How the club was formed

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History of the Stone Watersports Club formerly the Stone Ski & Powerboat Club:   

by Stephen Carpenter 11 April 2018 

Below is a very brief history of the club and how it was formed and came to be what it is today. 

My main reason for writing this is to show current members how the club was founded and how the club is run and why it is run the way it is. 

I made a point of not mentioning to many names as I feel it would be an insult to the ones that I might have missed as there are so many people that we owe a great deal to for their hard work and for what we have today. Many of the people mentioned including the lifetime members listed below are still members today. Since the early 1960’s prior to the club being formed boaters and skiing enthusiasts had been launching their craft at stone. You would have to buy a ticket from Jean who would stand at the top of the ramp before could launch from the ramp, which is now the gated public ramp next to the Stone Inn. As the sport grew and become ever more popular a group of like-minded people got together at the behest of the Maldon Council to form what we now know as the Stone Watersports Club. 

When the club was first formed it was named the Stone Ski & Powerboat Club. Its inauguration year was 1969. How it all Began As the sport of boating and water skiing became ever more popular and the number of users on the Blackwater grew, the local council started to take an interest and approached a few of the regular boaters with the idea of forming a club so that it could regulate the river. As far back as 1960 there has been an 8-knot limit on the River Blackwater and with the ever-increasing number of boats using it, and no club or set of rules to guide users, it started to become an issue with the local Council. It was under these circumstances that the club was formed.  And so, it began… 

The Stone Water Ski and Powerboat Club was formed in 1969 From the outset the club was formed by like-minded enthusiasts who loved their sport and wanted to see it grow and prosper. Having grown up at Stone one thing has always stood out about the club: It is a family club and it has always been based upon a camaraderie between its members, enjoying and helping each other, looking out for each other. The club and its grounds have all been built by its members, no project is ever farmed out to companies no matter how big or small, virtually every project is done by the current crop of hardcore members, and over the years it has worked because we have such a diverse membership of people who love and cherish the club. I’m not 100% percent sure of all the members that where involved in forming the club at that time aside from two; Mr David Andrews an engineer from Hemel Hempstead and Mr Geoff Lindsay a keen powerboat racer. Geoff eventually left the club due to his racing commitments all over the country. David however become a lifetime member for all his hard work for the club over the years, I know David and his wife Jackie were instrumental in forming the club. The Club Grounds To begin with the club never owned the grounds we now know as home. The grounds we now use was originally a carpark and the ramp which was for launching was the public ramp next to the Stone Inn Pub. The club used the carpark as its base. The club investigated purchasing the land where the ‘A Frame’ houses now stand on the opposite side of the main road as at the time that land was also a carpark. However, it was not for sale. At this point the club started negotiations with Mr Mulligan who was the owner of the land that the carpark and clubhouse now sit on. The deal on offer was for a seven-year lease with the rent rising from £100 per annum to £200 per annum for the last five years of the lease. This was all subject to planning permission being obtained. The club was also offered the freehold for £2500 which members felt was the better option. The advantage of the freehold was that it would enable us to obtain a bank loan of approximately £10,000. It was suggested that seven members become trustees and negotiate with the bank.  The £10,000 loan would enable the purchase of the freehold and the building project (clubhouse). 

It’s Finally Ours The club grounds were finally ours. This was by far the biggest achievement so far in the short period the club had been formed. The membership at the time was 160, and 20 members had loaned various sums of money to purchase the club – some had even used their own properties as security against the loan. The club was bought and formed by these members and therefore, to this day, it is unlike any other club. Yes, it is a business as such, but its main business is continuing as a family club never forgetting what its values are and why it was formed. In 1982 Mick Busby treasurer of the club made the final payment on the club grounds and returned John Martin’s deeds as John had kindly secured his house against the loan for the club grounds. Prior to purchasing the land, the club had been using a building next to the public ramp, which was situated where our current boat wash-down area is. The building was an old café. The members at the time totally re-vamped the building making it suitable for them to use as a club for food and for club functions. This building was used for many years until the club got permission to build the clubhouse we now have. When permission was finally granted, and the club was in a financial position to proceed, the old club house was knocked down and was partially used for hardcore to build the new club ramp. which is still in use today. Ramp Now being the proud owners of club grounds, the next project was to build a new slipway on our own grounds to ensure members would always be able to launch. The council agreed to the proposal set forward for the ramp and a new one was constructed which was later altered to make it longer and less steep and easier to launch. 

Seawall This was another mammoth task taken on by its members. The seawall is the responsibility of the club and was totally renewed in the 1980’s. There was so much hard work that went into building a new seawall, virtually all the materials where sourced by members for free or at cost price. The seawall blocks where all sourced by Don Brooks and the pitch between the blocks was kindly donated by Don. Two articulated lorries were organised by members along with Derek Sewell who also used his own lorry to pick up the seawall blocks. Around twenty members meet in a café then drove to Shell Haven in Thurrock to load the lorries. Both articulated lorries and Derek’s lorry were loaded to the brim! If you have ever picked up one of the blocks from the seawall you can imagine the weight of the lorries – totally overloaded. Once unloaded the works to the seawall was started. Peter Carpenter, Trevor Barnes and Terry Skingles gave up their summer to do the works, working every weekend with the help of a few other members to finish the project. Again, another big achievement carried out by members all donating materials and labour. 

The New Club House   With planning permission being granted in 1982 tenders were sent out with the cost of the build being set at £45,000. The club received a Sports Council grant of £10,000 a council loan of £5,000, club funds of £5,000 were utilised and a bank loan of £25,000 was taken out. And again, three members gave personal guarantees for the money. Peter Carpenter was awarded the contract as the works were to be done at cost for the club and work started in the winter of 1983 with an opening day set for July 1984. The club was officially opened on the 14th July 1984, Peter Carpenter was awarded a Lifetime Membership for all his hard work. A lot of the furnishings within the club were donated by members, from the carpet, to the chairs, to the decorating. It really was a team effort to provide and build a permanent club that its members could be proud of. 

The Committee Love or hate the committee, always bear in mind they are all volunteers who give up their time to try and carry the club forward in the vein it was formed. Being on the committee can be like a full-time job and they do it because they love the club. Often, they are down there midweek working whether it be taking in the shopping and drinks ready for the weekend or cutting the grass, maintaining the dumpers, the list goes on and on. One thing I would like to say as a committee member from my perspective is that I do it because I have such lovely memories as a kid growing up at Stone and want the same for my children. In truth it is hard work, but all worth it when you see smiling faces enjoying the club and the water. As a committee member you are only there because you have been voted on by the members to do a job. Being a committee member doesn’t make you any more important than any other member and at the end of the day, for the year we are members we are all owners of a unique and special place for that year. We are all equals, so with that in mind if you see something that needs doing ‘down the club’ or you would like to help, you can, because you’re as much an owner whilst you’re a member as committee member is… and it’s that spirit that has built the club. 

Lifetime Membership – for services to the club 

1984: Mr Peter Carpenter 

1986: Mr David Andrews 

1989: Mr Mick Busby 

1994: Mr Zane and Mrs Wendy Cohen 

2010: Mr Trevor Barnes 

2012: Mr Brian Collins 

2014: Mr Kenneth Dawes 

2016: Mr Stephen Carpenter