SEASALTER SAILING Seasalter Sailing Club CLUB

SPECIAL POINTS OF Newsletter INTEREST: WWW.SEASALTERSAILING.ORG.UK 15 OCTOBER 2004 • Club open from 19.00 on Friday Evenings for Drinks, Editorial by Martin Searle games and other enter- tainments. The season is now nearing its classes one for the Dinghies and classes. This will mean that end and this will be the final the other for Catamarans. This there will be even more WINE • Laying Up newsletter for this sailing sea- should allow everyone to sail to win at the end of the season!. Supper 19.00 son. for the maximum amount of for 19.30 time without any pressure being Saturday The last major social event of 27th Novem- exerted on differing boat Over the past few months there the year will be the Laying ber 2004 including have been quite a lot of social Up Supper . This will also Prize Giving activities (both during Wednes- feature the prize giving. There so if you want days and Friday evenings) and will also be prizes for people your prize racing. There have been several achieving feats during the year please turn new members join and we wel- so even if you haven’t won up ! come them to the club. very many series, events, or may not even have raced at all during the year you may still During the racing we have seen be up for a prize. more and more dinghies enter James and Judith Wilkinson INSIDE and this is a very positive step racing their Mirror. THIS ISSUE: forward. For next season we will be having two separate Social Scene 2

AGM 2 Just Cruising by Chris Stafford Racing News 3

This year the weather has not reached double figures. thirsty Kiddle and friend made a Friday 3 been kind to the Wednesday record breaking voyage to the Nights and occasional Friday cruisers, house of refreshment, Chris and and consequently the takings On the first trip to the Ship- Elisabeth arrived just before last Food for 4 have been down at the Ship- wrights the hardy band was lead orders and took pity on those Thought wright’s. by Jeff K and a friend on the afloat and organized suitable club 18. They were almost out liquid replenishment. of sight by the time the rest of Never the less a small but dedi- us launched. The “US” consisted Sadly the wind by now had dropped right off. Steve & Joan cated band have taken to the of Leslie S and Dave L on Ner- water over the summer(?) usu- mal, John D on his 15 and Chris gave up, John D made it to Fav- ally just for a blast or drift S and Elisabeth on Greebo and ersham creek before calling it a around the bay. The comprised much later Steve & Joan on day but Leslie And Dave, being various classes of craft. On one their 18. The wind was swinging made of sterner stuff ( or possi- occasion the fleet almost around and very patchy the bly thirsty) carried on and made PAGE 2

Just Cruising... by Chris Stafford

it to about 50yds from the around the bay. The second If you fancy a midweek cruise drinks before the ebbing tide trip to the pub saw Jeff on a or sail, look at the tide tables , took over. Despite desperate 15 sprint and Chris and Dave and contact Chris, Steve/Joan use off a paddle by Leslie they on an 18. A good sail down, a or Dave and remember that went backwards away from couple of beers and a drift Wednesday sailing is not set the Shipwrights’. This left back, not very comfortable in stone. those on shore with a prob- with the beer making its pres- lem “What to do with the ence felt! Don’t forget Fridays evenings spare beer”. After a long dis- cussion it was reluctantly with the club open Friday At the time of writing nights. An afternoon sail,BBQ A Beach BBQ decided to drink it. (30.09.04) Dave has just been afterwards followed by a afloat in the ex John Foster chat / giant Jenger and a cou- Now, the trip back was some- Solo. Lets hope he has now ple of beers for those who thing dreams are made of. escaped from the race office. don’t have to drive. Its your The wind had filled into a nice So now you will have to find club, Use it. S.W. 4 so it was hull flying to someone else to do your and a good play duties.

AGM by Martin Searle

The Clubs AGM was held on 26th September at 15.00.

The following major item(s) were approved by the membership:

1. Membership fee for next year : £135 2. Frank Avery stood down as Commodore 3. Jeff Kiddle was elected to replace Frank as Commodore. 4. The remaining Committee members remain the same as this year. They are: Chris & Lesley Stafford, Bob Walker, Eric Sales, Martin Searle and Steve Willis LAYING UP SUPPER 5. Some discussions were held after the meeting and these will be taken up by the committee. The views were on: 27th November • Racing and dinghies • Training !) 19.00 for 19.30 in the • Heating for the clubhouse Clubhouse Remember if you have any queries or views that you wish the club to address, please talk to a member of the commit- tee so that they can be raised at a meeting.

SEASALTER SAILING CLUB WWW.SEASALTERSAILING.ORG.UK PAGE 3

Racing News by Martin Searle

There has been a lot of racing though at different times than 6 times and they earned from the end of May to October. themselves a sailing legends point Lets say that it has varied from the each, excellent work chaps !. downright boring in little or no With the laying up supper so close wind to the extremely exciting in I won’t be giving you any results in LOTS of wind !. this newsletter so if you want to In the very next race the Wilkin- know who won what then come son clan were again in the thick of

along to the Prize Giving at the the action when James and Judith The Shearwater and Catapult TT Laying Up Supper. snagged the gybe mark’s anchor event was a roaring success and rope which in turn knocked their once again the Shearwater class rudder off their Mirror, leading to There has been some exciting contributed greatly to the club an inevitable capsize. Now it was incidents during September that funds with their liberal use of the at just this moment an even more are worth reporting: bar ! The event itself was held in unfortunate incident occurred the relatively light winds, the most During a very windy (force 6-7) patrol boats engine conked out ! “Bill Tipple eventful thing that occurred was Dickie Wren cup race Bill Tipple The engine stubbornly refused to the white patrol boat (driven by and Mark Wilkinson gave every- restart. Race Officer Dave Lincoln and Mark Martin Searle) being rescued four one a great demonstration of eventually had to call in Whitsta- Wilkinson times by Chris Stafford driving the synchronized diving by abandoning bles Patrol boat to help out, this other boat which was hardly the Bill’s Topaz whenever it got too with the Mirror now half way to ‘club right impression to make. Since hairy for them !. The way they Whitstable., everyone was safely then the engine has been looked managed to enter the water in brought back with the mirror champions’ in at and now appears to be in work- synchronization was truly a sight being retrieved with just its rud- ing order. The event was a success to behold, surely good enough to der missing. synchronized with both classes wishing to re- earn a gold medal at the Olympics diving” turn to the club next year al- for it !. They repeated this no less

Friday Nights by Chris Stafford This year saw the start of the club If there is interest, we hope to carry on over opening on Friday evenings for a the winter, perhaps once or twice a beer and natter etc. month. The first opening was St Georges Next year maybe we could incorper- day it seemed a good excuse. We ate the social evening with race box seem to have around ten regulars training ( Honking the hooter and with other members dropping flashing the lights at the right time) or in.We usually call it a day around any other theory parts per se power midnight but on one ocassion boat coarses etc. people crawled out at two-thirty. If you want feeding let Leslie With Christmas falling on a weekend know. this year, How about a walk along the Monday 27th at The normal program is food, drink 14.00ish. and a good old natter, followed by scalectrix, jenger or some other Remember the club is there ALL- activity for the active ones. This months not just the sailing season, if latterly has been Salsa dancing led you have any ideas to extend its use, by Lynn Reynolds. let the committee know, especially as heating for the club is being considered. Above: Scalextric during a Friday night, Friday is also a chance for boat tweaking/quick repairs. its not all sailing you know!

The Seasalter Club is on the North Coast just to the west of Whitstable. Seasalter Sailing Club The sea is shallow and we can only sail +/- Road, 2.5 hrs of high water but the swell is quite interesting (great to surf down on the lee- Seasalter, ward leg). The courses are always spot on. Kent, UK, CT5 4BW Phone: 0777 3189943

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Food for Thought…….

What if I break something when using a Club boat, what do I do?

The first thing to do is to fill in the trouble report book, this is positioned in the clubhouse by the noticeboard on the ground floor. If a member of the committee is present then inform them, they won’t shout at you, promise !.

The club now has a Bosun, whose job it will be to maintain the club boats, by whatever appropriate means. Dave Lincoln has taken on this role so many congratulations to him.

SAIL LOCKER: Please remove any equipment from the locker at the end of the season this will allow it to be refurbished more easily.

Now for something even more important:

Do fish get thirsty? Hmm quite an imponderable there……...