DESBOROUGH SAILING CLUB
NEWSLETTER
January 2010 No. 52
Notes from the Commodore
Happy New Year to all members and friends of Desborough Sailing Club!
Sailing
We are starting 2010 with so much to look forward to in our fixture list which is available now on the website and will be delivered to your door very soon.
The Club is open year round and congratulations to Richard Broughton and Paul Stapleton to have cleared the snow from the pontoons and sailed the first race of the year on the icy 10th January. We intend for the Club to be open every Sunday and for an informal race every other weekend. We do need some volunteers for helping the race officer and at the bar.
Training
There are more training opportunities this year than ever. In addition to our usual Easter and Summer courses we will be running some race coaching to help novices start to enjoy racing and improvers to start challenging for positions. There are instruction sessions for novices and some geared for the ladies. This year we have linked with Ashford scouts to encourage more young people to sail. They will join us on Friday evenings between Easter and Summer holidays and will be able to undertake RYA levels 1 & 2. I hope with this level of activity and some revised health & safety standards we will achieve RYA ‘Onboard’ recognition for the Club. We welcome help from all members with our training whether as an instructor, assistant or helping with safety boat or tea bar; do contact Spencer Needs/Dave Henfrey/Richard Broughton/myself.
Social
The club is a good place to meet up on a Sunday even if winter sailing is not your thing. The mulled wine is essential, the draught beers and lagers excellent and the wine selection is great for value. Thanks to John White and his barmen Bill Larkin & Peter Cheeseman.
Iris White has a great pre season dinner organised for the 20th Feb, book now.
Membership value
Membership forms will be arriving soon, the rates for early renewal are held at 2009 prices. Despite increases in club costs the rates are very competitive with other river clubs which don’t have the setting, the facilities and the fun of Desborough.
I look forward to sailing with you at DSC during 2010.
Richard Cowlard
"The General Secretary would like Club members to consider Nominations for Club positions on the form sent with their membership renewal documents. A Proposer and a Seconder are also needed for nominations and members might consider doing this for someone willing to stand. Proposed nominees should obviously be asked if they agree to being nominated, and forms should reach the General Secretary by 15 February. A certain number of current post holders are willing to stand again, but not all, and it is important for the smooth running of your Club that positions are filled. Do speak to any Committee member if you want more information."
Obituary
It is with much sadness that we learnt of the death of one of our long standing members John Robertshaw. John was General Secretary for a number of years in the 1980s and then Membership Secretary in the 1990s. He sailed regularly in his GP14 “Ghost” with his wife Brenda and won the GP14 Trophy Series in 1982 and 1983.
Our condolences go to Brenda and his two children Tony and Viv who also sailed regularly at the Club for many years.
Desborough Sailing Club 2010
New Year Sailing
Events for the New Year include informal Sunday sailing and Sunday socials.
Volunteers are needed as Race Officers for sailing and to open, run and close the bar.
Do come and join in and offer to help on one Sunday. * Sign up NOW!
|
Date |
Event |
Help needed |
Volunteer |
|
Saturday 23rd Jan |
Island Tree Cutting 11.00 |
Richard Cowlard to lead |
All Available Help |
|
Sun 24th Jan |
Informal Sailing 11.30 |
Race Officer Bar |
John White * |
|
Sun 31st Jan |
Informal Sailing 11.30 |
Race Officer Bar |
Richard Broughton * |
|
Sun 7th Feb |
Social |
Bar |
* |
|
Sun 14th Feb |
WORKING PARTY Dave Henfrey lead 11.00 |
Spring prep |
ALL MEMBERS |
|
Sat 20th Feb |
Pre Season Dinner |
Venue and details in separate article |
Tickets from Iris White |
|
Sun 21st Feb |
Informal Sailing 11.30 |
Race Officer Bar |
Paul Stapleton * |
|
Sun 28th Feb |
Social |
Bar |
* |
New Year Resolution: Sail more and make the most of your club.
From the Social Secretary
Hi everyone! Just to thank you all, for all of the support
that you have given me through the past few years. It has been very much
appreciated and I hope you will support the next social secretary in the
same way, as it is always hard to take on a new position and to take over
from somebody else.
Also may I remind you all that we will be having the pre-season
dinner at the Barley Mow, Hersham on the 20th
February at 7.00pm. It will
be £15.00 per head, and the menu is yet to be sorted out.
Please book early so as to avoid disappointment as there is only seating available for 40 people tops, so it will be first come first served. I will send out a map on the Email and directions, also the menu.
Look forward to seeing you
Kind Regards
Iris
2009 was another Great Year for the Cruiser Fleet!
I said last year about the Cruiser Fleet “Made good progress – must continue to encourage participation”.
This year there were 34 Cruiser Races on the 2009 Calendar and 31 races were sailed; the only ’lost’ races were in the Winter Series when the stream was just too strong. There were 14 participating boats and 126 race entries giving an average of just over 4 participants per race. This year I think the report would read “Continued improvement – keep up the good work”
There are eight trophies for the cruisers to race for, four ‘series’ and four ‘one-off’ races. Six different boats won races during the season, and only two of the series were won by the same boat, Alan and Val Woolford in Ahoy taking both the Long-Distance Series and the Early Summer; but by that time his handicap had so increased that Des Jefferies and Mac Maclean in Michelle III piped him in the Late Summer Series and the Winter Series, for the new “Frostbite Trophy”, presented by Iris and John White, was won by Douglas Dick with Dee Crewdson crewing, in Dewiniaeth.
Alan & Val won the Cyril Lewis/Opener Trophy, and Dave Henfrey in The Ladybug II won the Cruiser Regatta. The Roberts Trophy race was won by Denis Keefe in Shony and the final Cruiser race of the regular season for the Commodore’s vase as won by Alan & Val Woolford, just to show that even with the extra four minute handicap that they had ‘earned’ in the early part of the season, that they were still a crew to be reckoned with.
And what of 2010? There are one or two moorings available for sailing cruisers, a couple of boat are changing hands and Blackbird will be making a welcome return to The River, this time with Richard Cowlard at the helm. I believe the handicapping system, combined with the pursuit-race format, will continue to give exciting racing, both for the sailors and the spectators. So, even if you are not a member of the Cruiser Fleet come early, or stay late, to watch the great gladiatorial battles and charge your glasses and drink to the continuing health of the Cruiser Racing and its well matured participants!
Please note that our 2010 Fixture List is available for viewing electronically on our website: www.desboroughsc.org
Fun and Games at the Children's Christmas Party at the club
These two very fine photos depict one of the games when the children had been put into teams and had to wrap up several senior members as Mummys. The team wrapping up Sally Dick won, which is why her face is revealed.
The winning Wrapper Uppers were Chloe Houslander, Megan Pepall, Laura Byrne and Emily Cremer.
CLUB OPEN MEETINGS. I keep meaning to remind everyone that if you enter one of our Open events, such as Moth, National 12, Tera or Feva, that it behoves you to bring something truly delicious for the tea afterwards.
Sally Dick
A Happy New year from the Vice Commodore.
I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas and wish you all the best in the new year; as you will have seen from Sally’s emails there is still lots going on at the club, with two brave, nay mad, souls braving the snowy weather to sail, Richard Broughton is putting the finishing touches to the fixture list, and the AGM planning is well under way. I am sure we will have a great year but as ever this means we all have to contribute towards it; Oh no I hear you cry, oh yes work parties I say.
Without work parties we would not have the grounds or the excellent sailing we all enjoy and we have two planned in the next month:
A tree cutting expedition to the island on the 23rd of January led by the Commodore; Tom and I will be there and hope you will be able to come. Tea and coffee will be on the club but please bring saws, loppers, machetes, chainsaws and a lunch. If enough of us come it will make a huge difference and the work will go much quicker.
On the 14th of February we also have full working party in the club grounds and tree cutting; for this you will all receive a personal invitation from a committee member by phone. The last party getting on for 40 people came and we made huge headway. We have numerous jobs ranging from fixing the broken jetty under the leadership of Brian Flynn, to building/repairing cruiser births under Bob Baker. Please, if you can, attend this work party especially if you are unable to attend on the 23rd, too often it is the same suspects and it would be great to see other faces, and it’s fun honestly.
You could also bring your partner for Romantic riverside sandwiches, after all it will be Valentines Day, go on treat her!
Race Officials Conference – Saturday 6th February @ Queen Mary SC
The list of speakers includes David Lees (Chairman of the Racing Rules Committee), Chris Simon (Regional Rules Advisor and a Rules expert of international quality) and John Horwell (Regional Mark Laying Coach).
The subjects under discussion include the 2010 rule changes and some new cases and calls, Safety and Crisis Management, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mark Laying and GPS use as well as an Open Forum for general discussion of any matters of interest.
Regional Race Officials are reminded that they need to attend a Regional
or National Conference during the period of their office to satisfy the
conditions for renewal of their qualification.
Cost is £12 per head including coffee, a light lunch and tea. Start time is
9.30am for 10am with a 4.30pm finish. You do not need to book but it would be
useful for numbers if you advise me at crwt77 @ homail.com that you are coming.
CRUISER BERTHS This coming year we are going to have several cruiser berths available, so if anyone is interested in having a sailing cruiser at the club, please let me know. Do remember that a berth at the club is a great deal cheaper than at a commercial marina. And under the excellent cruiser captaincy of Alan Woolford, soon to hand over to Chris Houslander, our cruiser races are tremendously exciting and good fun to watch.
Sally Dick
Club Boats for sale
We currently have two Enterprises for sale. Please contact Bob Baker on 020 8947 4205 for details or email penny_moore @ hotmail.co.uk.