen (Gua), James Schoonmaker (BisB) and Robert Symonette (N). These gentlemen have each contributed to the success of the IYRU in significant ways and are deserving of the thanks of all onedesign sailors and Star sailors, worldwide.
Other changes of interest are the renaming and alterations in structure. In reorganization, the Offshore Racing Council and International Classes Committee will be given a place on the new Council (formerly the Permanent Committee). This Council is the principal policy-deciding body of the IYRU. To reflect the changes in the world of sailing and the Union's role therein, the General Assembly decided to change the name of the Union. The existing name, in use since the Union's foundation in 1906, will be replaced with "International Sailing Federation." The new name will not be implemented until 1996.