Thorpe Bay Yacht Club - Newsbuoy 15 - Winter 2017

The magazine of Thorpe Bay Yacht Club

www.tbyc.org • Edition 15 • Winter 2017/18

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As you can see from the contents of this year’s Newsbuoy, we have had an eventful 2017 with numerous Open Meetings and National Championships.

Beverly Warrington Commodore

It has been great to see the Club used by our own members as well as a plethora of visiting sailors and their families. All have praised our facilities and the warm welcome that they received. 2018 will bring more people to our Club and hopefully they will appreciate the changes that are being made in the decoration of the Clubhouse.

We have also welcomed a new member of staff, our Kitchen Manager Howard Fruin.

Hopefully many of you have visited the Club over the Christmas period and have met Howard and tasted his food. Howard will be working closely with members of the Committee to put on various social activities throughout the year.

By the time you read this Newsbuoy we will have replaced the old carpet and flooring around the bar areas. The Committee is looking at other ways to update the Clubhouse, such as more decoration and possible replacement or refurbishment of the tables and chairs.

It is always nice to see new members join our Club, as many have in 2017, and we look forward to welcoming many more. If you see anyone looking a bit lost around the Club or on the beach, please extend a warm welcome to them as it can be quite daunting becoming a new member.

2018 sees the 70th Anniversary of Thorpe Bay Yacht Club and the Committee is looking at ways to celebrate this milestone. Please look out for advertisements for social and sailing events throughout the year.

As I said in my AGM report, we have the best sailing waters along our shoreline and lots of boats out on the water is always a good way of promoting our excellent Club. Here’s to another successful year’s sailing.

Bev

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Your Committee Commodore Beverly Warrington Vice Commodore Michael Lloyd Rear Commodore Racing Chris Boshier Rear Commodore Cruising Gaynor Thompson

Ever wondered how sailing helps young people?

This year Zak Bermon and Matt Lloyd – both former cadets at TBYC and both having worked behind the bar – are now the Commodore of the sailing society at their respective universities – Zak at Loughborough University and Matt at University of Leeds.

From day one these young people have been actively involved in team racing at university (incidentally, what a fantastic way to meet new people) and now both are responsible for promoting, organising and participating in sailing at these august institutions.

You don’t need to know about team racing to join the sailing society at university, but it helps. If you would like to get your children involved, please contact Nick Alston for more information or see his Cadet Racing article on page 8.

Treasurer David Tierney Cadet Rep • Jeremy Sandford House Rep • Alex Gibson Sail Training Officer • Nick Cotgrove Social Rep • Antony Davis Sailing Secretary • Alex Farrall Membership Officer • Joanne Tierney Honorary Secretary • Margaret Kennedy TBYC Office • Janet Willsmer

Sailing Officers Rear Commodore Racing • Chris Boshier Rear Commodore Cruising • Gaynor Thompson Sailing Secretary • Alex Farrall Bosun • John Casson Cadet Representative • Jeremy Sandford Support Boat, RIBS • Tony Clarke Support Boats, Displacements • Toby Speller Sail Training • Nick Cotgrove Dinghy Park Officer • Nick Elmore Results Officer • Graham Dare Fast Multihulls & W/L Mono • Simon Boygle Sprint & Slow Multihulls • Paul Morgan Fast Monohulls • Ivan Holjar Sandhoppers • Howard Warrington Albacores & Solo (Slow Mono) • John Payne Cadet Racing Trainer • Nick Alston Pico • Andras Gal Dutyman Administrator • Mark Robinson

Bar Opening Hours Tuesday 1100-1500, 1900-2300 Wednesday 1100-1500, 1900-2300 Thursday 1100-1500, 1900-2300 Friday 1100-2300 Saturdays 1100-2300 Sundays 1100-1900 (closes at 2100 in summer) Mondays BAR CLOSED except on bank holidays, when Sunday hours apply

www.tbyc.org 01702 587563 • @tbyc_uk

Zak and Matt, during the Loughborough sailing team racing event at the start of December.

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It’s Newsbuoy time for our Cruising Section round-up of our exciting expeditions around the world! We have been visiting France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Portugal and even the Baltic, not to mention our own East Coast.

Balint Vida and Boglarke Nemeth have cruised the Medway and East Coast in their Mirage 29 “Red Rum” which is now moored at Wakering.

Colin and Judith Keeling have been enjoying another year of sailing in Sweden on their Westerly “Topaz”.

“Topaz” is now laid up in Koge near Copenhagen (Denmark)

Nesta and I sailed our Southe rly 115 S4 “Southerly Gem” aro und the East Coast also Fra nce, Belgium and Holland. TBYC cad ets Ben (14yrs) and Sky Hol mes (9yrs) accompanied us on one of our Holland trips. It was Sky’s first channel crossing.

Nick Cotgrove and Graham Herve have sailed their Snapdragon “Mintinta” around our estuary, Medway and East Coast from their Thorpe Bay mooring.

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Gaynor Thompson our new Commodore (Cruising) and Dolphin cruised the Thames London and East Coast in Beneteau “The Raymond”.

Rear Rene up to their

As it turned out, this was not one of my best decisions in 2017.

I thought that the little harbour of Häradskär sounded delightful for the night. The harbour guide said that there was enough room for eight boats, so it was a bit of a surprise when we got into the harbour to find one very small fishing boat tied up to the harbour wall and what appeared to be just enough room for us to moor in front of it.

Two things happened in short order. What I took to be the harbour master ambled down to the dock looking very much like someone who had been disturbed during his dinner. Then my crew Ray, who was standing on the bows, shouted that he could see the rocks on the bottom. This was immediately confirmed by a bump from the keels! We were then directed to some staging right by the entrance. With an onshore wind blowing into the entrance this was not going to be a comfortable place for the night so off we went to an alternative about five miles away and spent a very peaceful night.

We were sailing down the east coast of Sweden - our plan was to take our trusty Centaur Topaz from her winter quarters near Stockholm to Copenhagen ready to explore the Swedish west coast in 2018.

Three weeks later, after continuous head winds, we had got almost all the way down the Swedish east coast. We were on Utkippen Island, which is the most south easterly point of Sweden and ten miles off of the coast.

In fact Utkippen is two islands separated by 50 metres of water and overall only about 600 x 250 metres.

If you are looking for night life, this is not the place for you. However there are beautiful wild flowers

and the excitement of being attacked by angry sea birds defending their fluffy young! One island has a small harbour and the other island a fort, lighthouse and the old lighthouse keeper’s cottages. The little harbour was blasted out of the rock during the 1880s as a refuge for the local fishermen. The lighthouse, now decommissioned, was built on top of the fort. If it had ever come under attack the lighthouse would have made a good aiming point for the enemy!

After a quiet night it was a bit of a surprise when my latest crew, Martin, and I woke up to find thick fog and drizzle. Despite the weather it seemed to be a pity to leave without using the dinghy that had thoughtfully been proved for our use. So we donned waterproofs, boots and lifejackets and rowed to the adjoining island.

After exploring the island we climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the lighthouse which on any other day would have given a spectacular view. In fact we could hardly see the ground.

Back on board and after another cup of coffee we set off into the fog bound for the mainland and another day in paradise in the Swedish archipelago.

Colin Keeling

CRUISERS IN BRIEF >>> Sharon Thompson, Paul and Lisa Farrall have been enjoying their Parkers “Lady Louvain” and “Infamy” sailing around our estuary from their Thorpe Bay moorings... Nigel Campling’s Southerly 115 S4 “Dutch Courage of Cowes” cruised the French and Spanish coast down to Portugal and is currently in Povoa de Vazim ... Michael Lloyd sailed his Jeanneau “Summer Solstice” to Holland and stayed in Bruinisse for the Cadet dinghy World Championships.

I have been honoured to be Rear Commodore (Cruising) for the last 3 years and am pleased to hand over to Gaynor Thompson our new Rear Commodore (Cruising).

John Williams – Cruiser Captain

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Finn Nationals at TBYC

TBYC was pleased to welcome forty-five Finns between 22- 24 September 2017 for their National Championships. This year we had an exciting mix of every age group, from under-23 squad members to the veterans and legends, plus international entries from Sweden, Finland, Netherlands and Ireland.

The sun shone for much of the weekend and many new visitors (both sailors and companions) were heard to comment on how nice the area and club were and how lucky we are to have such a good venue and facilities.

On Thursday evening the car park began to fill with some rather smart motor homes, converted vans and tents. Entries opened at 6pm and after a slow start many took the chance to get their sails

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signed and entries sorted out. It is notable in the entry that there are quite a few fathers and sons both sailing, so the enthusiasm and ambition for the prestigious Finn class continues to get passed on. A buzz started in the bar as familiar faces, some new and some revisiting the class, came together. Many took advantage of the good choice and large portions available from the catering team.

Southend provided a variety of conditions over the weekend to truly test the sailors and indeed the Race Team! Friday, with a light north-westerly battling an opposing sea breeze, was always going to be tricky, and after a short delay a race was started. Sadly the wind died and switched to the south so the race was shortened. Some sailors were unhappy with this race,

however no protest was lodged when they realised there were no grounds. At least one race was in the bag as the wind failed, and sailing was abandoned for the day.

This early finish left time for much bimbling, bartering of boats and boat parts, general chat and of course drinking in the bar and on the balcony!

In the evening some chose to eat again at the club and others sampled the delights of our favourite local Indian restaurant, the Polash.

Notably the bar and catering takings were very satisfactory for the event and the staff were very complimentary about the visitors so hopefully the Finn class will be welcome back before too long, they are a pretty well-behaved lot.

Saturday was more promising with a forecast of 8 to 11 knots, and race officer Alan Willis was able to achieve his wish of completing four races. There were local celebrations as Allen Burrell won the first race and then, as the breeze built the Oscar flag was raised allowing pumping, much to the delight of the under-23 squad! They began to show their athleticism and pulled ahead with a few notable exceptions including Lawrence Crispin, a past Laser World champion from Stone, in a borrowed boat. Starts were an issue with several boats over the line in Race 2. Alan Willis then used the black flag for Race 3 and all subsequent races, meaning that anyone over the line within the last minute before the start is disqualified. Peter McCoy felt he was pushed over the line in Race 3 and later received redress, after posting a protest.

only sail on Saturday and Sunday and put in a very creditable performance and Mark Petty-Mayor finished all the races to finish in the second half of the fleet.

All in all the event was a success for the Fleet and TBYC, hopefully it will be repeated in the not too distant future.

Saturday was a long day on the water for everyone. When the very tired sailors began to come ashore about 5pm, Jack Morgan was there to help but was alone so some support crew members and sailors companions came to his aid. The evening saw the AGM followed by an excellent championship dinner attended by nearly all of the sailors and companions. Needless to say, it was not a late night!

Sunday delivered the highlight of the event with 15 to 18 knots, three long laps and Thorpe Bay’s infamous short chop wave conditions. Again the members of the youth squads, comprised of the British sailing team (lottery funded) and the under-23 squad (funded by the British 1 Hector Simpson Yorkshire Dales SC 2 James Skulczuk MYC and WPNSA 3 Peter McCoy WPNSA 4 Cameron Tweedle Oxford SC 5 Callum Dixon Docklands SC

Finn Association) pulled ahead of the Masters fleet, however Simon Percival of Christchurch SC and Allen Burrell were snapping at their heels!

At the prizegiving Hector Simpson (BST) was a clear winner, however second to fourth were separated by just a single point, highlighting the quality and competition between the younger sailors. Happily Allen Burrell was the first non-squad boat finishing ahead of two of them and achieving sixth overall and first Grand Master.

Where were our other local TBYC sailors?

Sander Kooji had to retire from racing on Saturday due to a recurring injury, Alex Farrall due to work commitments could 6 Allen Burrell TBYC 7 Simon Percival Christchurch SC 8 Kristian Sjoberg Nylandska Jaktklubben 9 Jack Arnell Christchurch SC 10 Martin Hughes Warsash SC

Huge thanks to everyone involved in the organisation in particular Janet, Mark Petty-Mayor, Alan Willis and the Race team, support boat crews, Steve Hopper and Peter Thompson who also provided their ribs, Donna and the bar staff, Dave and his catering team. Also many others too numerous to mention but you know who you are!

As always lessons can be learnt. There was some confusion regarding support boats and crews on Friday, although this was quickly sorted out and there was a definite lack of beach party to help with trolleys on Saturday. It was suggested that more pre-event meetings with representatives of all areas concerned would be beneficial to ensure clarity, and Alan Willis also suggested the use of cameras on the start line for Olympic classes and maybe all Nationals.

25 Alex Farrall TBYC 34 Mark Petty-Mayor TBYC 37 Sander Kooji TBYC

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report by NICK ALSTON

For Cadets who want to learn to race, TBYC is certainly the place to be. With the acquisition of a second hand 3.4 metre Rib, training has moved to a new level and last year 26 races were sailed in the Pico Series and Race Training, not to mention team racing, Open meetings and Trophy races. In fact over 40 Cadets were involved in racing this year.

Pico training and races led by Andras Gal provided the platform to build on their seamanship skills, while racing against their peers. Andras decided that short races, starting from an anchored Displacement boat would give the Cadets the best opportunity to learn and enjoy the sport. By organising up to three races a session, supported by parents, the Cadets quickly learnt to manoeuvre their boats to their advantage. A great team spirit was generated and friendships formed, as Andras encouraged new sailors and catered for all abilities.

The older Cadets, and those whose were becoming competent sailors, had the opportunity to train at a higher level on the water and in the Sail Training room.

This included a three-day training event in April and six other days where starts, buoy rounding and tactics were practised; always finishing with two races to implement their newly acquired skills. The addition of ‘Stage 3’ Sail Training also enhanced the skills of the Cadets, as well as some adult sailors.

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In parallel to this, TBYC has a Team Racing Squad. The youngsters, aged 14 and above, competed against Haileybury School and Eton College on three occasions this year. The highlight however, was participating in the British School Event at Thames Valley, where we raced against 23 schools at Maidenhead Sailing Club.

Over 100 races were sailed on the day, each lasting seven minutes and starting every three minutes. A great spectacle and an amazing experience for our sailors.

Racing at this level is very challenging, using the rules to gain the advantage, sailing around an ‘S’ shaped course.

I can recall when our boys implemented a Mark Trap, preventing two of the opposition from tacking around the buoy, while letting our boats though; all legal in Team racing! I am particularly proud of them, as at 14-15 years old they have studied hard to learn and implement the tactics, sailing against mostly 18 year old helms. Their concentration and determination is second to none.

Thank you to the many fantastic parents that have supported the Cadet sailing this year from transportation of boats to support on the water with safety cover and starting/finishing races.

In 2018 we will have all of the events below to look forward to, plus a three-day Cadet TBYC Rebellious Bowl Regatta, details of which will all be published in next year’s programme.

By the end of the season we had many youngsters capable of competing in local Cadet events. The Interclub Cadet Race, hosted by Essex Yacht Club, was our first, on September 24th. For many Cadets aged between 10 and 15 years, this was their first major event.

Nine boats were loaded onto trailers and transported to Leigh together with ‘Seasafe 3’ towing another two Picos and the Cadet Rib around the pier. The youngsters eagerly sailed through the mist to the start line, then tackled the massive waves (especially when you are only ten years old and in a Pico) and 18mph winds to sail the race. I am pleased to say that they all returned with smiles on their faces, knowing that they had successfully represented TBYC and we certainly praise them for that.

The seventh annual Matt Dear Trophy, held at Thames Estuary Yacht Club, was our next event. This trophy, set up to raise the awareness of the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs, was won by us last year.

The high winds again challenged our large group of Cadets, but after recalling all their training, they tamed the wind and made a good start. Luke and Sam in the RS Feva claimed clear wind and were in second place on the line. All the Cadets tackled the rolling waves with some spectacular capsizes, completed the three laps of the course. Luke and Sam won on handicap, becoming champions and bringing home yet another success for TBYC.

We are all very proud of the progress our Cadets have made during last season. They have represented the club around the country and are known for their helpfulness and respectful behaviour. Their performance is improving all the time and with their increasing confidence and independence, who knows what they will achieve next year.

Nick Alston, Cadet Racing Trainer nickalston@icloud.com

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Cadets of all ages have had a fantastic experience this year, from those young and new to sailing experiencing Oppie Beach Club crewing and helming for the first time, making new friends and enjoying all the water has to offer, those progressing their skills and learning to sail a course in the Pico race series and further afield with the TBYC race group to those racing and sailing in National and International championships.

Race start at Fun Week

Although I am the one writing to you today, it is down to others taking responsibility for each and every cadet event that has made this year such a success, and it is them that I would like to thank. Firstly Andras Gal for his relentless work with the Pico series, Nick Alston for his training, encouragement and organisation that has enable our more experienced sailors to race and compete at other clubs and local regattas.

A briefing from Jeremy

Helpers

Next Sara Speller and Lindsay Rainbow, whose help with the cadet social events, cadet week activities and food made the year as enjoyable off the water as on it. I would like to thank all my friends and family, especially Wendy for their support behind the scenes to make this year’s Cadet Week as fun-packed and enjoyable as it was.

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Thanks to those who gave up their time and their personal ribs to provide safety cover, Peter Thompson, Steve Hopper and Michael Lloyd. And lastly thanks to Toby Speller, whose help is relentless, a man who somehow finds time to do more for others and for this club month-on-month and without his support would have left us struggling to pull this year’s Cadet Week together.

Rib transport

This year we have continued to invest in the youth of this club, purchasing three Picos to support Nick Cotgrove’s sail training programme, a new small Humber rib to provide close-quarters inshore support and help make some events more self-sufficient, two new Oppies to accommodate the large numbers wanting to participate in Stingrays during Cadet Week and a fleet of kayaks to coach the Stingray group, replacing the borrowed paddle boards we have enjoyed in previous years.

Stingrays and Piranhas

One observation I would like to share with you, and something that I have enjoyed being a small part of is the welcoming of new members to the club, and it has been good to see so many old members returning with their children. Each new member brings something to the club, and quite often we see families join to enable their children to enjoy and participate in sailing, but two families in particular stand out this year.

I won’t embarrass them with names, but they have stood out for me because of the enthusiasm and participation of their parents, they have embraced all the club has to offer and have been in and out of boats as many times as their children, and it is that kind of example and support that lead children not just to enjoy an experience like cadet week but to embrace a love of the water, beach and all it has to offer. And long may that continue at TBYC.

ddy Elmore Sharks winner, Te

End Of Week Disco

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Howard Fruin is our new Kitchen Manager, and food service commenced on Friday 1st December.

Howard has been a member of the club for fifteen years and knows first-hand the catering experiences we’ve had – some good, some poor and all ending in termination for one reason or another.

It’s time for a different approach – the club now employ the kitchen staff directly. In the short term there are processes and procedures to be set up but in the long run it will

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deliver a far superior catering experience for members with a direct link between the needs of the club and those people responsible for delivering it.

It is a new venture and it will take time for Howard and the team to find their feet and develop a menu which fits the many varied needs of the membership.

Please support the kitchen when you can. We hope to launch Friday evening

food service in January – Friday evenings at the club are already very popular, I think it’s a natural extension to have food available.

The club now have suppliers who deliver quality ingredients directly to the kitchen – these were the first vegetables delivered by a local greengrocer.

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I guess most of us went to see the Poppies: Wave installation on Barge Pier in Gunners Park this year. I wonder how many of us thought, “what’s the point?”. As two out of over 400 volunteers meeting and greeting visitors this year, we heard this comment a few times. “It’s a bit underwhelming, isn’t it?”, people said; “Why are they so far away?” “I thought there’d be more!” So, what was the point of it all, ask Alan and Sally Willis...

The story starts back in 2014 when the original installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ at the Tower of London attracted over four million viewers. With 888,246 poppies cascading down the ancient walls and into the moat, viewers were moved by the sheer scale and strength of the memorial to those who died in the First World War. Coincidentally, this was taking place at the same time as a rather less significant tragedy reached its conclusion: remember the LIBOR scandal?

A bunch of city bankers were caught fiddling a key financial measure and their firms were fined millions by the watchdog.

Well, when the display at the Tower ended, half a million of those fines plus donations from two charities went towards buying several thousand of the poppies and funding their display around the UK. From this, two poppy sculptures were born: ‘Wave’ – originally the curling swathe of poppies which rose up to create an arch over the entrance of the Tower; and ‘Weeping Window’ – the cascade of poppies that was seen pouring out of a high window down onto the grass of the moat. In May 2015 expressions of interest were invited from across the UK to host these sculptures, and Southend Council’s bid was successful, mainly due to the long and distinguished military history of the Shoeburyness Ranges, where, from 1854 right through to the 1950s, most of the artillery used by British forces was developed and tested.

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Towards the end of March this year the poppies started arriving at Gunners Park, moved from their previous location at Lincoln Castle. By early April the sculpture was completed and it opened to the public on April 12th. Those early days were rainswept and cold, and it was not unusual for the volunteers to outnumber visitors. There were three ‘volunteer stations’ – at the entrance to Gunners Park near the Coastguard Station, on the viewing platforms that were erected either side of the Barge Pier, and in a gazebo that was erected nearby as a ‘place of contemplation’. Yes, we laughed at first, but many visitors really appreciated the opportunity to sit and consider how war had affected their families, because of course, it wasn’t just about the First World War, it was about all the wars.

We met families for whom the poppies created a chance to talk to the kids about war, or about a relative who’d been killed in conflict, or about how they remembered that their grandfather would never talk about the Great War. Many visitors were from overseas, and it was humbling to talk to people whose parents remembered their towns being flattened in WW2, maybe by weapons that had been tested at Shoeburyness. We couldn’t get away from a chap whose father had been a Regimental Sergeant Major at Horseshoe Barracks. Did you know that Frankie Howerd and Billy Walker both started their National Service there? “That Billy Walker was a gentle giant,” he told us. “He used to visit my Dad right up to when he died.”

The Last Post buglers were stars. Initially intended to play just on the first and last nights, they quickly volunteered to sound the Last Post every evening at 7.00pm, and this became something of an institution.

Sometimes it was a lone bugler, sometimes two, and occasionally a small brass band, but there was always a respectful gathering of visitors.

On Sunday 25th June the sculpture closed, an event celebrated with an afternoon of poetry, a special choral piece and of course a poignant Last Post. It’s now moved on to the Naval Memorial in Plymouth.

Was it a success? Over 100,000 people visited. No doubt a few thousand of those were people coming to Southend for the first time. Several Southend residents told us they’d never heard of Gunners Park before the Poppies came. But maybe the most significant legacy is in the thoughts and memories this modest sculpture prompted. It reminded visitors of a war in which 41 million people died because their leaders couldn’t find a peaceful compromise. If a cluster of poppies perched at the end of a crumbling jetty in Shoeburyness can bring home to us how terrible war is, then maybe that is the point?

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After moving the 2016 Sandhopper Nationals to mid-August to try and catch some better weather, it appears that strong winds don’t follow tradition, and decided to wipe out one day and severely impact another, writes Mark Robinson...

For 2017 we decided firstly to return to our traditional early September date and also to keep the three-day format from last year. But to give some flexibility, we planned nine races with a nominal three races per day, adding the caveat that we could increase or decrease the number of races per day to ensure we made the best of anything the weather could surprise us with. This also facilitated the shorter races which were popular last year. As it turned out the wind in September was just right, up to a point.

Day One, Friday 8th started well with a good breeze and only a little rain to keep us all alert. The first race was just two laps and 40 mins long, but the first three places were an indication of the form, with Prey leading Obsession and The Dogs 5 at the end. Zeus managed to stay afloat at this stage to finish fourth, followed by Sand Star in 5th. Unfortunately in their keenness to get started Disco, Nemesis and Remedy were all OCS and Howard and Andy watched the start from their mooring while trying to retrieve the spinnaker halyard from the top of their mast.

Luckily with Steve Hopper’s help they were back in action for the rest of the day.

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In Race 2 Obsession held top spot for all three laps of the one-hour race with Nemesis coming round in second for the first lap, putting their previous OCS behind them, but their challenge fell away to leave them 5th. Prey and The Dogs 5 fought back to 2nd and 3rd respectively after a poor first lap, leaving Sand Star to get 4th, which would be their highest finish of the competition. Race 3 saw a good start by Nautilus, helmed by Capt. Nemo with Jules Verne (sorry I meant Zeus with Rupert & Rod) allowed them to lead all three laps of the 50 minute race to their only win of the weekend. Prey recovered from 5th on the first lap to finish second, with The Dogs 5 rounding out their day with a consistent 3rd, Obsession having their worst result so far in 4th. So at the end of the first day Peter Thompson and Mark Dell in Prey with 5 points led Alex Farrall and Paul Beasley in Obsession on 7 with a consistent Mark Jewel & Alex Knight in The Dogs 5 following on 9 points.

Day Two had lighter winds and some sunshine, which was greatly appreciated by those of us us at the back. Izzy Mae joined the fleet, bringing entrants up to 17. For Race 4 things were less consistent, but Zeus once again led the first lap, pushing Prey

down to 2nd before losing top spot to Peter & Mark on lap 2, with Prey going on to win.

Obsession came back from 6th on lap 1 to finish second, followed by David Hopper and Peter Snow in Aeolus in 3rd. Disco with Matt & Liz Abbiss had their best finish in 4th while Zeus fell back to 7th, their lowest finish so far.

Race 5 looked as though things at the front were about to change with Prey leading the first lap followed by Disco, Aeolus and Nemesis relegating Obsession to 5th before Richard Barnes & Paul Dell in Blue Jacket came through to win followed by Obsession then Chris & Ken Clarke in Nemesis in 3rd place. Race 6 followed promptly but this time Obsession led from the start to take their second win of the weekend, followed home by Prey with Aeolus in 3rd.

Day 3 looked breezy though initially sailable, but with the wind expected to steadily increase throughout the day, seven boats dropped out before the start, leaving just ten to fight for the championship.

With Prey and Obsession tied on 8 points and The Dogs in 3rd on 18 points it looked like a straight fight. But in race 7 Mark Jewel & Alex Knight in The Dogs had other ideas and, relishing in the conditions, pulled clear of Blue Jacket who had led the first lap to

get their first win. With Prey finishing second and Obsession third Peter & Mark were now one point clear going into race 8. With Prey and Obsession jockeying for position at the start – and you must watch the video on TBYC.org – The Dogs made a good start and led the first lap. But the wind had now stepped up a notch, and Disco retired leaving just nine contenders. Then on the second lap run to the leeward mark Zeus hit a problem and suddenly tipped sideways, taking on water. The support RIB with Steve Hopper was quickly in attendance and the key thing was there were no injuries to Capt. Nemo or his crew, except maybe pride.

In the meantime the race continued with The Dogs leading the second lap followed by Obsession leading Prey and it looked like the two leaders would end on even points which, with the weather deteriorating, could have left us with joint winners. At this stage spinnakers were still being flown and there were some very brave crews. But after rounding the windward mark Obsession suddenly dropped back, narrowly avoiding the same fate as Zeus. Luckily they had not taken on as much water and were able to recover and return to their mooring.

This left The Dogs to win the race with Prey following to second place, securing them the championship. On that last run the spinnakers seemed less popular all of a sudden, and the rest of the boats finished safely. Race 9 was then cancelled and the fleet headed home, except for Zeus which was anchored and marked with a buoy. Happily Zeus was recovered later that evening and is already repaired and ready for the 2018 season.

Will 2017 National Champions Peter Thompson and Mark Dell repeat the feat in Prey in 2018? We will be having the Sandhopper Nationals in September at TBYC again and hopefully will get a perfect weekend - sunny and a steady 15kts!

See you on the start line.

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The following members have successfully completed Stage 1 and 2 this season: Stage 2 April Sky Holmes, Eleanor and Stephen Johnson, Henry and Maisie Bagnall, Tom Duddridge, Lydia Stevenson, Hannah Cole, Hector and Calypso Bailey, Adam and Jerry Jones, Gary and Daniel Crooks, Michael Scanes, Nathan Sverdloff, Sophie Sandford, Alexander Johnson and Joseph Frost Stage 1 May Dominic Wells, Mackenzie and Duncan Ritchie, Lillie and Lisa Davis, Martin and Oliver Byrne and Joshua Speller Stage 1 July Leila, Jason, Gemma and Mia Cudlipp, Pippa and Matilda Mintern, Jessica Elkington, Lesley and Aimee Dye, Ben Hole, Toby Wood, Jessica Rainbow, Neil Jones, Amber Vaughn Lance, Zoe Harrison and Debbie Osborne.

Well done to everyone. With members’ ages ranging from 8 to 54, it made for some entertaining and sometimes challenging days on the water! But thanks to our experienced instructors, every section was completed. Survival swim ashore, first solo sail and being under a capsized boat are just a few of the skills learned.

The feedback that we get is always enthusiastic, and this is down to a band of patient and committed instructors who give up their time to assist new members, to make sure the skills required are completed, and that the members are able to sail with control and confidence.

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I am very grateful to the a number of cadet and adult Sailing Instructors who assisted this season: Ellie Morgan, Paul Morgan, Abigail Cotgrove, Dominic Speller, Andy Wood and Robyn Murdoch.

Thanks all, for your support and instruction. I would also like to thank Nick Alston, who researched, sourced, and built the shed for SeaSafe 9, our new Cadet Rib, which has been invaluable in close-up tuition and reassurance on the water. It is a great asset for the club.

Once each stage is completed, it’s important to put the new sailing skills to use, and get out on the water and race in the Pico series. This is when the members really start to learn, and have fun racing, which is what it’s all about!

If anyone is interested in becoming an instructor at TBYC, I am pleased to discuss this very rewarding aspect of membership at our club with you.

Nick Cotgrove, Sail Training Officer nick.cotgrove@aol.co.uk

How many duties did you do last year?

I know, it always seems a lot and a bit of an inconvenience, but the fact is that apart from a few individuals most only have three or four duties assigned. Of course we have some members who volunteer to do many more and fill gaps at the last minute to allow us all to go sailing.

Shortly, once again I have the fun task of populating the TBYC calendar with all the duties we need to allow club racing to run successfully and safely. In the past this has been very hit-andmiss with duties allocated similar to the previous years, with a little tweaking. That often resulted in lots of swapping and probably silent (or otherwise!) cursing, by members given duties they didn’t want, could not do and which usually (as if it were planned that way) clashed with their holidays!

So last year I tried to capture the members’ wishes where possible so I could allocate duties that you, the members, actually wanted to do. So obviously everything worked fine this year...

Well, not quite. Overall I think it was an improvement but we did have a few teething problems.

Firstly I quickly found that when you ask the members to choose

Our club has 1,110 members in all. Just fiftysix attended the November AGM, with twenty-two sending apologies. So, does this mean that maybe translated, members are content?

Here’s our wish list for 2018.

Wish All boats go out on the water at weekends, or if that is too much to ask, try twice monthly. You have the choice to cruise about or race. It’s the reason you have a boat, no? Support boats are about, you won’t be alone. Imagine the sight of all those blue sails; 53 boats, plus six club Picos and thirty Sandhoppers; thirty-five

their own dates, inevitably lots of people wanted the same dates – and mostly all in May! When I asked people for dates to be avoided, I got plenty of good responses and tried to allocate duties accordingly, but I also found that when I’m trying to juggle these it’s possible to make the odd mistake, and giving someone all Saturday duties when they asked for just Sundays (as they worked Saturdays) was probably my best one.

For 2018 the club calendar has already been on display at the sailing and club AGMs and a few keen members have already put their names to their duties. In early January I’ll be emailing all the people already listed on DutyMan asking them for their choice of duties, and that’s your chance to tell me the type of duties you would like, along with any dates you won’t be available. Hopefully this year it will go a bit smoother!

If you’re not already helping with duties at the club, why not make 2018 the year to get involved? If you would then please watch out for emails or club notices on the TBYC website / lobby to find out how.

Or simply contact me. Just being out on the water is part of what the club is all about.

What about those who would like to have a go but don’t have any experience? Well, you can go as crew on a Seasafe support boat or go along to help out on the committee boat without any experience. Race Officers are always happy to have extra help and you get a great view of the race from SS4. We can also provide training for any of the duties, so please just get in touch and ask.

RYA powerboat training is also available at TBYC, as we have qualified instructors who run several courses each year. These train you to helm a RIB or displacement boat correctly and result in an RYA Powerboat Level 2 qualification.

Lastly, I do plan to produce some further user guides on Dutyman during 2018, but if you have any questions on Dutyman or duties at TBYC generally, please do get in touch.

Hope you have a great year at TBYC in 2018!

Mark Robinson TBYC Dutyman Administrator Email: dutyadmin@tbyc.org Phone: 07957 801 099

lasers, sixty multihull and other dinghies, not forgetting fourteen Oppies. The whole shoreline and beach awash with families.

After all we are a yacht club!

your parents down (or is it drag your children down?) Sailing is fun, it builds confidence and I have seen great lifelong friendships which began with this sport.

Wish The club house to be buzzing, all ages, enjoying a meal or snack, a tipple or two, meeting, chatting, and making friends with fellow members. Any time: lunchtime, evenings, before and after racing. Great balcony. It’s a joy in the sunshine.

Wish Members taking an active part, be proud of your club: be there and use it. You have much to share; giving time on the work party days. Do you have skills? You can assist with the sailing programme, and you don’t have to be a sailor to help. Sailing and socialising.

Wish Cadet Week is wonderfully supported. Why not spread your wings throughout the season; make time to drag

Let’s see wishes and imaginations become reality.

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The last time I wrote an article for Newsbuoy, I was anticipating the four National Championships that TBYC is hosting in 2017. Well, as I write it’s mid-August, the Tornados and Sprints have had their fun (and fun it was, with bags of wind and big seas for both events) with the Sandhoppers up next in a couple of weeks, writes Gary Burrows TBYC hosted 60 entrants for the UK Sprint 15 National Championships sponsored by GJW Direct Insurance and Windsport, with support from Elmore Homes and TCS Chandlery. Entrants came from far and wide including Isle of Wight, Wales, Devon and t’North. We were particularly pleased to welcome seventeen sailors competing in the Nationals for the first time and five youth entrants.

When asked to prepare an article for the magazine covering the event, I was minded to plagiarise the race report submitted to Yachts & Yachting. At that point however, I came across the following Race Management notes prepared by our excellent R.O., Alan Willis. These are the daily reports Alan prepared for his race team, summarising the day’s activities, successes, areas of note and targets for the following day. I found them interesting and a useful insight for anyone wanting to improve their race management skills.

With Alan’s permission: Day 1 Summary [Saturday] the first We managed to fit-in the practice race and race was ice pract The . today nals Natio 2 races of the very useful was It ded. recor ts resul no with lap one iour on the for calibrating the course and their behav tunity oppor good a was it rs sailo start line. For the here. tions condi with y iarit famil to gain to due Today’s wind started SSW (210°) and moved 20kt to ing build and 14kt d aroun at ing South, start pean (Euro ECMWF for the last race, which proved the ast forec asts) Forec er Weath Center for Medium-Range beat the of lie h /Sout North The ate. the most accur can’t go out restricted its length somewhat because we 3 x 15 were races both into the shipping lanes, so to rred prefe have I’d rs. winne minute laps for the winner, the for hour an ng lasti races the of have one back to its but as it was we got the Committee Boat ashore, so get to spare to tide mooring with not much start about rns conce My r. bette were shorter races very were they – line behavior proved groundless race ice pract the in boat OCS restrained with just one get you “if say would Phil As d. secon and none in the start the set a lot of boats OCS it’s because you’ve line wrong”, so I assume I set it right. first two Two Shanklin Sailing Club boats share the a 2nd in and 1st a positions, with Paul Grattage with a 1st in and 2nd a with na McKen first place, and Sean with an Bowie Jim is boat TBYC top The . second place how the see to g 8th and a 7th. It will be interestin ast forec y’s Sunda g. racin boats lie after tomorrow’s kt, 12 – 10 , tions condi er light tly is for sligh which West be gusting to 18. Direction is predicted to hoping for would allow me to set a longer beat, so I’m .

3 x 60-minute races

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Day 2 Summary [Sunday] We gave them a good day’s sailing, with 3 races sailed and a rather too abrupt end to the final race due to a sudden and prolonged squall pushing the wind up to 28kts. For the first two races we experienced a benign 12-17 kts, and we were able to set them a 3-lap, then a 4-lap race.

The wind direction was steady throughout at 250°, WSW, which allowed for fast turnrounds.

Soon after the start of the third race, a sudden and un-forecast squall arrived. Maybe a more experienced weather-watcher could have seen it coming from the cloud formations, but it certainly took us by surprise. Winds raced up to 28kts and there were some fairly big waves. Conditions were too extreme for safe racing but these squalls are often short-lived and the boats were approaching their first rounding of the windward mark so there wasn’t much to be gained from abandoning the race at that point (they were at their farthest point from the club so would have to sail back past the Committee Boat to get ashore). We let them enjoy a hairy reach between marks 1 and 2, and then come back on the run. As the leaders were approaching mark 3 the wind wasn’t abating, so I decided to shorten course and finish them after just one lap. This seemed to work well: a few boats retired before the windward mark but 40 of the 60 boats finished the race.

The Patrol Boats did their job well, rescuing one sailor who fell overboard and was being towed behind the boat by the main sheet; another that came up on the beach at the Halfway House, and two boats where the helms had dismounted at Thorpe Bay beach and then lost control of their boats which then sailed off without them. I was worried that sailors who retired would think I should have abandoned the race, but everyone I spoke to ashore was happy. Some said they were the conditions Sprints prefer, but then we sailors always say that after we’re safe ashore!

After five races, Sean McKenna and Paul Grattage of Shanklin Sailing Club are still at positions 1 and 2, so today’s racing will decide between them. Our own Jim Bowie is in 8th place and Darren Fitchew is 14th.

The target is 2 races today to complete the 7-race series. The Monday’s forecast now looks worrying: wind direction is round to N or NW with all forecasters predicting gusts of 26 – 28kts from 12.00. There’s also some doubt over how many Patrol Boats we can muster. I’ll aim to get a quick 2-lap race in first, then set a longer final race which I can shorten if conditions turn nasty.

Day 3 Summary [Monday] able help. I think First, thank you all for your valu sailors confirmed together we did a great job, and the that. the 2 races in that On the final day we managed to get . As you know, I ship pion cham full a were needed for icted winds in the was worried that the forecast pred a quick, 25 minute ran I so high 20’s early afternoon, good 17kt breeze a in ted star This 2-lap race first.

26. The boats were and by the end it was gusting to and gave them a 4on handling it fine so we carried ect, but it was perf ’t wasn se cour lap second race. The k turn-round quic a er pref they know I and sailing OK 18kts to from ed to a perfect course. The wind vari everyone and s dent inci r majo 28kts but there were no . race er enjoyed the long ing out the final The Sprints were a little slow work ing in the event sail was it results – the person doing – but the prize es priz ’ cial ‘spe and there were many was a jolly affair. giving eventually got underway and

So, a job well done by TBYC. Here are my learning points: 1. The Sprints are a relatively easy fleet to manage racing for. There are two main reasons for this - (a) they don’t push the line because they are hard boats to tack so no one wants to be over and waste the time going back; and (b) they don’t sail very close to the wind, so the beat doesn’t have to be spot-on, which makes for faster turn-rounds.

2. For an important meeting like a National Championship, it’s very valuable having six people on the Committee Boat.

We could have managed with five, but six gave me the luxury to focus exclusively on the sailing.

3. As Race Officer, I think I need to contact the Patrol Boat helms before the start of the event. I usually leave this to the person organizing the overall Open Meeting, but this time I was caused a lot of stress by not being sure how many Patrol Boats would be out, and late arrival of helms.

4. The Sprints idea of having a procedure whereby tailenders can be finished while they’re sailing their last lap, using a Patrol Boat flying code flag W, is a useful way of speeding up the turn-round between races.

5. We’d built into the SIs the ability to vary the number of races on the day. In the event, we didn’t use this, but I still think it could have been a valuable facility if conditions had been different. I’ll suggest it for other events, although I can’t see the Sandhoppers adopting it – they’re too traditional!

6.It’s better to have a non-participant doing the results.

That way they can be emailed ashore and worked out faster.

7.Finally, a good Committee Boat crew, such as I had this time, is invaluable!

Thanks again, and I look forward to our next opportunity to show how well TBYC runs Open Meetings. On behalf of all the competitors and everyone involved with this event, I’d like to extend my thanks to Alan & his team for the most fantastic race management.

Chairman Awards were introduced this year to commend individual competitors who had achieved something notable – sponsored by Elmore Homes and supplied by TCS Chandlery. Saturday’s winners were Yvonne Pike for capsizing on the finish line and Tom Gurney for putting in a great performance despite being half the size and a third of the age of an average Sprint 15 sailor. Sunday’s Chairman’s Awards went to Gary Burrows for his boat sailing off the beach by itself when he went to help someone else land! Gary Sverdloff won an award for sailing over the concrete groyne before being thrown off his boat – which then needed to be sailed back by a safety boat crew. The final award went to Sophia McKenna for enjoying her capsize despite being thrown well clear of the boat (and rescuing the burgee.) The final Chairman’s Awards for the event went to Aaron Kirby for capsizing on top of his namesake and to Jack Tindale for sailing a superb first time Nationals until his boat was unfortunately damaged.

Prizegiving was led by Sissy Dewhirst – and massive congratulations to Sean and Sophia McKenna, from Shanklin – National Champions for the second year in a row. Congratulations also to Paul Grattage, Shanklin 2nd, Kevin Dutch, Seasalter 3rd. Top 3 placed TBYC boats were Jim Bowie - 7th, Darren Fitchew – 13th and Gary Burrows 17th.

A massive thank you to all the members of the club who gave up their time & energy to make this the fantastic event it was both on and off the water. This wasn’t just a success for the sailors and reputationally for the club.

Entry fees, increased bar profits and catering fees will have added £4,000 to the club’s coffers. Who knows, maybe enough to get a few curtains for the windows..!

First of all, I would like to give a huge vote of thanks, on behalf of the class, to Mark Robinson for standing as Class Captain over the last four years. He has done a great job for us and we thank him for all his hard work. He has kindly offered to stay on as the Class Association Chairman for another year, so not out of it completely.

Mark has written the report on the Nationals so I won’t dwell on that, other to congratulate our new National Champion Peter Thompson, not for winning but on his marriage to Kerryn in October. On behalf of the class I wish the new Mr and Mrs Thompson all our love and happiness for the future.

With the winter now upon us, the boats are back in the dinghy park for some love and attention over the next few months. Sanding, scraping, filling, epoxying and antifouling in the cold and damp what fun! No, not really. Well, not unless you’ve managed to get out of it by orchestrating quite simply, a stunning master plan. It must have taken months in the making. Checking the weather forecasts, topping up the insurance premiums and finally when 44 knots of breeze arrives – sink the bloody thing! Wonderful! Capt.

Smith (Rupert) and his sidekick Wodders have managed to have their boat beautifully restored by Rice and Cole with new paint, antifouling and new sails, cleaned in and out and ready to go! The things people will do to get out of the winter work!

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We are having some fun with sails as I write. The blue cloth has run out and the cost of having new material made and dyed is getting expensive. The old debate of what to do rumbles on again.

White cloth would be the answer and would allow the class to open out to all sailmakers and designs to possibly bring the class on again. But on the other hand, do we want to lose the blue sails identity and the limited options in sail choice, making it more of a one design?

Maybe it’s time we started to think outside the box and come up with something a little different? Answers on a postcard please, and watch this space.

The club runs, as you know, its own very successful sail training programme. Led by Nick Cotgrove, it enables our kids to have superb structure to their learning. So popular this has become, that lately many parents have found that they too would like to learn to sail and have also taken and passed their Levels 1,2 and 3.

The problem afterwards is what to sail? Unless these parents know someone with a boat and in need of a novice crew it often becomes a problem and they end up not sailing.

Well – if you’re a new parent who has just learned to sail, come and sail with us! We have a great boat that is easy to rig, easy to sail and you won’t need to squeeze into a smelly wetsuit or even get wet.

(Well, maybe just a little.) We often find ourselves looking for a crew and I’m sure most of us would be happy to take you out to show you the ropes.

We have a varied experience and skill level throughout the fleet and ages of sailors from 13 – 80. Please let me know if you would like to try sailing a Sandhopper this coming year.

On the subject of new sailors, we are very lucky to have our own class boat – “Primo”. The boat has now been repainted and antifouled, new fittings and ropes and was sailed very competitively in the Nationals by Matt Lloyd and George Warrington. This boat is available to anyone in the club to come and race or just take for a sail, so please let me know if you’d like to take Primo out.

Due to popular demand the Nationals next year will be a two-day event with three races. We are looking forward to another successful event. Put the dates in the diary and come and join the fun. There is also the possibility of the ‘Hoppers returning to Burnham Week for the Bank Holiday weekend. I am in discussion with the Squib class there to see if we can join them. We can finally see which boat can sail to its handicap!

I am really looking forward to being involved with the class and I hope to see more of the fleet out racing more of the time. I will be nagging and pushing you.

Forget the forecast and the webcam.

Come down to the slipway and join us in the “shall we – shan’t we shuffle” see what the conditions are like, and decide then. More often than not, it’s not as bad as it seems. We have the best sailing waters on our shoreline and the best facilities – please do come and make good use of them.

See you on the water!

Howard Warrington SH 41 Squiffy

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As sailors, I am sure that most of you have encountered the theory of stacking variances.

We all know that if a coin is flipped enough times, then the ratio of heads to tails will be one to one. We also know that we don’t know how many flips of the coin it will take to reach parity. Variances to a norm can be classified as positive or negative, and these variances can stack, i.e. a number of negative variances before a positive one. We have all experienced this as header follows header, and the lift never seems to come. Stacking headers!

Thus, it was a beautiful early morning in late summer.

As I was driving along the seafront to the Club pondering the boat preparation tasks necessary for the coming weekend’s National Championships, I came to think: what were the set of stacking variances that had caused me, at nearly 70 years old, to don a pair of waders and lie in the sandy mud, with a Sandhopper hull denying my tan preservation, to scrape what seemed like seven generations of barnacles from Blue Jacket’s smooth bottom? How the hell have I come to doing this?

What were the series of decisions that caused this event? Were any reversible? Had I been taken in by false claims and promises? Was there an easier solution to barnacle removal, or should I look into improved methods of prevention?

And so the analysis started. The previous two boats I owned were both dry sailed and thus the concept of scrubbing was singly defined by dive-scrubbing overnight at championships. This fact, however, should not be a reason for a negative comparison as neither of those boats would have stayed upright

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given the twice-daily absence of water at Thorpe Bay. The removal of barnacles is a mere bagatelle compared with sorting out the impacts of dry capsizes!

Both those previously owned boats were treated with International VC antifouling, or latterly no antifouling at all, as they were dry sailed.

International VC provides a very smooth finish but its ability to repel “foul” sea-born growths is suspect in a Thames Estuary environment compared with leaching anti-fouling. However, it does looks very good in its bronze colour condition before immersion. (Such vanity, but it psyches out the competition!)

However, the stacking of variances started way before this.

I first started sailing Hornets in the late sixties and was last in one about 18 months ago. My first National Championships was at TBYC in 1970. I had the heaviest boat by 75lb and we were first to the windward mark in the first race - its only moment of glory! Hilary had her purse stolen from the ladies changing room and the police turned up at the prizegiving dinner and requested that she meet them for interview outside over the PA system. To two hundred plus guests. You can imagine the reaction of the assembled company of Horneteers to that.

In the late Nineties I was involved in a refurbishment of the class design similar to that applied to the GP14.

That new boat was launched at a European Championships held at Thorpe Bay in 2001 (50 boats).

By this time I was Commodore of the Hornet Fleet and thus officiated at the prizegiving and Hilary and my daughter Alix presented the prizes. At that prize giving was one Mark Dell, who was rather taken with Alix and concluded that he would pursue matters. He did so successfully and Alix is now a “Dell” herself,

with twin boys who have already been introduced to Daddy’s, Uncle’s and Grandpa’s Hornets. They are now living in Leigh while Hilary and I moved to Westcliff!

Our son Nic is also a keen Hornet Sailor and soon was in cahoots with Mark. We all sailed together with other family members (our youngest son Joth, and his now wife Gemma) as a team on 707s and IRC racing in our Cruiser/racer Biela (the subject of a previous article) in the Solent.

It was at this time that Mark and Nic thought it a good idea if we (I) bought a Sandhopper. They could use it for the Nationals, I could sail it when they were not using it, they would crew for me, do all the maintenance, boat scrubbing etc, and pay the mooring fees. It would be marvellous, and a great fill-in for when there was no big boat racing.

So it came to pass that Blue Jacket became ours (mine) and we joined the ever-friendly Sandhopper fleet. And it has been brilliant fun, even though living 200 miles away is a bit of a deterrent to every weekend usage. I have now retired and therefore, quite rightly, the balance of boat fettling effort has swung more to me than originally envisaged. (Surprise, surprise!)

And thus, as I pulled myself up from lying in the sandy mud, and felt the water trickle down the inside of my waders (having lain prone to ensure “last barnacle removal” from the inside of the port fin, essential to

gain the full benefit of International VC) I mused to myself: what went wrong?

Should I never have bought a Hornet? (Or more accurately, should my Dad never have bought a Hornet?)

Should we not have had the new boat launch and the Hornet Europeans at Thorpe Bay? Should I have banned Alix from presenting the prizes?

Should we have discouraged Mark Dell? (no chance).

Should we never have sold Biela?

Should I have told Nic and Mark to buy their own Sandhopper?

Should we not have transferred dry sailing antifouling technology to dry-out bilge keelers?

Should I not have tried to get two seasons out of one antifoul application?

Should I have pleaded old age and had the youngsters do the scrubbing?

Should I…?

EPILOGUE It is now Sunday September 10th 2017, and the last day of the Sandhopper Nationals.

It’s blowing 20-25 knots with a forecast to increase to over 30 knots and we are going sailing.

The second race that day turned out to be EPIC. Gusts of 32 knots were recorded over the Committee Boat deck, gusts so strong they blew the boat even more sideways than a Sandhopper’s natural upwind prowess! The waves were six feet in height and not much further apart, which usefully avoided the usual nosedive tendency. Spinnakers were flown until one or two minor broach incidents.

Sandhoppers surfing from wave top to wave top. Absolutely fantastic.

Stacking variances, yes, but every one of them positive.

Richard Barnes Proud owner of Blue Jacket SH154

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Many people will have fond memories of the Southend Raft Race. Previously staged by the RNLI until 1991, the event was cancelled due to a growth of safety concerns. After an absence of 24 years, Thorpe Bay Rotary Club decided it was time to add it back to the local event calendar.

Nothing, however, could be achieved unless event safety could be improved, so from late 2015 discussions took place between the RNLI, HM Coastguard, Essex Police, Essex Fire & Rescue and the many departments of Southend Borough Council to establish what improvements would be necessary. In the light of advice given by all parties, it was decided that it should be possible to hold the event once more, albeit with slight changes to the previous format. We then needed to find a suitable event site.

The event team met with several officers of TBYC and outlined the proposal. We were delighted when, after much discussion, TBYC agreed to facilitate the return of the event, albeit in 2017 rather than 2016 as the calendar had already been determined for that year.

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Having identified the ideal site for the event, planning started in earnest in April 2016 and a team of twelve volunteers met regularly to report progress on the various elements that would make up the day. In addition to the race, the event team were eager to host entertainment, provide refreshments, facilities and a range of stalls and other attractions for the public. The grassed area on the Esplanade was able to accommodate this in addition to the raft assembly and preparation area.

Burrows would be responsible for all water-based risk management.

Meetings continued to be held with all interested parties both separately and through Southend’s Safety Advisory Group for the next twelve months while assembly of the required safety cover was agreed.

This included a professional kayak team, shorebased lifeguards, TBYC support boats and a land-based first aid facility including both a paramedic and an A&E doctor.

With safety being of paramount Emergency planning was agreed importance, it was agreed that with the relevant Council officer, Rotary would be responsible for HMCG and Essex Police, all of all land-based risk whom were extremely helpful management and approved the race layout and that the designed to give maximum then-Rear spectator appeal whilst Commodore protecting the moored vessels.

Racing, Gary

With final approval for all aspects of the event being given by the Council only days before the event, and thanks to the generous sponsorship of Radio Essex, the Southend Raft Race was held once again on 25th June 2017.

On the day, stewarding was provided by nearly 60 volunteers, including TBYC in the support boats. With their efforts, over three thousand members of the public were able to watch the twentytwo rafts battle conditions verging on the extreme and also enjoy the entertainment and refreshment facilities on the greensward opposite.

Congratulations were offered to all the competitors, especially the thirteen rafts that battled valiantly against the wind and waves, but were unable to complete the course.

Rotary is thrilled that over £12,000 was raised by the event for local charities including the RNLI, and the publicity following the event has been very positive.

So much so that we have already received advance booking from eighteen raft teams for the next Raft Race!

The event debrief took place last month and members welcomed Commodore Beverly Warrington to be able to thank her and all TBYC members for their assistance in staging this very popular event which was free of charge for the whole community. It was hoped that, with the continued support of TBYC, the event could be repeated in 2018. We were delighted when, after consultation with her club members, Commodore Beverly was able to confirm the inclusion of the 2018 Southend Raft Race in the TBYC calendar for Sunday 29 July.

Rotary would like to express our huge gratitude to all TBYC members for making this possible and in particular to Gary Burrows, Margaret Kennedy and all those members that helped with the 2017 event and, hopefully, will do so again in 2018.

Organisation, Southend Cystic Fibrosis Association and the YMCA Community School are among recent beneficiaries in the Southend area. Internationally, Thorpe Bay Rotary doesn’t just plan raft Rotary has been the driving force races however. Our annual flagship event behind the ongoing effort to is the Foulness Bike Ride, now in its 18th eradicate the scourge of polio. year, which has raised over £600,000 for mainly local charities.

As well as The men and women who are fundraising, members use their skills and proud to call themselves Rotarians contacts to assist with many local good now come from all walks of life, causes. HARP, Southend Blind Welfare backgrounds, ethnicities and ages.

What they have in common is the wish to contribute their energy, talents and skills to make a real difference to the lives of others – and have fun doing it! If Rotary sounds of interest, we would love to hear from you.

Nigel Gaynor & Loretta Andrews www.thorpebayrotaryclub.org.uk

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