Royal honour forsailing club stalwart

Terry Windsor who owned Windsor Electrical was nominated by Carrickfergus Sailing Club.

The award was from the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) of which Princess Anne is President.

Terry, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, has been a member of Carrickfergus Sailing Club for over 60 years.

His interest in the sport began 66 years ago and since then he has become the proud owner of numerous trophies and awards including the Seamanship Award in 1986.

One of his most memorable sails was to the Mull of Kintyre when he came upon a crew whose vessel had capsized, pulled them aboard and continued on his way proceeding to win the race.

His adventures included several sea trips to Scotland and outlying islands, sails to France, the Scilly Isles 450 miles away and around Ireland which he recalled took five days.

He has sailed a range of boats from yachts to Flying Fifteens and has had considerable success in series racing.

When he met Princess Anne, he shared his memory of seeing the Royal Yacht weigh anchor in Belfast Lough in 1961. To his astonishment he saw a smaller craft being lowered before the Duke of Edinburgh joined a race.

“The Princess was delighted with that story. She was not very old then.”

He said that he was delighted to receive a medal and certificate in recognition of his love of sailing and longterm involvement with Carrickfergus Sailing Club.

He has held numerous roles on the management committee as well as serving as commodore in 1980

While no longer racing, Terry remains committed to the club and as chief race officer, he is in charge of the club battery and is responsible for selecting courses for all races and ensuring his team records the races accurately and effectively.