Working Party braving the cold on 17-Mar-18
Sailing Report, 24 March
Can you believe we were afflicted by another Beast from the East last weekend? Offending the Russians meant they turned the fans on full blast. With wind chill at -8 on Saturday, the enthusiastic group of 14 Fireballs, assembled for their training weekend, did not get afloat. And then on Sunday the snow forced another cancellation of everything.
However, Sunday 11th was a perfect racing day, and a good number of you rigged up. There were even 4 Solos in the morning! With the breeze onshore, Race Officer Bill Chard earned respect for braving the cold and running the racing from the Dory. Remember it is the last of the Frostbite series this coming Sunday 25th.
Adam Bowers talk last Saturday evening was even better than anticipated. We all noted some of the essentials; In, Over and Exit, and how to control our fourth corners, and much more besides. On a freezing evening, he kept a great turnout of keen people entertained for almost 2 hours – and that was after spending the day lecturing the Fireball guys. I think we all feel ready to put the ideas into practice as soon as the weather improves.
Committee Boat
Race Officers: Our Committee Boat has been launched again this week, specifically for the Open Meeting this weekend. Its mooring is still buried in the deep as the decision is made about whether it can be recovered by divers, or has to be re-laid. Leaving the boat moored at the jetty is not thought to be safe, so I fear it may well be coming back ashore again. As the weather gets warmer (hopefully), please follow Bill’s example and, when the wind demands it, use the Dory to start and finish the races.
Commodore’s Notes
‘Soon warmed up’ working party, Saturday 17th. Many thanks to the dozen or so hard working and good humoured members who turned up on Saturday morning to brave the bitter wind. Mud, weeds and a general build-up of debris were removed from the immediate surrounds of the clubhouse. We started on washing paintwork and cleared part of the upper boat park. Apologies that I didn’t think to take the photograph until after some of you had left!
Children’s play area – out of bounds. Some of you may have noticed the red and white tape. Sadly much of the equipment in the play area has been assessed as unsafe. This is due to the rotting of the supports where they go into the ground. Parents please ensure you keep your children away from the area. The cost of replacing “like for like” is prohibitive, so in the short term the process of dismantling will start soon. We need to decide what to do in the long term and would like to involve members who have an interest. Please get in touch with me: commodore@
Renewals. It is that exciting time of year again when you can engage with Webcollect and ensure you have booked your place in the best sailing club in the West for another year. The deadline is looming large – 31st March.
Safety Boat Training. When you have completed the renewal procedure above you will receive a calendar, and the eagle eyed amongst you will notice that several days are scheduled for ‘Safety Boat Training’.
This is an ambitious initiative, run by Jeff Stratford, to improve the skills of our current RBHs. It is a one day course, most of which will be spent on the water. You will practice recovering people from the water to a RIB, approaching a capsized dinghy and righting it from a variety of scenarios that generally racers try to avoid. Then you will be getting it back to shore. The plan for the day looks both to be exciting and rewarding, as well as significantly increasing the value to the Club of our highly valued rescue helms.
To express interest in taking part please contact Jeff at: jeffstratford@btinternet.