Welcome, from John Easton the chair of the National Equipment Auditor Sub-Committee.

This newsletter was born out of a two-day conference of the NEA committee held in Sydney during September 2019.

It will be issued on an as needs basis and serve to improve the dissemination of relevant material to all Equipment Auditors around Australia. The material has been prepared by various volunteer members of the NEA Sub-Committee, and so it comes from the coal face of auditing.

The role of an Equipment Auditor is at times a rather thankless task. It is by its very nature a technically detailed process requiring significant time for Equipment Auditors, both in auditing and keeping up to date with the Special Regulations and the never-ending changes to technology.

The work undertaken by our volunteer Equipment Auditors is a vital one for sailing. The Board and executive of Australian Sailing are very appreciative of the band of volunteer Equipment Auditors serving their clubs right around Australia. Without them, our great sport of sailing may not be as safe as it is.

In closing, we want our Equipment Auditors to be seen by boat owners as partners and advisors on safety, to ensure a safer outcome for sailing.