THE MOORINGS ISSUE 45
24 May 2017
Core Values: Unity, Loyalty, Patriotism & Comradeship - Once Navy, always Navy
DARTS MATCH VICTORY!
Shipmate Dave Bishop (RNA team Captain) consults the team list with Wendy Harding from the RBL Darts Team.
Incorporated by Royal Charter
Patron: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
RAYLEIGH BRANCH (AREA 5)
BRANCH CONTACTS RNArayleigh@outlook.com President:
Bob Hill
01268 780449
Chairman:
Jim Hammond
01268 414616
Vice Chairman:
Terry Barker
01268 456165
Hon. Secretary:
Gary Daisley
01268 555570
Hon. Treasurer:
Margaret Day
01702 524561
Membership Secretary:
Bill Vernon
01268 772775
Standard Bearer:
Dave Bishop
01268 770521
Welfare Officer:
Dave Mead
01702 307922
Social Secretary:
Audrey Blomfield
01268 781116
Gangway:
Mike Sandbrook
01702 801103
Padre:
Revd. Canon Mike Lodge
01268 742151
PR Officer:
Vacant
BRANCH DETAILS Bank Details: HSBC Rayleigh Royal Naval Association Rayleigh Branch. A/C: 81065955 Sort Code: 40-38-24. Meeting Venue: Royal British Legion 2 London Hill, Rayleigh SS6 7HP Tel: 01268 776503 Meeting Dates: Fortnightly (see back cover). 2
From the front page:
Shipmates Terry Barker, Dave Bishop, Dave Mead and Mike Burnham look on in disbelief as the RNA takes another loss.
Friday 5 May 2017 saw the eighth biannual darts match against Rayleigh Royal British Legion team end in tears again for the RNA. Rayleigh Branch was beaten in the 6-4 title clash, sending the ’HMS Illustrious’ trophy home with the Legion for the eighth time in a row (much like the Navy vs Army Rugby). There was light at the end of the tunnel (which we can count as a victory for the RNA), as the lads made a virtual clean sweep of the drinks cabinet taking the liquid trophies home at the end of the ‘fun game’ session.
Gary (Pod) RBL team captain receiving the HMS Illustrious trophy from Shipmate Jim Hammond (Branch Chairman). Shipmate Dave Harding, the creator of the RBL vs. RNA event and former captain of the RBL team, now plays for the RNA and cries into his beer.
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Royal Naval Association (Rayleigh Branch)
UCKERS RULES UNITY + LOYALTY + PATRIOTISM + COMRADESHIP
The game is played with four players in two teams. Teammates play diagonally opposite each other (red and yellow vs. blue and green). The object of the game is to circumnavigate the board with each of your coloured counters and finishing in the appropriately coloured home triangle. The team with all eight of its counters home first wins the game. Key points to remember: • Rolling a six wins an extra throw. • Rolling a double six does not win two extra throws. Getting started: • All players take turns to throw both dice. • The highest individual score has first throw to start the game. Getting out of your base: • Rolling a six is required to exit the base and place a counter on the first coloured square (doorstep). • The score on the other dice can be used to advance the same counter or another counter in play elsewhere on the board. • Rolling a double six will permit two counters to exit the base onto the doorstep. • Rolling a six wins you another throw. • Provided that none of your counters are in play (all four are in the base), rolling a double one (snake eyes) will allow you to bring all of your counters out of the base and onto the doorstep (with the cry of “All Bits out!”). Snake eyes will also bring all your partner’s remaining counters out of their base and onto their doorstep regardless of how many counters they may already have in play. Progression: • Counters move clockwise around the board, the value of the dice determines the number of spaces to be moved around the board. • A single counter can be moved the sum total of both die values, or two counters can be moved individually as indicated on the dice. • In the event that progression is not possible with the resultant of both die, then the value of the highest scoring dice is to be used, unless progression is blocked. If counters cannot be moved with the value of either die, that play becomes forfeit. Knocking off your opponent: • When a counter lands on the same square occupied by a counter from the
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opposing team, the opposing team’s counter is ‘knocked off’ and returned to its base to start again. When a counter lands on the same square occupied by a counter from the same team, this now becomes a ‘mixi-blob’ and play continues as though it were one piece. A mixi-blob can be moved by either team player during the normal course of play. When a counter lands on the same square occupied by a counter of the same colour, this is called a ‘tower’ and can no longer be landed upon or jumped by counters from the opposing team. The tower becomes a barrier to the opposing team’s progression. If a counter lands on a teammate’s tower, it becomes a mixi-tower and loses its ability to block the opposing team. The mixi-tower can be landed on and destroyed by an opposing team player, returning all defeated counters to their base to start again.
Towers (Blobs): • Towers can be stacked as many as four counters high and can only be moved by the owner of that particular colour. • Towers can be broken down or moved (up to two pieces at a time) by the owner during normal game progression. Challenging the Tower: • To remove a tower an opponent has to land a counter on the square immediately behind it, throw a six and say ‘Challenge’. As rolling a six wins an extra throw, the challenger must attempt to throw a further two sixes to remove a two counter tower, three sixes to remove a three counter tower and four sixes to remove a four counter tower. • If the challenge is successful, all counters in the tower are returned to their base to start again. The challenging piece is moved on to the square previously occupied by the tower and the turn of the challenger is finished. • During the challenge, no other game progression can be made. • After the challenge, or if the challenge is unsuccessful, game play continues as before. Getting Home: • A counter in its home coloured lane ‘pipe’ cannot be reached by an opponent and is safe. • A player must throw an exact score to get a piece home, except with the last counter which can reach an exact score from one dice. Throwing for your partner: • Having got all of your counters home, you then wait for your next turn and try to throw a six. Having thrown a six, on your next turn, you can throw to help your partner’s progression. Winning team: • The winning team is the pair who gets all of their eight counters home first. • An 8-0 whitewash is termed as an eight-piece-dicking.
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Extract from the Semaphore Circular May 2017. As you might imagine the Dockyard here in Portsmouth is a-buzz with the final preparations for the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The security fence around the new Princess Royal Jetty is now secure and we expect the final dredging operations to finish next week. The Naval Base Commander has offered an Open Day for naval base staff to see the new facilities – more news next month. We were very lucky to have a visit from Flick Drummond MP to come to Central Office to be briefed on the RNA. The new Captain of the Base, my old friend Captain Bill Oliphant came along and said they were very impressed with our work on Shipmates and Oppos, Project Semaphore and the LIBOR buses. I have visited the 2018 Conference venue at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire and the venue for the Sunday service next door in the Maritime Museum (old naval church). The Dublin branch are in fine fettle and we are going to have a marvellous Conference. CONA travel has already negotiated a 40% discount on ferries and is in final preparations for the lower cost accommodation nearby. We have had our first Open Day of the year, with a good, fun day for all. Shipmates were very interested in the arrangements for the new carrier, seen from the water. There are sometimes days in this job that are just the best ... one of them fell a couple of weeks ago when I drove to Essex with Project Manager Sarah Clewes – to have the build meeting for our new LIBOR buses at Stanford Coachbuilders. I was very impressed with them – highly professional and real skill-at-hand at work. They take ordinary panel vans and convert them into minibuses fitted for disabled access. We had to choose 6
everything from the headrests to the colour of the seats, carpet, deckhead lining – you name it. As you can imagine navy blue was a bit of a theme. We were able to see the very simple and reliable wheelchair lift and all the adjustments to make the minibuses comfortable. Ours will have Satnav, air-conditioning, navy blue leather seats, electric wheelchair lift and a very flexible seating/load area. We have now agreed where the
buses will be located (North, South East and West) and Sarah is working on the H&S and management issues. We have now arranged the venue and dates for next year’s Welfare Seminar. It will be in the Britannia Hotel in Stoke-on-Trent from 20 to 22 April. We have negotiated a very good package with CONA travel and their booking form is at the back of this Semaphore Circular. There are various options available on the form. The usual seminar help with travel will be available. Hopefully the location 7
will help our more northerly branches to attend. A reminder to get your Delegate Registration form to us please for Conference. Preparations are very well advanced and it promises to be a great weekend. There is a booking form for a trip on Conference Day at the back of this edition. I am delighted to announce our partnership with Motorfinity. They provide an excellent discount service and have their own RNA page. When challenged to find a discount on a new Mazda MX5 for me they found £2,500 off the list price, which is excellent. For cars that don’t drift around corners sideways the discount will be much more!! Project Semaphore We are getting some marvellous stories from shipmates who have received their Project Semaphore iPads to bring them online. There is a strong theme of improved contact with families and feeling less lonely that is fantastic to hear. Please look to your local naval veterans to see if anyone can benefit and contact Sharon, the Project Manager, at sharon@royalnavalassoc.com. If you are a branch secretary and not online with regular personal access to the internet please give me or Sharon a ring. Some admin bits and pieces: • The Charter, Rules etc have now been updated following lengthy approval by the Privy Council and are on the website. A digital version has been sent to Area and Branch secretaries. Please use the May 2017 copy only. • We are having two raffles this year – the normal one for Charity and a separate raffle for a cask of genuine Pusser’s Rum with proceeds going to the Jutland Wood project. Tickets sent out just recently. • The Gala Dinner is filling up fast and we are now booking into the overflow room, close-by, but separate. If you are not staying in the CONA Travel Service Hotels you must apply for the Gala Dinner separately, with no tickets on the door. Last call. 8
• Don’t forget to get your Conference delegate booking-in form completed. • Please pass the word on about the Biennial Parade on 10 September to your branch and any local naval associations. This is a day for all Naval Associations and is a great reunion too.
Project Semaphore continues Shipmates Phil Edwards, Cliff Severn and Alan White have recently joined the programme. iPad distribution with a joint training session was held at Rayleigh RBL on Sunday 14 May.
Rayleigh Branch members were also joined by Shipmates Ken & Deirdre Rydings (HQ Roll) and Norman Cox & Joe Taplin (Wymondham Branch, Area-5). Special thanks to Mandy Daisley for her training guidance, assistance and patience. 9
Guess Who? Can anyone put a name to this handsome chap’s face? There aren’t any prizes for guessing correctly, it’s just for fun! As a clue, our mystery senior rate has been a regular attendee at Rayleigh Branch meetings since joining in 2012 and recently joined us on our visit to HMS Belfast. The answer will be published in the next issue of The Moorings.
RNA Uckers boards in full production Rayleigh RNA’s (Mk3) Uckers boards are now in full production and available to purchase from shipmate Gary Daisley. Each Uckers set includes a full-size (40x40cm) game board with RNA graphics, 2 dice, 16 counters, shaker/container and an instruction sheet. The game sets are shipped in a robust postal tube and are available for £20 per set (plus £3.50 P&P). The playing board is laminated with a clear plastic film to help prevent creasing, fading, water damaged, staining and marking by greasy fingerprints or (Heaven forbid) spilt rum!
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Diary Date:
Mess Deck Supper Friday 14 July 2017 (8pm) Tickets on sale from Audrey Blomfield. Diary Date:
Rettendon ‘Living Memorial’ Re-dedication Service Tuesday 8 August 2017 Service starts at 12 noon. Diary Date:
Rayleigh Branch RNA Formal Mess Dinner Saturday 19 August 2017 The Saxon Hall, Aviation Way Rochford, SS2 6UN. Tickets £40. Diary Date:
RACE NIGHT!!! Friday 8 September 2017 (8pm) £TBA tickets from Mike Sandbrook. Diary Date:
2017 Biennial Parade Sunday 10 September 2017 The Cenotaph, Horse Guards Parade, London SW1A 2AX Diary Date:
Mess Deck Supper Friday 13 October 2017 (8pm) Tickets on sale from Audrey Blomfield now! 11
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