February 2016

Commodore’s Clippings

It is with regret that I inform you that Ken Bourne, a keen sailor who designed and built the clubhouse at Newhaven and Seaford Sailing Club has died aged 93. Ken has been a regular visi- tor over the past few years along with Jack Baker coming for Sunday Lunch. There are details of the funeral arrangements and a tribute to Ken inside this issue.

The new year gets of to a brisk start with some changes and new ideas. We have Mike with his Dart 15 catamaran at pond, not racing but having fun. The electric supply to Seaford clubhouse, which has given us voltage fluctuation for years has finally been replaced. We have taken the opportunity to lay some ducts in the trench so we can extend an electricity supply if needed. The hunt for Bill’s lost laser rudder and tiller at the pond has the ma- kings of a continuing saga, with ever more ingenious ideas for recovery. Not sure draining it is a realistic option, sorry to disap- point Bill.

There are changes to the Galley fran- chisee, Louise and her team take over in February, a new team, new approach and ideas. The Directors have also de- cided to franchise out the bar along with the Galley as a trial, more about that inside. If any members are inter- ested in working for Louise or know an- yone who may be then drop in and have a chat.

Laurence has a bus trip planned to the Dinghy show on 5th March, I remember going on a trip with the club and a bus full of cadets and parents years ago. So if you're thinking of going why not do it with company and friends on a bus.

We have a Pub Olympics evening in the club on January 30th, and Valentine’s Dinner on Sat- urday 13th February, for which there are imited numbers as limited number of tables for two. We have had tables for more, up to you really. The poster is in this is- sue and on the notice boards, book and pay with the new galley after Febru- ary 1st. You will be able to book and pay by credit or debit card over the phone as well as on site going forward. If you want to pre or- der drinks or a glass of bubbly on arrival, you can arrange that when you book.

I have just been to a meeting about flooding in Seaford with lots of partner organi- sations, if you want to check out the plans visit: http://www.seafordtowncouncil.gov.uk/news/seahaven-flood-plan.aspx

The role of Commodore covers a multitude of things. Not sure we will be sailing down to Morrisons but the caravan park could be a handy lagoon. If anyone wants to be our representative for this eventuality or be involved in planning, then let me know please.

Working parties are 12/13th March at Piddinghoe and 19/20th March at Seaford, a list of jobs at both sites is inside this issue, jobs for all ages and abilities some are skilled and some need kit. Please remember to wear old clothes, bring gloves and per- haps tools you are comfortable with. If you want to take on particular jobs then please let us know.

The accounts for 2015 are being done, a successful year in many ways, I will be step- ping down in April as I announced at the last AGM. A number of other Directors will also be stepping down, I have put a bit inside about that too and my ideas for the way forward, should put you to sleep.

Hot off the press, the grant application we put in for 3 Fevas has been approved by Sport England, I have a bit of paperwork to complete, you always do, then we can or- der the boats. I expect them to be available for the start of cadets, I will keep you posted. We included a trailer so we will be able to move them to Seaford and beyond as required. Well done all who assisted with the application.

Ian Johnson Commodore. A personal tribute to Ken Bourne by Rupert Smith

Some sad news - Ken Bourne passed away just before Christmas at the age of 93. Most of you will have met Ken in recent years on a Sunday, when he came down for his lunch and a pint. In previous times, I think it’s fair to say, Ken with the help of his wife Cherry has been one of the most influential members in shaping the club into the success it is today. During the early seventies, Ken’s three sons were always at or very near the front of the fleet in Merlins and Fireballs etc. Most of the trophies of that era have the Bourne name on them. Ken became a joint owner of ‘Great Bear’, and was one of the early members of the Junior Offshore Group which was started at NSSC and remained a big part of club rac- ing until Brighton Marina YC became established.

Ken spent many years on the committee here at NSSC and was instrumental in many of the major decisions that have made the club what it is today. Ken was a successful Architect by profession, and in the early 70’s designed for us our ‘New’ clubhouse to replace the pre- vious pre-fab in the car park. At the time, the club wasn’t that rich, so Ken designed it not only to be sturdy and to a budget, but also to be built in three stages that could be added to when funds permitted. This resulted in the strange arrangement of the first floor being built before the ground floor. John Burfoot did the main building work and all the members did the fitting out, finishing and fund raising.

About the same time, as Vice Commodore, Ken was part of the team that made NSSC into a Limited Company, to protect members from the financial risks that the growing club might be subject to in the future. Part of this process gave us the Articles of Association that protect the club as a Sailing Club, so the clubs assets must be kept and used primarily for the sport of Sailing.

Later, Ken became Commodore. During this time he negotiated the purchase of the Pid- dinghoe freehold. We had previously rented the pond from Blue Circle and as such it was not certain that we would always have its use. Ken managed to negotiate the deal for the princely sum of £3,000 and it was completed shortly after his time as Commodore in 1980. The Piddinghoe Inaugural Gala (PIG) was held to celebrate, and has continued annually as the Piddinghoe Open Day every year since.

Ken, Brian Jefferson and Jack Baker campaigned ‘Great Bear’ in many offshore and cross channel races as well as club racing, eventually changing her for a UFO sailed from Sussex YC in Shoreham, with many charters around the Med’ as well.

A real gentleman in the very best sense of the word. We have a lot to thank Ken for.

Local press report of Ken Bourne who designed and built a new clubhouse at Newhaven and Seaford Sailing Club who has died aged 93.

Ken Bourne, who moved to Lewes in 1963 with his wife Cherry and three sons, was a re- nowned architect, sailor and artist.

One of three brothers, Ken was born in Colwall, Herefordshire in January 1922 and spent his youth in Worcester. Following the war, where he served in the Royal Engineers, he graduated from the Oxford School of Architecture in 1949.

He then joined the Gloucester County Architect’s Department, after which he took up an architect’s post in Crawley New Town Development Corporation in 1953.

He worked on the planning and design of the town and neighbourhood centres, housing, and helped make this new town a success. In 1962, he became a partner in Fitzroy Robin- son in Brighton, which later became Miller Bourne.

Between 1962 and 1987, he worked on the Crawley Housing Schemes, NatWest Bank buildings, shopping centers in Haywards Heath and Brighton Square, and the prestigious Seeboard Headquarters. His project in the Brighton Lanes was at the time considered a major breakthrough and paved the way for more sensitive conservation architecture throughout the country. He was also commissioned to design Brighton Town Hall and worked with Sir Basil Spence on this and Sussex University.

From 1968, Ken was a keen sailor and joined the Newhaven and Seaford Sailing Club, where the whole family raced regularly. He was Club Commodore from 1975 to 1979 and designed and built a new clubhouse. After the boys left home in the late 1970s, Ken took a co-ownership of a racing yacht “Great Bear”, moored at Newhaven and later moved to Shoreham Yacht Club and took part ownership of a new Hi-Uforia yacht .

During this time, Ken was part of a great crew of close friends that were still sailing well into their 80s, winning many races and series including cross-channel races to Fecamp and Dieppe.

During retirement in Lewes, Ken became a regular member of a Life Class at Paddock Studios and held numerous exhibitions of his art work in local galleries and ART WAVE activities. In retirement, Ken and his beloved wife Cherry, who was a physiotherapist at Lewes Hospital, travelled widely. Ken is renowned for producing an annual Christmas Card including a sketch or two of his trips overseas that year, which as a collection, pro- vides an amazing record of his life and travels.

Ken passed away peacefully on December 23, 2015, at St Peter and St James hospice at the age of 93. He is survived by three sons, eight grandchildren and one great- grandchild.

A Thanksgiving Service for his Life will be held at St Anne’s Church, Lewes on his birth- day, January 29, at 2pm. The family ask that no flowers be brought, but if anybody would like to make a donation, they do so to St Peter and St James Hospice c/o Cooper & Son Funeral Service, 42 High Street, Lewes BN7 2DD. Any queries should be made through Cooper & Son by calling 01273 475557.

Pictures from January

Alan and Rupert battle it out despite losing their heads at the second gybe mark. And yes, that is snow on the Downs in the background:

Russian icebreakers (OK then, Plumpton students) clear the ice at Piddinghoe in mid-January:

Changing times and new solutions

The club is turning over £117,000 now and with all the regulations and workload the existing management structure is possibly not fit for purpose. I have had to deal with Egrets Way, the Buckle car park, CASC changes and procurement on top of the regular bits and pieces. Although David Cameron has the view that volunteering is the way forward I have yet to meet the army of volunteers to do all the work. It is unfortunately the usual suspects most of the time keeping things ticking over.

Sam and I have attended some other clubs func- tions and whilst we, NSSC, are doing well, the stories are all the same, lack of volunteers, changing family needs, lack of time available. Pid- dinghoe is our saving grace, without that we would have some real problems as the sea sailing doesn't bring in the numbers or the money need- ed to sustain the club at the moment.

Cadets has been rebuilt and the numbers are back to where they need to be to sustain the club, if the club had continued in the direction it was talking then we would have been in financial difficulty.

As some of you will have read and seen, there are ideas for a new building at Seaford and I also had a look at the possibility of improving Piddinghoe with a grant. These are all jobs in their own right and whilst we can get a team together with the skills and knowledge it can still be heavy on time and effort. The personal reward in terms of satisfaction is high but you do get a lot of grief along the way.

I have no magic solution, at the last Directors meeting I did suggest it was time to rethink the whole structure, quaint though it is. We have assets in terms of land and buildings that need managing. We have a fleet of boats on sea and inland that need maintaining. We are a training centre, a cafe, a bar, a venue for functions, a car park, a boat park, we need grounds maintenance to cut the grass and deal with erosion, trees, fences etc. On top of that we have nearly 700 members from 355 memberships using the facilities with the gen- eral public chucked in just for fun.

The lack of volunteers for Commodore and other roles is perhaps a clue to the structure no longer representing the work involved or time needed to deal with everything. We also have the Treasurer standing down after two years, Rear Comm Piddinghoe will stand down in April and we have a vacancy for Rear Comm Seaford now. If Bill gets elected to the town council then we will probably need a secretary too.

I think, based on my experience and analysis of what is happening and has occurred in the past, that to hold a responsible volunteer office whilst doing a full time job is too big an ask. It takes a lot of time and availability during normal working hours, so in my opinion we need to reduce the work involved with some of the activities and restructure meaningfully. Times and regulations have changed, nothing is simple any more and unfortunately you end up being liable if something goes wrong. There has been a lot of time and effort spent on maintenance in the past couple of years, we are now looking to sort out the fleet, but that can only be done with time and effort coupled with the necessary experience or ability.

At the last AGM we had to change part of our articles to comply with the requirements for a Sport England grant. The articles were rewritten in 2012 but not really taking into ac- count changes in requirements and current business needs. The revised articles also wrote out the President role and responsibilities. It would be prudent to revisit the articles and ensure they comply with current good governance requirements and practise. In doing that we could also revisit the management structure and roles to bring it inline with a more workable format.

The club has had between 8 and 13 Directors and meetings in the past have gone into the early hours of the morning, minutes have been long and actions often 'ongoing' for long periods. I have tried to reduce meeting times and get the minutes more succinct not al- ways with success. In my opinion the club should have a Directors team of 5, thus reduc- ing the number of volunteers required, a quorum should be 3, thus ensuring meetings can take place if people are on holiday, working or ill. The reduction in numbers will also ensure meet- ings are shorter and to the point, they can be- come committee rather than Director meetings with 8 or more.

The club, in my opinion, should have 4 commit- tees, Sailing, Social, Pond and Training. These committees should take ownership, responsibil- ity and accountability for all activities and loca- tions assigned to them. The sailing committee should be responsible for the Seaford site as well as all sailing programmes, dutyman and berths. The social, all events, membership, PR, plus the bar and galley liaison. The pond committee all of the site and activities at that site including berths. Training should cover all courses, cadets, the training fleet, all safety boats and engines.

The maintenance of all the clubs engines and sea worthy craft should be done exter- nally. We are now sufficiently financially viable to have a maintenance programme with the likes of Simpson Marine or others. The maintenance of marks can still be done by volunteers. The club sheds should be available for use by all club members to repair and maintain their boats.

The grass cutting should be done by a small group of trained and experienced mem- bers, they do already exist, and should be considered a duty and get points. The work- ing party jobs should have both skilled and non skilled tasks and if the skills do not ex- ist within the club for some tasks then they should be done by contract and paid for.

The Directors have taken the decision to franchise out the bar on a one year trial along with the Galley. Having spent ridiculous amounts of time opening, closing, running and stocking the bar along with others it is time to be realistic. There are people who have done bar duty and been very helpful above and beyond what is required. However we still end up with no volunteers or no shows, which means someone has to step in and give up their time. The bar is a source of income to the club but it isn't fair that that income is at the expense of a very few peoples free time and continual good will.

The Directors should deal with finance, strategy, regulations and overall facilities. The Directors should ensure that grants are applied for as required or available. The committees should be the working engine of the club, organising and managing the ac- tivities, facilities and equipment maintenance, repair and replacement.

Well that should get a few conversations going, I'm sure my ears will be burning for a day or two!

Ian Johnson, Commodore

Hello from the new team running The Galley

We are looking forward to working with you from February.

Lots of the faces will be the same, Hazel, Chloe and Jade along with new staff run- ning the bar and cooking.

The menu will have a good children's offering, home-made cakes, Breakfasts and lunch offerings, along with Ice cream from an organic farm, milk shakes and smooth- ies.

The club members will receive 20% off anything on the menu and Tea and instant coffee at £0.50p

We are open to menu adjustment should we have missed anything vital off, and are expecting to adjust as we go depending on what works.

Most importantly we want you to feel that we are looking after your club’s food and beverage needs and enjoy having us as part of your team.

Louise

Bart’s Bash 2016

On the next page there’s a flyer for this year’s Bart’s Bash. For those who know nothing about this charity race (this year on Sunday 25th September) look at the fly- er or on the web www.bartsbash.com. You’ll see that each club has an “event maker” to do the organisation. Here’s your chance to take that role on. This task is usually performed by one of the usual suspects but think how much more we could raise if someone was dedicated to it. Last year we raised about £200 (mostly from fiver-a- boat entry fee) so there’s plenty of scope for improvement. There are also spin-offs such as publicity for the club and it also puts us in good standing for things like grant applications. E-mail [email protected] if interested.

Race Coach course at Piddinghoe: 12th/13th March Note that there’s a Race Coach course at the pond in March. The normal cost is £125, but to members it’s £100 and there’s a maximum of 6 places. Details are here: http://www.rya.org.uk/coursestraining/coachestrainersinstructors/racecoaches/ Pages/racingcoachlevel2courses.aspx

Bill’s Blog

Ten days ago my brand new Topper arrived. It was so shiny and smooth; I couldn’t wait to try it out. Last weekend I went to Datchet Water (near Heathrow) for a Zone Squad trainer. The boat was so fast and worked so well. It felt really light and handled beautifully. On the second day of the training I woke up at my friend’s house near the reservoir and there was quite a lot of snow outside. We were worried about getting down his hill. We managed to get to the sailing club to find our boats covered in snow! It was -3 centigrade but, impressively, the whole squad made it out onto the water by 10 am. While we were on the water the snow started again and it was settling on our boats. It was really cold but we braved through and, all in all, it was a great weekend thanks to my new boat! The great thing about winter sailing is you get used to training and racing in all weathers. The spring and summer sailing will be luxury compared to this!

Bill Hudson

Smoking Rules

For the avoidance of doubt, note that as well as the statutory ban on traditional forms of smoking, e-cigarettes are also not allowed in the premises at Seaford or Piddinghoe Piddinghoe Jobs

Work Party Saturday and Sunday, 12th & 13th March.

JOB TYPE WHO? Repair fence behind boat sheds Set job Backfill island Repair potholes Cut grass Set job Trained operators Repair bank 2nd slipway Set job Tip run Sell boats, or put them on show for a weekend? Creosote sheds Litter sweep Change lock codes Set job Graham H Clean boats Check sails Oil/grease padlocks Paint wooden boat rack Descale burco Not at work party Repair fences on way to cadet shed Dredge pond for rudders and tillers Experienced team Renew, repair halyards Name oppies and label Set job Make up second blue and white buoys to hang in man shed Set job

A “Set job” is one that might not be available on the day, but is one that someone needs to own and have skills or equipment for. Seaford Jobs

Work Party Saturday and Sunday, 19th & 20th March

JOBS TYPE WHO? Jetwash decking and benches Set job Varnish wooden clubhouse floor Set job Clean behind red couches Re carpet tiled area of clubhouse Set job Clean changing room areas Creosote sheds Tidy round boatyard Tidy under decking Cut grass Set job Trained operator Strim banks Tidy along fence Wash windows...... regular duty??? Start to repaint blue areas around club Replace winch into beach box Set job Rebuild winch box Set job Sort games corner out Fit Grease trap Set job Replace signs on front fence Put flags on masts Sort out tools and benches in shed Set job Fill potholes Take scrap to tip Tidy and stock race Box Change codes on locks Set job Graham H Extend electric duct, lay cable, install box Set job Skilled mini-digger Level and stabilise bit next to west side of clubhouse Set job Skilled mini-digger Sort East ramp out, matting and solid ground Set job Organise caravan and mobile home storage Set job The Bar

As you may already have heard, the Directors have decided, as a trial, to franchise out the club bar. This has been done to try and reduce the workload for those opening, closing and stocking the bar. The franchise will take effect from the beginning of Feb- ruary as the new Galley and bar will be a combined function. At the moment the Galley can serve alcohol and do so with food. So the only change is the use of the bar area from which alcohol will be served with food, also hot drinks, when we get organised.

The bar duties have disappeared from dutyman, there will be other duties added of a sim- ilar nature, and it may be possible to do bar duties in the future but for now we will try a new approach.

As someone who has spent time opening, closing, stocking, covering ‘no shows’ and no volun- teer times and events I will be hoping the experiment works. I do understand that it will take away some preferred duty types, but there is also an issue with HMRC and CASC, (Community and Sports Clubs), where bar work is not considered a club activity and thus meaning people are not considered to be participating so sports club status could be re- voked. Doing the bar as a volunteer is enjoyable, but doing it because nobody turned up is not so much fun.

I do thank all of those on who have helped and assisted with the bar and hope you under- stand the Directors reasons for the change.

There will be no loss of income to the club, and club bar prices will remain. There will be some improvements and changes to the layout of the bar over the next few weeks but rest assured the interests of the members and the club as a whole are my and the Directors main concern.

Ian Johnson Commodore CATZ CHAT (AUTHOR 1531)

Report for January 2016. Happy New Year to all readers.

So what has been happening, more Cats have been into the shed at Seaford for the odd repair and even one of the Cat sailors made it to the pond for the winter se- ries in a single hull thingy, you would have seen a number of photos, yes he does have a sail, it seems that the boat gets inverted on a regular basis !!

Pond Sailing.

As reported last month, I made it to the pond with the Cat.

Launching from the windsurf beach is just superb and I can even pull up onto the grass, so no launch or recovery probs.

Sailing back to the beach, you must take the power out of the main, so I took off the main-sheet from the sail 20 meters out and coasted in just on the jib.

There is a submerged wooden step at the end of the slipway REMEMBER where it is, or you will lose some gel coat from your rudders as they hit hard and release upwards with much ferocity, yep, I forgot!

So the sailing. I went out whilst there were no other boats on the pond, so was able to sail from one end to the other with no distractions, I had enough to contend with, the 20 mph to 30 gusting, it was certainly interesting and fun…….honestly it really was, so after about 1 hour, I called it a day and very pleased with the out- ing. Apparently, the dinghies who were going to race were getting worried that there might be a Cat entering, I have said it will not happen (yet), it will cause too many issues on the start-line and rounding the marks.

2nd day, wind 25 to 40 gusting, it was OMG what the eck am I doing when I could hardly depower the main, so after 4 runs and still above the water, I decided to call it a day, so after breaking not one but two of the batons, it was enough.

I have been out again and this time the wind was kinder, it was still blowing but I could keep control. Blasted up and down a few times (lots) practicing tacking, the pond will show up your inadequa- cies………….I have far too many to mention here, but continue to practice and enjoy.

Jan 17th

Entered the winter series….why not. Made sure I kept out of everyone’s way and the first race was cold with little wind, but found it interesting, with many boats on the pond and a Cat, let others know you are there. 2nd race the wind picked up and it was far more interesting, at certain points on the wind, I could blast past boats in front, note, be aware of gybing round the mark and possible capsizes of others in front of you. No names mentioned…….

What a great experience and I am able to keep sailing in the winter, yes cold but worth the effort. Those with other Dart 15, I can only recommend for you to try it, all others, come and speak with me if you want to try sailing with me on a Cat.

Mash-up

Here’s a miscellany of some of the essential jobs undertaken at the club’s sites this month: new power cables at Seaford, new pipework at the bar, and the dredging of the pond. If you look hard enough you’ll also find a professional somewhere here.

Recorders Notes

This winter’s weather continues to be wet and blustery. In spite of this and the muddy conditions at Piddinghoe, the turnouts have been quite good. The weather for the New Years Day race was typical, with a strong southwesterly wind. There was some close racing between Chris Turner’s Radial and Rupert Smith’s Streaker, but not far behind was Tiger Cox sailing a Topper. After the handicaps were cal- culated, Tiger emerged as the winner, Rupert was 2nd and Chris 3rd.

The following Sunday was the first of the Elford Series races. It was even windi- er and the forecast threatening worse to come. We didn’t think anyone would want to race but eventually 5 sailors mad enough to give it ago turned up. All 5 boats took to the water but only 4 made it to the start and only 2 boats managed to complete 1 lap after 6 minutes. Of the two, Rupert in his Streaker decided to retire leaving only Michael Veale and Mike Rosier in their RS200. After another 10 minutes and several capsizes they completed the second lap when the race was ended and, being the only boat left, were declared the winners. Due to conditions only the one race was sailed.

The following Sunday was another breezy day but nowhere near as windy as the previous weekend and 11 boats took to the water. The wind dropped away at the start of the race only to eventually return later. By the second race the wind was much stronger resulting in fewer boats taking part and several capsizes. Chris Turner in his Radial won both races despite capsizing in the second race and Matt Springall in his Laser was second in both races with Zoe McCaig in her Radial 3rd in first race and Alan Simmons in his Streaker 3rd in second race.

Both races on 17th January were sailed in gusty conditions especially the second one. There was snow on the Downs when we arrived and it was damp and cold. The muddy conditions made it difficult to move the boats around. By the time the race started it had stopped raining and there was a gentle F2 SE breeze but as things progressed the wind slowly increased. We had an excellent turnout with 23 boats taking part. It was nice to see a 4th Streaker racing since Jonathan Vernon has joined our growing fleet. The start was chaotic with a large bunch of boats on port and a few of us on star- board. However, as it was a fairly short start line the boats on port had nowhere to tack and the starboard boats were forced to either tack or just head up into wind. The boats that got away had a big advantage. Alan Simmons Streaker had the best start closely followed by Rupert Streaker. These two were battling away for the next two laps but eventually Alan pulled away to win the race. My Streaker gradually pulled through the fleet to eventually finish 2nd and Rupert was 3rd. For the second race there was now a gusty F4 SE breeze giving us a good opportunity to enjoy some planing reaches. Only 20 boats entered this race and there were a few capsizes with 3 gybe marks per lap. Jonty Freeman Radial and Chris Turner Radial had the best start and were the first boats to reach the windward mark. Jonty sailed an excellent race main- taining the lead until the end while my Streaker, which managed to almost catch up was 2nd on handicap with Rupert 3rd. Everyone seemed to enjoy the course and the fast sailing, with the sun even making an appearance as a bonus.

Laurence.

Dinghy Show 5th - 6th March 2016

We are still hoping to organize a coach trip to the show at Alexandra Palace on Satur- day 5th March, but so far only 9 members have said they want to go. Unless we get a lot more than this we will be car sharing, so if anyone is interested in going would you please let me know very soon at ([email protected]) so we can book a coach if we have sufficient numbers. Cadets under 16 can get into the show free. For adults the entry fee is reduced to £10 (booked in advanced through club). Travel cost to be determined depending on numbers.

RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show

Join us for the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show 2016! Taking place at the magnificent Alexandra Palace in London 5-6 March 2016 the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show, in association with Yachts and Yachting, is at the heart of British dinghy sailing with something for everyone; young or old, novice or pro, cruiser or racer.

The RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show is the only show in the world dedicated to Dinghy Sailing. It’s a great day out for all the family and offers visitors the opportunity to: Listen to inspiring and informative talks from the sport’s biggest names on the Suzuki Main Stage; Attend coaching and top-tips seminars with a range of experts in the RYA coaching area; Interact and get advice from the RYA and a range of commercial exhibitors and RYA affiliated clubs and class associa- tions; Buy the latest gadget, boat or product or book your next holiday to get the new season off to a flying start; Run by the RYA with support of title sponsors and associate partners as a service to its members, affiliates and the sport as a whole, the Dinghy Show is packed full of inspiration for dinghy sailors New Year’s Day Race Prize Giving Photos

Here are a couple of snaps from the New Year’s Day race prize giving. The race was won by Tiger Cox with Rupert Smith second and Chris Turner third. What’s on in the next four weeks:

 Pub Olympics: Saturday 30th January

 Valentine’s Dinner: Saturday 13th February

 Racing at the pond every Sunday

Holiday house in Catalunya…L’Ametlla de Mar…SPAIN

*Tennis court* * Swimming Pool* * Bikes* * Badminton* *Boule* *Golf Clubs*

This property can be seen at Spain-holiday.com I.D. 22612.

Cheap rates to NSSC members, family and those associated to the club.

Sailwave and racing results

Laurence, the club recorder, does an excellent job of checking and compiling the results and statistics for us.

I have installed a desktop PC in the office complete with Sailwave software and the last few years results, there is also a working printer.

If anyone feels motivated to set us up so we can try entering directly onto a PC then we can also put a laptop in the race box, network with the desktop and printer and perhaps produce printed results on the day. This is perhaps something that could be done over winter, tested, practiced then tried in parallel at the start of next season.

I know in other clubs they enter races directly onto a PC or laptop so perhaps it is time we gave it a try, any volunteers?

Need some welding done on your trailer?

We have a member, Keith, who can help.

So let me know and I will put you in touch

He has the equipment, you may need to pay for a bit of pipe, angle iron or box section. Cheers Ian Any spare gear??

Sometimes we have people crewing on the safety/rescue boats who may not have all the gear a lot of us have who sail on the sea regularly.

At the pond we have a few sets of waterproof trousers and jackets, not substantial but better than nothing.

It has been suggested that we get a small amount of kit together which we can make avail- able if conditions require. We already have a few spare buoyancy aids, sometimes things are left at home or aren’t where you thought they were.

So with that in mind have you any old or unwanted sailing gear, any size, any condition ?

What we will do is stencil NSSC all over the gear and sort out maybe 3 or 4 size bands, it will never be perfect but better than nothing.

We will keep the gear in the changing rooms and the Race Officer or Helms can ensure those participating have suitable attire on or with them. I usually have a variety of clothing in a bag and drop it with my sandwiches, on Ark.

All contributions gratefully received, they can be dropped off on a club night or day when the office can be opened. If you mark as a donation so we don’t think it’s lost property.

HOLIDAY HOME TO LET IN THE SAILING MECCA OF DEVON, SALCOMBE!

Ideally located at the entry to the town, this semi-detached house gives you ample parking outside for two cars or one car and a boat, two double rooms and a single, bathroom, open-plan kitchen and sunny garden. The house affords wonderful views across the Devon countryside and the dog friendly, sand beach of North Sands is only 10 minutes’ walk; likewise the bustling town centre of Salcombe with its shops, pubs and restaurants. Wonderful sailing, kayaking and walking in this outstandingly beautiful part of the country. Rental available at a discount to NSSC members of 10% off published tariffs. See “Owner’s Direct” website, E17927. Contact details, tariffs and availability on the website.