Sailing and Social Report 28-Nov-19

Team Race Practice as light fades..

Sailing Club News – 28-Nov-19

Annual Prizegiving – Saturday 16-Nov-19

The clubhouse was full to celebrate all the points won by racers throughout the year’s point series, and to see as many of our perpetual trophies as possible re-presented to the winners. Rob in the galley produced some really tasty options – the healthy, low calorie pork with crackling hit the spot for me! What an amazing turnout of members, racers and non-racers alike; this was how the evening was always intended to be. As for our speaker and prize-giver, Pete Vincent, he added huge value. The tales of his brush with the Indian authorities (and the reason why Sachin Tendulkar became an Indian cricketing legend), his conflict with the King of Thailand and his attempt to join the Flying Fifteen Class Association (did you realise they require applicants to have a medical examination?!), had the audience spellbound. He was hilarious! If you missed it, make sure to ask about the anecdotes from someone who was there!
Thank you to Rosie and Sarah for the delicate table laying and transformation of the club room, Pete for showing he is not only a Laser hotshot but can strike a pose on a stepladder(!), Craig for his help with the trophies and Rob for single-handedly proving he is the very best ‘chief cook and plate washer’!

Lake & Cake Walk

The ‘Lake and Cakers’ enjoyed a beautiful walk in the sunshine before the prizegiving evening – check out the picture.

RYA Senior Instructor Course 04-07-Nov-19 – Portland

Cathy Bartram and I recently attended an SI course at the Andrew Simpson Foundation next to the National Sailing Academy at Portland. What a week it was – the most challenging 4 days I’ve spent doing anything anywhere in many a year. There was a good deal of pre-course revision and homework to do in preparation for what I expected to be a fairly classroom-based teach-in about the rules of running an RYA Recognised Training Centre. Wrong! I was surprised how much time we spent on the water, and also at the relentless pace of the course.

There were 9 of us enrolled. I felt very much one of the old and bold as most of the guys and girls were professional DIs back from their season’s blue water instructing at commercial sailing centres around the Med. As within the four days we all had to have at least two goes each at being SI for a simulated training session, it meant we were constantly swapping roles being SI, DI and students at our simulated training centre, briefing and debriefing, briefing and debriefing, and all the time taking the staff’s valuable coaching points on board. It required a pretty frantic pace to get it all in. Oh, and yes there were several classroom-based sessions and discussions shoe-horned in along the way.

It was – now I can look back on it – tremendously valuable and very enjoyable. The staff were great, and the Foundation’s set-up down there is impressive.
Now Cathy and I have done the course we are better placed to have a think about how we should best plan for the club’s 2020 training courses now that the club’s former RYA Principal, John Warburton, has decided to step down.

Dave Orme, RYA Training Co-ordinator training@chewvalleysailing.org.uk

Dave would also like to draw attention to the –

Dinghy Instructors Meeting – Saturday 30-Nov-19

There will be an end of season Dinghy Instructors session in the Training Room at the club, 1330-1530(ish) on Saturday 30th November. It would be great to see lots of CVLSC Senior Instructors, Dinghy Instructors and Assistant Instructors there.
It’ll be a chance to look back at the year’s training activities, see what lessons we can draw from them and agree how to feed those lessons into the 2020 training plan.

I have a few things I’d like to chat about. If there’s anything else you’d like to add then do let me know.

• New CVLSC RYA Training Roles and Responsibilities – recent changes to keep you updated
• SI, DI and AI database – the club’s record of qualifications and currency
• 2019 adult RYA training courses – my report on my experiment!
• The 2020 training calendar
• Training AIs to help them towards their DI qualification
• Pay & Play report
• Safety boat news and the club’s advanced rescue helm course
• Incidents and accidents
• The club’s training fleet
• Feedback from the 2019 RYA Instructors Development Conference

Dave Orme CVLSC Training Co-ordinator training@chewvalleysailing.org.uk

If you think you might like to join Dave’s merry band of Dinghy Instructors, please do come along. You will be made most welcome and told how you can progress to become an RYA Instructor.

Looking Forward

Bristol Brew – Sat. 30-Nov-19 /Sun. 01-Dec-19

The ‘Brew’ has become a regular fixture in our calendar, organised and run by Bristol University. With around 20 teams of 6 people expected from all the South West Universities, and our own Chew Youth team, the Clubhouse will be buzzing. However, using only 18 Fireflies, and with the tiny team racing courses set as close to the clubhouse as possible (to facilitate ‘changeovers’ of crews between races), and a race programme needing more than 100 races over the weekend, this is a great spectator sport!
And normal Club racing will happen on the Sunday using the Race Hut start line.
Come along and watch…

Winter Warmer Number 1,

Wednesday 04-Dec-19 7.00 for 7.30 start – ‘Reflections on a Fastnet Campaign’ by Chew’s very own Hugh Whatley
GALLEY AND BAR WILL BE OPEN!

Hugh Whatley sailed as First Mate on a Sigma 38 with a Professional Skipper – his son Alex, who was aged 26 at the time. The talk will cover the whole campaign, from first meeting of a scratch crew at the London Boat Show, through training weekends & qualifying races to the actual event itself and final prize-giving. Hugh will illustrate his talk with books, charts, photos and some insights about the planning & preparation for an adventure which took-over almost a year of his life! Members are encouraged to contribute to a retiring collection for the RNLI in this 40th anniversary year of the terrible accidents on the Fastnet Race in 1979.

Also make dates in your diary for future warmers:-

• ‘Meet the Commodores’ – Wednesday 22-Jan-20
• QUIZ night with John Kelly and Ruth Kenyon – Friday 07-Feb-20
• ‘Nipigegi – Wayfarer non-stop around Britain Record’ with Will Hodshon – Wednesday 26-Feb-20

More details in future news!

Class Race Day 5 – Sunday 08-Dec-19 (the last Class race Day of the Year!)

Usual racing format starting at 11.00 with one race in the morning, two in the afternoon. Nick Martindale and Phil Patullo are in charge of procedings so we should have some good racing.
Your last chance to top up your Christmas wine stocks at the Club’s expense – prizegiving at the end of play….

Lake & Cake ….is not done yet

Saturday 21-Dec-19 for a pre-Christmas get-together in the afternoon at the club house. You can sail beforehand if you want to, then tea & cakes. More details to follow.

Site tidy up and clearance – another reminder from Helen –

If you have a road trailer ‘fly parked’ and unmarked at the club you need to ensure that it is clearly marked with your name, membership number and date. When the scrap lorry comes, I assume you’d rather it doesn’t get taken away.
This is part of the gradual process of tidying up the site. Most of you keep your boat park space tidy as expected by the rules of the club – thank you. A few members need to do some serious gardening- no need to wait for the reminder!
Watch out for the date of a working party, probably early in the New Year, to clear the upper boat park.Your Content Goes Here

Volunteers Needed for the Tap Trophy – Thursday 26-Dec-19

AND the Resolution Trophy – Wednesday 01-Jan-20

Both of these events are traditionally manned by willing volunteers – we need Assistant Race Officers (don’t panic – the Committee Boat will be off the water!), and Rescue helms and crews. There is always a great atmosphere and general bonhomie both on and off the water….! Let me know if you can help
vice-commodore@chewvalleysailing.org.uk

Finally I am sure we will all welcome Cathy Bartram taking over from John Warburton as our new RYA Recognised Teaching Establishment Principal. She did a marvellous job as Club Honorary Secretary, exceeding her three year term of office, and I am confident that this key role overseeing all of our RYA training will continue to be in safe hands.
John Smalley vice-commodore@chewvalleysailing.org.uk