Community Rotarians – naval yachting fans in RI District 2240
Although the RI District 2240, replicating the borders of the former state of Czechoslovakia, and inland areas without strong maritime tradition, the popularity of sports and recreational marine yachting in recent years has increased significantly.
No wonder that even the genuine “terrestrial” Rotarians RI District are countless enthusiastic fans at sea and those who are eager to gain experience under sail nautical sailboat cabin.
For these Rotarians project is designed “Rotary Sailing Week” (www.facebook.com/rotarysailingweek). The basic idea is not revolutionary – it is a classic meeting of Rotarians from different clubs RI District 2240 during one week beyond the boundaries of districts on the Adriatic coast and islands.
The first RSW event took place in 2011 in Croatia on the Adriatic. Since then, its popularity among Rotarian yachtsmen has been growing, as evidenced by the annual layout and the increasing number of boats and crews involved. Unfortunately, this year’s RSW 2020, which was to take place at the end of May in the northwestern Adriatic region, we had to cancel due to a coronavirus pandemic.
The success and popularity of the project RSW naturally resulted in the effort to integrate the district fellowship marine yachtsmen sailing into international Rotary organization IYFR (www.iyfr.net). After the necessary administrative steps required by Czech and Slovak legislation was in March 2014 in Olomouc based association “Czech and Slovak Rotary Fleet”. Subsequently he held a festive charter fleet of 30 January 2015 in Opava. Charter fleet “Czech and Slovak Rotary Fleet” was awarded the highest representative IYFR – Commodore International Sergio Santi. To our great delight, the godfather of our fleet was Mr. Richard Konkolski icon Czechoslovak and world yachting. From Poland came distinguished guests – friends from the fleet Gyžicko, without which our own fleet will almost certainly arise. Historically, the first Fleet Commodore became Jan Chalupa of the Rotary Club Ostrava, who also stood at the birth of Rotary Sailing Week.
In the future, the ambition Czech and Slovak Rotarians – boaters continue organizing regular annual RSW, then hold a meeting at least once a year, members of the fleet and their friends “inland”, which evaluates the elapsed sailing season and discuss the future plans for the season. Membership fleet in IYFR same time there is the possibility of bilateral contacts with similarly related Rotarians outside RI District 2240, which is the fulfillment of basic rotariánských ideas.
The highest representative of our Rotarian fleet is the Commodore (Fleet Commodore) with a two-year term.
Gradually, this position was held by:
Jan Chalupa, RC Ostrava (2014,2015,2016)
Jano Babic, RC Banska Bystrica Classic (2016,2017,2018)
Martin Pesat, RC Ostrava (2018,2019,2020)
Currently, Fleet Commodore is:
Radoslav Simon, RC Bratislava (2020,….)