Thorpe Bay Yacht Club - Newsbuoy 12 - Spring 2015

The magazine of Thorpe Bay Yacht Club

www.tbyc.org • Edition 12 • Spring 2015

Yourmagazine Yourphotos Yourstories YourTBYC

Mike Thomason Commodore Welcome to the Spring edition of So far this has been a fairly good winter with a Newsbuoy! successful pre Christmas winter series. The winter Saturday series saw 42 entrants and 46 for the There has been some fine tuning Sunday series. Well done to everyone for taking with the General and Sailing part and also to the ROs and support boat crews Committees over the winter. I am for making this happen. pleased to welcome John Williams who has taken over the Flag At the time of writing this article we have Officer role from Derek Wellings as Rear managed to sail the New Year Icicle series on all Commodore Cruising. I would like to thank of the planned race days even though winds have Derek for his valued input with the running of been on the most part at the top end of the “do the club and for initiating the revival of the cruiser we” or “do we not go” scale. Chris Boshier put section. Long may this continue under John’s in a fine performance in taking the top spot at leadership. the Leigh Brass Monkey.

Our new Sailing Secretary John Casson has come on board, bringing a wealth of experience in dinghies and cruisers. On the Sailing Committee Chris Tillyer has joined Steve Healy in running the huge Sprints section; David Ayre is now running the Windward Leeward Mono fleet and Garry Ellis has taken the helm of the Pico class.

The Southend Lifeboat Crews Dinner was held on 6th February at the Cliffs Pavilion. It was good to see a large support of members from the club attending this dinner to thank the crews for their dedicated service and to raise some well deserved funds for our local station. The event is always well attended with good wholesome food followed by a raunchy comedian and an auction Inhouse we welcome our new Chef Steve and of various items to raise funds for the RNLI. For new assistant bar manager Heather. The club can my part, I was caught up in bidding for a rather now victual all the hungry and thirsty sailors and naughty gnome – much to the disgust of the members. Sunday Roasts are back on the wife. Overall, an excellent evening. agenda, so mums and some dads can be given a well earned break from slaving over the stove The winter months will soon be behind us and we and sink. can look forward to longer days and the start of the main season for all to enjoy. Our sailing A warm welcome to our new members who have committee have put forward their proposals for joined us in the last six months. This year we are the various Series, Trophy races and Nationals for looking to expand our membership over all age this year and Toby Speller has as usual juggled all categories, with the usual emphasis on the family the requests around to produce another fantastic membership. All members can do their bit in programme. In addition, Graham Dare has promoting our great club to family, friends and ensured we are fully compliant with the new EU work colleagues. Quite simply, we need to boost maritime health and safety rules covering events membership numbers on and off the water to in the Thames Estuary. The warm up race will be replace those that leave us to enable our held on Friday 3rd April, immediately followed by refurbishment programme to progress. three consecutive days of racing over Easter.

The New Year started off with what is becoming the traditional New Year’s Day Bash. The kitchen was expertly organised and run by Martin Swindon with invaluable help from the General Committee and their families looking after the serving and washing-up.

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Nick Alston with his team of adult volunteers has introduced a new Cadet series as a go-between the Pico Series and main club racing, and more on this topic will follow.

Our Sail Training commences in April so any

member who is interested in coming on-board will need to contact Nick Cotgrove to book their space on the courses.

Our Vice Paul Morgan has introduced a new initiative of a Crew / Helms list on the club website. It’s all a far cry from the ‘60s and ‘70s, when budding cadets kept a close eye on the noticeboards, waiting for the postcard contact details of unsuspecting female crews. Several relationships ensued, with one common goal of course – to go sailing.

Rob Bailey is busy drawing up plans for the refurbishment of the club house starting with the ceiling replacement, followed by a complete redecoration inside and out.

John Laliberte has finalised the dinghy park plan and there are only a handful of spare spaces at present. This is the least number I can remember for this time of the year and it is a good indicator as to how the season will progress. If we become oversubscribed for space then those dinghies that do not move during the season will be placed on the top racks to make room for those who wish to go sailing. On the subject of the racks, we seem to have a multitude of windsurf boards which have accumulated over the years. If you are the owner of one (or more) of these boards then please advise Janet in the office - pay your storage fee and write your name on the board. During the summer we will be clearing out unidentified boards by following the RYA abandoned boat procedure.

There is a plan to look at the possibility of Rib storage in the dinghy park to make launching and recovery that much easier.

Fleet Captains will be busy again this year in encouraging their fleets to take part in the club racing and social events. All of us often need that reminder to take part, so expect a barrage of e-mail nudges from your fleet captains. The Laser 1 fleet continues to expand – currently at 25 with a host of cadets taking up the challenge of this single hander. Our unique one design Sandhopper Class has attracted new owners and the Sprints continue to battle it out in the strong winds when most of us prefer to retire to the bar. The Pico fleet still remains our largest class at 67, with several boats changing hands over the winter. We expect to see some great close inshore racing from cadets and adults in Picos during this season with loads of coaching and training sessions to enable all novices to take part.

The social committee under the leadership of Sara Speller has a fabulous social programme with something for everyone this year. With our new chef, I can see this being a great year for the social side of the club.

Finally, do please check the Dutyman on the main web site for your rosters. If you are not listed for duties you can always volunteer at any time by dropping an email to Graham Dare. The more volunteers we have, the more time we can all spend on the water having fun.

Happy sailing.

Mike Thomason

Your Committee Commodore Mike Thomason Vice Commodore Paul Morgan Rear Commodore Racing Jeremy Sandford Rear Commodore Cruising John Williams Treasurer Ian Murdoch Cadet Rep • Mark Petty-Mayor House Rep • Rob Bailey Sail Training Officer • Nick Cotgrove Social Rep • Sara Speller Sailing Secretary • John Casson Membership Officer • Will Daly Honorary Secretary • Margaret Kennedy Secretary • Janet Willsmer Dinghy Park Rep • John Laliberte Support Boats – Ribs • Tony Clark Support Boats – Displacement • Toby Speller Windward-Leeward Mono • Dave Ayre Fast Cats • Struan Wallace Lasers • Rick Paxman & Wes Absolom Slow Cats • Steve Healy & Chris Tillyer Sandhoppers • Mark Robinson Picos • Gary Ellis Fast Mono • Paul Beasley Albacores • John Payne Fevas • Nick Alston Race Results • Graham Dare Magazine photography: Linzi Swindon and Irina Tretyakova

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tbyc:social

At long last the days are getting longer and we can start to come out of hibernation!

Since my last article there has been lots happening, including a wonderful new chef joining us – Steve Bullus. Steve has really made an impact in the few weeks he’s been with us and his food is proving very popular. This all means exciting times ahead for our events!

We had a wonderful festive season of celebrations, including the Adult Christmas Party with traditional party games, New Year’s Eve and of course the now traditional New Year’s Day brunch which was organised and run by Martin Swindon and Paul Morgan. Many thanks to them and all the helpers who came on the day to make the event such a success – it really was lovely to see the Club heaving with happy diners!

Looking towards the warmer weather and longer lighter days, we have plenty planned to keep you entertained.

The Sailing Supper this year will be on Saturday 4th April (Easter Saturday) to coincide with the first race of the season (please note that it is listed in the sailing programme as 11th April, but it’s since been decided that 4th April would work better for dinghy and Sandhopper sailors due to tide times, etc. The Cruiser Lift-In Supper however will remain as 11th April). We will be having a 3-course meal and tickets are now on sale priced at £15.00. Please see posters and the Club website for full details. Ticket order forms are available as usual from the website and in hard copy on the bar. Let’s kick off the new sailing season in style and have a great night together!

The Thorpe Bay Regatta party this year will be on Saturday 2nd May – please look out for posters nearer the time with details of the menu and entertainment plus how to book.

This brings me neatly to the annual Summer Ball which will be on Saturday 13th June. The theme this year is “Hollywood” – think Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra... the list of classically elegant, glamorous and stylish ladies and gents from a wonderful bygone era just goes on and on. We hope this gives you some great style inspiration for choosing your look!

I am delighted to announce that we will be welcoming a great local live band to entertain us into the wee small hours with some upbeat and classic songs – something for everyone!

Tickets will go on sale on Saturday 9th May priced £35 per person and initially will be for members and their partners only. On 30th May, if any tickets remain they will then be available for nonmember friends to purchase. Tickets will be issued strictly on a firstcome-first-served basis and will only be issued once the booking form AND payment has been received – please note that under no circumstances can tickets be reserved. All ticket requests must be received by Saturday 6th June at the very latest to allow Steve, our chef, to organise his supplies.

Please look out for posters nearer the time on the club website and around the club house for more details of the menu and entertainment. We will also send the usual e-mail out to all members in advance. We are sure the evening will be one to remember!

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I am now able to reveal some very exciting news!

The General Committee have asked me to organise a series of FREE (yes, you did read that correctly!) entertainment nights for members roughly once a month to begin with – this will be a mixture of live music, quiz nights, magic, and hopefully a race night which is always so popular. You will be able to just turn up and enjoy a great evening of entertainment! These events will be on a Saturday evening and it is hoped the first of these will be held on Saturday 18th April, so keep an eye out for more details which will be circulated in the usual way.

Finally, I would like to introduce my Social Committee for this year who have agreed to help me organise everything. They are Sharon Hadley, Fiona Strachwitz, Barbara Hervé, Theresa Ryall, Penny Allard, Nesta Williams and Michael Lloyd. Yes, you will have noticed that at long last we have a gentleman amongst in our gang to keep us on our toes! Thank you to you all in advance – your ideas and enthusiasm are very much appreciated.

Wishing you all a great summer – let’s hope it’s a lovely long hot one like last year!

Sara Speller

Don’t forget the TBYC SUMMER BALL! Sat 13 June

In October 2012 I left for Palma in Majorca to get my first experience of working on one of these amazing superyachts. My job for the last two years has been working on a schooner (two masted, main at the back) sailing boat called Adela. At 180ft (55m) long and 26ft (8m) at her widest point, and with a total permanent crew of 9, she is certainly not one of the biggest.

To say the least, this has been one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had in my life. I have met amazing people and seen places I would only dream of seeing in a lifetime. It’s like a big kids’ playground, with no parents watching you and keeping you in line. Not always a good thing!

Adela has recently got in to the racing scene.

Once we had finished up in Palma we set sail for my first Atlantic crossing to Antigua, which was to become my winter home for the next five months.

Here we set up for racing the boat in the three Caribbean regattas: The Super Yacht Challenge, RORC 600 and St Baarths Bucket. That season Adela had her

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greatest success winning all three regattas in its class, the Bucket being a very prestigious regatta to win and we won it overall.

We then had the drag of having to pack ourselves up for a summer in Alaska! Wow! We had the company of a very friendly pilot giving us a detailed story and tour of the Panama Canal, then an incredible cruise up the west coast, stopping at Papagayo in Costa Rica, Cabo San Lucus in Mexico and Victoria BC Vancouver in Canada. Then it was through the inside passage to Ketchikan and onwards north for another two months touring the coast and small villages of Alaska.

The owner and family were onboard periodically and my “work” now included fishing for salmon, halibut and cod and being on the trail of brown, black and grizzly bears where we also saw eagles and otters, and in the ocean crabs and whales - all washed down with a beer or two!

On our return we had to take a pit stop first to Seattle to kill some time before proceeding onward to San Francisco for the Americas Cup. We were joined by 15 or so extra crew plus Paul Campbell-James as tactician and a few freebee Prada crew, to take part in the Americas Cup Super Yacht Regatta and so we enjoyed our 4th victory of the year. 2013 - by far Adela’s proudest year.

Again with similar stops back down the west coast we made our way through the Panama canal once more and back to Antigua for another winter season of racing. Despite our new square top main and foresail, new staysail, main staysail and a few other toys, we did not, unfortunately, have as much success as before, (handicap comes into play a lot with super yachts).

We then returned across the Atlantic to its second base in Palma where we had to be available for guests trips around the Mediterranean, (unfortunately no racing) visiting the south of France, Monaco, Italy, Corsica and Ibiza. This is where my time came to an end. I took the boat once more back to Antigua and was flown home.

People ask me why I left, well.. don’t. Its a great life. The guys on deck are busy maintaining the boat, keeping it looking good, readying it for guests or charters. The stewardesses organise the interior, do a lot of cleaning, provisioning etc and service when the guest are onboard.

There is also a chef, engineer, captain, first mate, bosun and one other deckhand. The general day to day jobs vary massively from maintaining the safety of all equipment onboard, to being on watch on a delivery or taking the kids out sailing or wake boarding, or even helping put decorations up in the captain’s house. But let’s not forget the distance you are from your loved ones, the Christmases you miss and the family or friends’ gatherings or weddings you have to sacrifice for the pleasures of seeing the world while earning money.

I was very fortunate to get this job. My dad knew someone who knew someone who introduced me to a very well known ex-Americas Cup racing boat Ranger, and so my story began. But really, even without the contacts, you can sell your sailing experience or your personality and go walk the docks with your CV and hand them out to boats in places like Palma, Antigua or Antibes. Captains are everywhere and always looking for crew, not to mention the massive amount of recruitment agencies out there available to help.

Hope you enjoy my pictures.

Ollie Hervé

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The start of the season is here and your Sailing Committee are busy putting your views into action.

At last year’s Sailing AGM there were three main points that became clear as the meeting progressed. The most significant of these was the need to provide cadets with a way into normal club racing, and to provide a link between the Pico series and the big race course we all enjoy in club racing. The solution was to introduce a cadet class into the club racing. The class will have their own small course and results.

Followed by a dedicated rescue boat, they will start with the slow handicap fleet sail but sail to their own inflatable windward mark (Sp), then back to the slow mono and Sandhopper leeward mark before crossing the Start/Finish line to complete their lap.

They will continue to lap this course until the S flag is flown and they are finished with everyone else (the Slow Monohull course (AB-C-D) is displayed on the stern of the committee boat, with the Cadet course being Sp-D.) In response to the quality of courses and visibility of marks it was agreed by the committee to make marks 2, 4, 6, 9, 12 and 14 orange, different to the rest of the yellow Norefloat R150 race marks. New adhesive race course cards are available from the bar.

To provide the Race Officers with a closer choice of angles when choosing the windward mark, the pattern of marks will be condensed in slightly from the west. This will be reviewed as the season progresses.

Remember to feedback to your Class Captains’ aspects of racing you enjoy as well as improvements we could consider to make this season as enjoyable as possible for all.

At the Sailing AGM it was also decided to try a different format for Prize Giving this year, but there was no clear view with different people wanting different kinds of events.

Over the next couple of months take some time let us know how you would like to celebrate this year’s sailing at the end of the season.

Jeremy Sandford, Rear Commodore (Racing)

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You may have noticed over the past few years a proliferation of people on paddle boards, and the numbers of paddle-board owning members at TBYC have also grown.

There are many benefits to Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) that marry well with sailing, and the aim of this article is to highlight these.

First though, some history: The father of SUP at TBYC is Rupert Snow. I remember him animatedly burbling on about a new sport, where you stand up on an overgrown surfboard and paddle it along. “Eh, what’s the point of that?” I said, as a dyed in the wool longboarder – anyway, I couldn’t get any sense out of him, then he started going on about Celts and Iceni or some such thing, so I put it down to too much sun, or beer, or Ru just being Ru! Roll on a bit, and a video appears on YouTube, where Barry filmed Ru surfing off the wash from an inappropriately used SeaSafe 2 and it actually started to look good fun. (Check out the video, it’s had thousands of hits: http://is.gd/TBYC1201) I had also seen Ru and now Peter out enjoying calm, easygoing paddling while the rest of us were milling around at the top of the slip ‘cause there was no wind. So I took the plunge and to be honest it’s been such good fun, adding a whole new dimension to TBYC for me. We have done some epic day trips in the past and have plans for more this year. A couple of last year’s highlights for me were an early morning paddle though the sand banks off East Beach with the sun burning through the morning mist, it was so peaceful. Also a full-on cruise from Basildon creek, behind Canvey, lunch at Leigh seafront then on to the club, some 23 kilometres!

So on to the benefits of SUP and how it dovetails so well with sailing: - If you turn up at the club for a race and the wind has dropped, fine, go paddle boarding instead, you can enjoy the beautiful calm day on the water.

- What muscles do you need to hike out and gain those extra few inches on your big rival in the fleet? Your core muscles, which is exactly what SUP works when you’re out there.

- You have to think about, and be aware of, trim and balance when on your board, something that should be familiar to dinghy sailors in particular.

- No Polly to run you out to your mooring? No problem, use your paddle board. Complete independence and an inflatable SUP (iSUP) is gelcoat friendly.

- An iSUP can be taken on holiday with you, though I think you’d be pushing your luck taking it as hand luggage!

- A good place to check out SUPs is wetsuitoutlet.co.uk, they have both new and ex-demo equipment. If you need further advice, Ru is the font of all knowledge!

Chris Maloney

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As I wander through the dinghy park, the smell of fresh anti-fouling mixed with the sound of sanding and the odd curse is a reminder that we won’t have long to go before we’re all back on the water enjoying the great sailing area and facilities at TBYC. Looking around, most boats are nearly ready, while a few are clearly relishing the thought of the traditional last minute panic / rush and gambling with the unpredictable March weather. Of course, by the time you read this the sailing season will have begun in earnest with hopefully kinder winds that last year when we seem to have had strong winds or no winds at all for much of the time. For example at the Sandhopper Nationals in June last year (when we tried an earlier date in the hope of better weather!) we had a first day where the second race had to be abandoned due to no wind and so ran three races on the Sunday, concerned that the forecast light winds would be a problem, only to get extremely challenging conditions in the last two races resulting in a few breakages and early retirements.

Overall though, the 2014 Sandhopper Nationals were a great success with a different winner in each race and close racing throughout the field along with sponsorship from Hyde Sails, One Sails and Heineken plus a great club dinner on the Saturday night.

Sandstorm came through to win with Chris Clarke and Dan Henderson crowned as 2014 champions! It was also great to see some non-Sandhopper sailors borrowing boats and joining in again – if you fancy joining us this year please let me know and we will sort you a boat to borrow. The Nationals this year will be on 12 / 13th September.

Leading up to the Nationals, which is now back to its

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traditional spot in early September, we have plenty of things going on to make 2015 another great sailing year. Tony and Janet kicked things off in February with the annual Sandhopper Quiz night. A fun evening enjoyed by all – can’t remember which team won but I’m sure they very worthy! Tony puts a lot of work into the quiz which is what makes it so good and Janet into the organisation as you will know, so a big thank you to them again – don’t forget to buy them a drink if you see them at the bar!

By the time you read this, hopefully you will have enjoyed the spectacle of another successful Sandhopper Lift In with Jason and Roger effortlessly dropping the boats at their moorings – always great to watch from the bar if you are not on the work party – and be well into the sailing season proper.

Despite a false start last year, our training boat Primo will definitely be launched this spring and be available for the club’s Sail Training and for loan by club members who would like to try Sandhopper sailing – just form an orderly queue behind Mark Petty-Mayor!

Thanks again to Robin Foster-Taylor for funding and all who helped with the refurbishment and bits to go on the boat – with Peter Thompson once again leading by example!

The Sandhopper Sunday Trophy will again be awarded in the bar after each Sunday race so listen out for the bell! And if we can find it the Golden Anchor may also be awarded for the best / funniest moments on the water. We also have several long distance two-tide races/sails planned, starting with a trip to Queensborough for lunch via some of the old forts out in the estuary. Again, if non-Sandhopper sailors see these advertised on the website and want to join in please let me know – you may even like it! And we may even get to award the Sandhopper Long Distance Trophy this year.

A Sandhopper training day will take place on Sunday 10th May, run by Dave Hall from Hyde Sails – hopefully this will help close up the field a little and help out the new owners in getting to grips with their new pride and joy!

And talking of new owners I’d like to welcome Matt and Liz Abbiss who are proud new owners of Tripod following Robin’s defection to A Class cats and Anthony Blower with Spider reducing Peter T to just the one boat.

Finally, if you do fancy trying out a Sandhopper or crewing just let me know. Or if you would like to join us there are two boats up for sale at the moment – see website – so don’t leave it too long in case they get snapped up once the good weather arrives or Peter T misses having two boats...

Wishing all classes great sailing in 2015.

Mark Robinson SH 26

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We are introducing a new series of Cadet Racing this season to bridge the gap between the successful Pico series and full club racing. We also see a huge number of children at Cadet week and those attending the TBYC sail training sessions at Stages 1, 2 and 3, who would enjoy a shorter race, more inshore and supported by a team of coaches.

Our aim would be to help our young sailors gain the confidence to move forward and to compete with those of similar age and abilities. We also want to encourage our more advanced cadets to participate to gain more experience of tight courses and will provide separate prizes, so that there is something to strive for at all levels.

We have a variety of classes at our club; Picos, Cadets, RS Tera, RS Fevas, RS500, Darts / Sprints, Lasers to name but a few. These excite youngsters of all ages who would benefit from races with more laps and opportunities to develop their tactical and manoeuvring skills. Keeping the races shorter should sharpen their concentration and allow time for some individual and group feedback.

As a ‘RYA Championship’ Club, we have gained the support of Paul Wren, the RYA High Performance Manager (British Youth Sailing) who will supply us with a top coach for two weekends during the season. We will add our own training sessions to build a great programme of exciting new events during the year.

Eton vs TBYC team

So going forward, there will be Cadet racing on all Sundays when there is not a Trophy Race. The races will follow a shorter windward/leeward course, introducing a new Cadet Buoy and can be sailed in any class of boat. There will a dedicated member of the Cadet coaching team to help with advice on-shore and from a support Rib on the water.

Our aim is to help the Cadets gain the confidence to make the transition from the Pico series to Club racing and possibly further.

We are keen to encourage the full age range and abilities, giving prizes to our under-13 members, increasing to under-16s and progressing to include our oldest and most experienced Cadets. This will allow all Cadets at every level to compete on similar terms, with as much support as they require.

Do not hesitate to contact any member of the team if you would like more information for your child, or just turn up on the day like any club race. Times and details are in the TBYC programme and will be also published on the website.

Let us make 2015 a great year for our TBYC youngsters.

Cadet Coaching Team Nick Alston Nick Elmore Howard Warrington John Laliberte

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nickalston@icloud.com nick@elmoregroup.co.uk hwarrington@btinternet.com aandj@laliberte.co.uk

Well, after all the excitement of last year and the successes of our sailors, we start again with qualifications to the Winter Training Squads. Alex has now come to the age where Cadet sailing comes to an end. With a limit of 17 years old, the Cadet Class is the only true three-sail junior class. After three world teams as a crew and two as a helm, he has thoroughly enjoyed his time with the class. He has had some tremendous training from the various squad coaches and finished his cadet career on a high. Alex has now joined the growing TBYC Laser Radial fleet and putting all that he has learned in the Cadet to good use. Incidentally, the current leading 3 Laser Radial sailors are all Ex- Cadet sailors....

So this leaves us with Ben Warrington and Katy Lloyd still very keen to follow in his footsteps and keep the class alive at TBYC. Ben and Katy competed in the RYA Zone Champs at Dabchicks in September 2014.

Unfortunately the wind gods had taken the weekend off and only a few fickle races were sailed. They managed to finish 14th overall with 30 entries, so not a bad result considering the conditions.

The next squad qualifier was the Cadet Inland Championships at Grafham Water. Better conditions prevailed and this was also combined with our own Bart’s Bash race. 54 entries meant that the competition was tougher and the pair finished in the top 30. So with the culmination of these results and the qualification criteria met, they were awarded a place in the Intermediate Development Squad.

With car and boat loaded and rib in tow, we have enjoyed some great training sessions at Farmoor SC near Oxford, Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy and Datchet SC. Training finishes in March again at Farmoor.

We are then on to the season proper. With the main three events making up the selector series for this year’s World Team, who will sail in the 2015 World Championships in Lake Garda? The first selector is 3/4 April at Rutland; 2nd is 2/3 May at Brightlingsea and the 3rd at WPNSA. So we have a busy year ahead! We are still very excited about this class and would strongly recommend to any Pico Sailor looking for the next move to come and try the Cadet. We have boats available to try and coaching ready and waiting.

As part of the new TBYC Cadet Racing initiative, we are keen to help any of our cadets to learn to race and improve their sailing skills. It’s not all about travelling, you can sail the Cadet here at TBYC to great effect, learning those all important skills to set you up for a lifetime of sailing at club or international level. Be inspired and come and try a Cadet today.

Howard Warrington and Mike Lloyd

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The RS Feva youngsters trained hard last year on the water as well as on-shore and regularly competed in club races throughout the season.

Our training sessions were pitched high, preparing them to manoeuvre their boats to gain tactical advantage and of course, be on that start line. They enjoyed success at club level in their individual boats and ‘away’ as part of a team.

Without exception, the youngsters made progress during the season, displaying some exceptional skills.

The RS Feva Squad represented TBYC several times last year including at the British Schools (BSDRA) Championships, Southend Inter-Club and at Eton College.

In September, we entered the Inter-Club Team Race at Leigh on Sea. Our cadet team of three Fevas and one double-handed Sprint, set off from Thorpe Bay’s beach, being escorted around the pier to Leigh Sailing Club, to compete against local young sailors. The race proved to be very exciting and our TBYC team made good speed throughout the race, with faultless control and ruthless determination. There was one boat from Essex Yacht Club that was proving difficult to pass. However, on the last reach the ‘Little’ girls took the lead, giving us 1st, 3rd and 4th; a winning combination. They proudly received the cup at the Inter-Club presentation, putting TBYC cadets firmly at the top.

Team: Millie and Vicky Little, Teddy Elmore and Henry Petty-Mayor, Harry Boygle and Olivia Petty-Mayor and Sam Laliberte and Jacob Allard.

The season closed with a Team Racing match against Eton College in September. They had to transfer their boat skills to sailing Fireflies and had to work as a team in a match of five short races. Well, they did us proud, winning 5-0 in an increasing wind. Their prepared tactics and good starts had proved successful.

Moreover, it was much more than just winning; they had to communicate on the water, play the rules and even make a speech while having afternoon tea, how civilised! It was a perfect day for the team’s confidence and a truly deserved win.

Team: Harry Boygle and Jacob Allard, Millie and Vicky Little, Sam Laliberte and Genevieve Bailey.

Maybe a way to judge the success of the class is to be delighted when many of your older cadets, who have outgrown the Feva, have progressed with the skill, enthusiasm and confidence to move into larger and faster dinghies. Now is the time to encourage and support the next generation of youngsters at TBYC. The RS Feva represents a fantastic opportunity for young sailors, aged around 12 to 16 years, to progress and learn the essential skills of sailing in an exciting high performance asymmetric boat, designed specifically for their needs. We are keen to promote the class and continue to support our young sailors to enjoy their time on the water and have the opportunity to compete with others. It is a great boat to progress to from a Pico, and with our new Cadet Series there is no better time to join the squad!

Nick Alston

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The cruiser section has been running through its early season series of talks and suppers. These events have been mostly on our usual Tuesday night meeting but some have been Saturday events.

We started the year with a Saturday trip over to the White Hart in Burnham on Crouch for a lunch and an afternoon of Sea Shanty singing. Our first talk of the year was entitled “Finnish Lakes and Channel Islands” presented by TBYC members Colin Keeling, Vic Davies and Roger Anderson. Our Sassenachs Burns Night followed with an evening of haggis eating, whisky drinking and poetry. One member even sported a fine kilt and sporran.

Alan Wilson was invited from Tollesbury to give us a talk on his cruise to the “Frozen North”. He showed a slide presentation and film footage of his Nauticat 33 yacht sailing around Iceland and amongst the ice floes in the fjords of Greenland. We have just enjoyed John and Monica’s quiz night and as this magazine goes to press we are looking forward to our pie and mash evening on the 17th March. This will be followed by our “Lift in Supper” on Saturday 11th April where members that missed the Sea Shanty singing in January can enjoy it for themselves, as we have arranged for some after dinner singing. Our final spring event will be St George’s Bangers and Mash on the 21st April. We then look forward to a great cruising season.

The cruiser section events are open to all members so look out for the adverts on the cruiser notice board, TBYC website and Facebook.

John Williams Rear Commodore (Cruising)

Two Nationals and an Open We are holding three open events at the club this year; the four-day Hurricane Nationals in August, our own Sandhopper Nationals (pictured) in September and a Finn and Contender Open in September. These events have been agreed because they are all in active classes at TBYC and are being organised driven forward by active sailing members at the club.

As we have shown in recent years with the Feva Worlds 2013 and the Sprint Nationals 2014, we can put on a great event at TBYC, but only with the help of members volunteering to do jobs and take responsibility for areas that help these big events run as well as they do. The Hurricane Nationals in August is a big four-day event, with over 30 boats expected. There will be a range of different entertainment and activities each evening, all of which members are welcome to attend and support free of charge, so please make the most of the weekend. If you are able to lend a hand and support, please contact me, and I will be grateful for all you can do, however big or small. Watch the website for more information, we could not do it without you.

Jeremy Sandford Rear Commodore Racing

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The following members have applied for Stage 1 and 2 this season so far: Stage 2 April: Donna and Keith Gibbs, Sarah, Emily and Archie Bagnall , Zoe Jewell, Jenny Epps, Hannah Taylor and Steve Churchyard Stage 1 May: George Friday, Ethan Manging , Richard Green, William Green , Antonia Burrows, Calypso Bailey and Hector Bailey And they are all very welcome. With members ages ranging from 8 to 54, it makes for entertaining and sometimes challenging days on the water! but I know that with our experienced instructors, all the boxes will be ticked at the end of the sages. Survival swim ashore, first solo sail and being under a capsized boat are just a few of the skills to be completed.

The feedback that we get is always enthusiastic, and this is down to our 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.

I am very grateful to the following Cadet and Adult Sailing Instructors who assisted last season - Sophie Boygle, Peter Snow, Garry and Oliver Ellis, Mike and Alex Thomason, Olivier Petty Mayor, Teddy Elmore, Laura Cotgrove, Matt Lloyd, Scott Weller and Penny and Tim Allard - for their continued support and instruction.

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 you really start to learn, and have fun, 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@talktalk.net

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These great pics were taken on the return from a fantastic stopover at Island Yacht Club during Cadet Week, 2014. Abigail and Laura Cotgrove are pictured here with the famous Radio Caroline ship “Ross Revenge” in the distance. She is now at her new moorings on the River Blackwater, having left the Thames at Tilbury on 31 July 2014.

The MV Ross Revenge was constructed in Bremerhaven in 1960, and initially served as a commercial trawler, notably taking part in the cod wars of the 1970s. Following her decommissioning, she was purchased by Radio Caroline and outfitted as a radio ship, complete with 300-foot antenna mast and 50kW transmitter. Broadcasts began on 20 August 1983 and ended in November 1990. She finally ran aground on the Goodwin Sands, bringing the era of offshore pirate radio to an end. She was, however, salvaged, and is now maintained by the Caroline Support Group, a group of supporters and enthusiasts.

Our thanks to everyone that helped make it such a fantastic event..

“Not arf, pop-pickers!”

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It was highlighted that the Winter storage fees for boats remaining in the boat park had become muddled and unfair – with some boats on flat rate fees not increasing as percentage increases applied to other boats year-on-year.

It was proposed and unanimously agreed at the October 2014 General Committee meeting that for the next winter, boats would be charged by length and width and according to category. This was ratified by a majority vote at the November 2014 Annual General Meeting.

Note that Sandhoppers have their winter storage included in their annual fee. Also, the 2014/15 figure includes the early payment discount. Plus, those that entered the Winter and Icicle series have their storage fees included in the sailing fees.

This table shows how some other popular vessels will be affected.

I believe this to be a fair apportionment of the limited space in the boat park. It will be much fairer when percentage increases for inflation are applied in the future. We have a large spreadsheet of the lengths of very many sailing vessels so the correct cost can be quickly calculated.

Ian Murdoch, Treasurer

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The new season is upon us and we are all looking forward to some good sailing this year. We have some new sprint owners in the fleet, so welcome to Matt Walters, Nick Alston, John Laliberte and Keith and Donna Gibbs.

As we all know, buying a different boat is always a learning curve to get it sailing quickly and a Sprint is no different. They have their little quirks, like all boats. In an attempt to draw the fleet closer together we are rolling out some ongoing training which we are calling pro-am. The idea is that the experienced sprinters train the not so experienced. As we stand at the moment I have around ten am’s, who have requested to be involved and I have The Sunripe Sprint Super Sunday Series Following the success of last year’s Sprint Nationals at TBYC, matched them to our best ten.

Mike Thomason’s company Sunripe kindly donated money We will choose specific races and days and the pro will for a new Sprint Trophy. In an attempt to draw the majority stay with his/her am for the first lap of the race. Upon of the sprint fleet into a series Chris Tillyer came up with this crossing the line the pro will then ‘go for it’. My hope is idea. We will run a race every month through the year that the more competitive amongst us will take extra which piggybacks onto series/Trophy racing. We will run time with their am’s outside of this one lap, as it will be this on Sundays and have called it The Sunripe Sprint Super in their interest to get their am to the line first giving Sunday Series. This is a bit of a mouthful and doesn’t fit in them an advantage. So if you see us sailing around a the sailing programme very well so we shortened it to the race in pairs shouting at each other this is what is 5S Trophy. This series will have two trophies, one for first happening! This is not a new idea, I took it from and one for highest placed mid-fleet boat – we haven’t Grafham where it was used extensively and if you look worked this out yet. It will probably depend upon the results at the club trophy we won last year at the Nationals you at the end of the year. will see Grafham won it for about ten years in a row. It is in the trophy cabinet. Don’t take my word for it, have So, all you Sprinters, we will expect to see maximum numbers on the water for this series and so you know there a look! are only two discards for the whole series!

Steve Healy

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Well, 2015 is here and hopefully a good year for sailing with plenty of time spent on the water. A big thank you to everyone who turned up for the work party, where we managed to accomplish many tasks. I have been given the mammoth task of redecorating both the Main and Commodore bars. I must say thank you to Theresa Ryall, Anthony Blower, Paul Morgan, Claire Morgan and Sarah Bailey who make up the subcommittee taking on this task along with yours truly!

We will be replacing the ceiling tiles, carpets, curtains, painting walls etc to give the place a fresh modern feel. Over the next few months there might be some disruption in the bar areas, we apologise for any inconvenience caused to anyone but it will all be worth it in the end. At the moment I am looking into replacing the hot water boilers for a different system, but it’s very early stages yet. Good news, since the heating boilers were replaced last year our gas bill in January is down £500 from last January, with savings like that we will soon have recouped our money.

See you on the water - and happy sailing!

Rob Bailey

Silverware History Whether you are a competitive silverware pot hunter, love to compete and the excitement of a mass start to a Trophy race or just admire the trophies in the trophy cabinet you may, like me, have been looking in to the corners of the shelves and wondered were they all came from, what were they awarded for and what is their history.

This year with the help of the members, I would like to organise the silverware on display and put together some of the history. If you know who donated one of the old trophies, and for what it was awarded, then please jot it down and pass it to a member of the committee and let’s make sure our history is not lost, or forgotten.

For those of you who are keen to be part of the big events and get your own name engraved into the TBYC history books I have compiled a list of the main events here. Put the dates in your diary and be part of it!

Jeremy Sandford Rear Commodore Racing

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Margaret Kennedy, “Sailing�

Bar & Kitchen opening times Make The Galley Kitchen your next port of call!

Catering is once again fully operational.

Home cooking freshly prepared by our own chef Steve Bullus.

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Lasers Wow, what a start to 2015.. our fleet is now the fastest growing in the Club!

The last few races have seen our numbers on the water increasing from 5 to 6 then 10 to 12 and the last race had thirteen - and that is still with a couple of regulars not out there! I was even stopped by a man at the top of the slipway on Sunday and asked if it was a Laser Open Meeting! It’s really good to see all the teenagers on the water with the 4.7 and radial rigs, which just shows that whatever your ability or size there is a rig that is suitable. At this point it would be good to ask the parents of Savva Tretyakov and Alex Warrington to keep their boys in Radial rigs for as long as possible, as we elders are struggling to keep up with them. Lord knows how far in front they would be with full rigs!

As the weather improves for the spring we hope to see some of the hibernators from the winter turn up too, at this rate we could apply to the Sailing Committee for fleet status. “Aussie Nick” the Kiwi has purchased one of the radial cut full rigs from Laser (not legal at present) and has suddenly found himself at the front of the fleet again (that’s why they are illegal, Nick) but for club racing they are fine.

A big congratulation goes out to Wesley and Catherine who snuck off to New York and got married on the quiet. Best wishes for your future from us all.

A few people are going to Grafham Water for the Masters Inland Nationals on 11th & 12th April, so watch the website for results.

Following on from the Open Meetings we attended last year, I have contacted many Essex and Home Counties sailing clubs to see if they are hosting any events. Among the ones that have responded so far are: Aldenham Sailing Club; 7th June Fishers Green Sailing Club; 27th June Waldringfield Sailing Club; 2nd August Broxbourne Sailing Club; 30th August Harlow / Blackwater Yacht Club; 12th September Tollesbury Sailing Club; 27th September These are all one day events, and you can speak to myself or Wesley if anyone is interested so that we can confirm numbers.

Keep an eye on our notice board for any upcoming events, and look forward to seeing more and more out there Rick Paxman / Wesley Absolom Joint Laser Fleet Captains

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Only a few changes in the Bar and Catering, Heather Ford has joined us as our new Bar Supervisor replacing Natalie, and Steve Bullus and his team have now taken on the Catering. I am sure you will meet them soon if you haven't already and wish them the best of luck.

Interestingly my column is historically named Vice Commodore’s View, and since the balcony has been renewed with all its glass and chrome splendour, I often get asked what can be seen in our vista. We always have a couple of pairs of binoculars on the bar so you can enjoy it in more detail.

surrounded by warning buoys. This is the famous shipwreck full of explosive that, it is said, could blow out the windows in Southend. I think we should just double check our building insurance. Named the SS Richard Montgomery, it was a liberty ship built in Florida during the war as a cargo ship, carrying a small crew but a large amount of explosives. It originally had over 6,000 tonnes when it sank however was reduced to 1400 tonnes - just so you don't feel so concerned!

Unfortunately she grounded whilst being on a mooring that was really too shallow for her, having been given orders to moor there by Thames Naval Control at HMS Leigh, which was Southend Pier. Cargo was removed to try and refloat her but she cracked her hull before then. Many actions have been taken to ensure the cargo remains safe. The wreck and its cargo are still owned by the US Government. Our sailors often see the wreck closer during the Nore Race. I am sure Rupert Snow would be riding an explosive wave on his paddle board.

anti-aircraft guns and searchlights - all in place to protect the anchored shipping in the Thames. There are still many large ship anchorage moorings just outside the club and seen on charts, where they wait for the right time to go to the docks. This does allow us to sail up to some very large stationary ships, just past the Mulberry Harbour.

Out to the east we often see a lot of kite boarders enjoying the shallows of Shoebury East Beach, stopped from entering the MoD land by the Shoebury Defence Boom. The boom also dates back to WWII where it reached out to the deep water. There was also a boom on the Kent side and Just to the left but all the way over on the strung between the two would be a Kent coast three masts can be seen, anti-submarine net. The boom was also more than the wooden piles that you see now, and would have held

I just recently heard somebody saying at the bar that “there is nothing more interesting and fun than the Thames Estuary”. Most coastlines you only see water with the occasional passing boats. On a sunny day Thorpe Bay Yacht Club keeps the Estuary colourful and exciting. I am glad we continue to be a part of that history.

Of course, on the right days our many sailors will be out racing in the hope of winning within our race area, marked by three rows of five racing marks spread in a line from the Coastguard station in the East to the Halfway House in the West, each mark being a third of a mile from each other.

One of the most prominent features is a lump of concrete which people call the Mulberry Harbour. This has been an amazing playground for the older cadets, that during cadet week can be seen climbing and jumping from it. Some intrepid even take the opportunity to sail through the break. It is actually a part of a Mulberry Harbour, of which 212 were built and our section is called a Phoenix, one of many that were being towed to the French Coast and sunk, creating an artificial harbour for use in the D-Day landings. This Phoenix unfortunately didn't make it; as it was towed from the Humber it started to take on water and so detoured into the Estuary where after being moved around a little ended up grounded where it is now, 1½ miles from our clubhouse.

To the west of our play area boundaries is the world’s longest pleasure pier, built around 1830 and prone to fire and boat damage; always in need of maintenance but still with us. There have often been plans to straddle it with marinas and reclaimed land, but nothing has ever happened.

Around the whole view you can see a fair few dock cranes but none as big as the ones past the pier and just past Canvey Island, in the new deep water port of the London Gateway As the port develops we will see more larger ships and probably a few more cranes appearing.

Paul Morgan

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