BRISTOL SAILING ASSOCIATION

Newsletter February 2012

Contacts:Kath Liddiard (Commodore)01443 227928

Jock Playle (Secretary)0117 973 8855

Jane Jenkyn (Treasurer) 01275 880318

So far this year we have welcomed new members Lee Davies, Dave Britton, Bryan Fawcett, Brian Adams and Peter Howard.

Future Trips

1.1Phil Steele has booked the PYC Starlight 39 ‘Spellbinder’ for the weekend of March 23 – 25. There are two places available on this trip which will cost £54. Please contact Jock (tel. as above, email jockplayle3@waitrose.com ) if you would like to join this trip. No advance deposit is needed. This will be the last chance to sail on a PYC boat until November.

1.2On the weekend of April 27 – 29 we have chartered two yachts from Plymouth for an informal race to Fowey; one boat crewed by lady members and the other by men. This is Naomi’s proposed “girls/boys” race to Fowey. Unfortunately two identical boats are no longer available from Plymouth, so the girls will sail a Bavaria 38 and the boys a Bavaria 36. Both are fully booked. The cost, including gas and an outboard, is £93 per person. The balance of £43 is now due. Will those who have paid just the £50 deposit please send a cheque for £43 as soon as possible to the Treasurer, Mrs J R Jenkyn, Edgecliff, 12 Marine Parade, Clevedon, BS21 7QS. Alternatively you may pay by bank transfer to the account of Bristol Sailing Association at Barclays Bank, account number 40853062, sort code 20-13-34. If you pay by bank transfer please email the treasurer (janejenkyn@blueyonder.co.uk ) to advise her.

1.3Alan Howells will skipper a trip from Plymouth to Tréguier on the double Bank Holiday weekend, boarding on the afternoon/evening of Thursday May 31 and returning on Tuesday June 5th. This is fully booked, and a deposit of £50 is now needed from each of those going. Payment details are given in 1.2 above.

1.4We have booked a Sigma 362 from Falmouth for the Helford-l’Aber Wrac’h race on June 29 – 30, skippered by Alan Howells. The charter is from 4 pm on Wednesday June 27 until 4 pm on Wednesday July 4, to give two days’ sailing in north Brittany before returning to Falmouth after the race. One of those whose name was on the original crew last December has dropped out so there is now one place available. Will anyone who would like to take this place please contact Jock (details in 1.1 above) and Alan (tel. 0117 944 2618). The cost, including racing insurance, is £237 per person for the week’s charter. A deposit of £70 is needed now. As we have already paid £400 deposit to secure the boat, a deposit of £70 per person is needed now. The balance of £167 will be due by May 18th, or you may prefer stage payments of say £80 in March or April and £87 in May.

1.5Last year Sue Fowle mentioned the J-class racing due to take place in the Solent on Wednesday July 18 – Saturday 21st, and a one-day charter to watch this on one of the midweek days in the Solent was suggested. After a slow start interest in this snowballed, and by last month we had booked a Najad 400 for a day sail from Hamble Point on Thursday July 19th with a full crew of 10. At the meeting on February 13 there was yet more interest, and we now have a second crew of 10 for a day sail. Some members of each crew (and others not going on the day sail) have also booked for a cross-Channel trip skippered by Jeff Birkin to follow the day sail, starting early on the morning of Friday 20 July and returning to Hamble Point on Monday evening.

The current position with these rather complicated arrangements is that all 10 crew booked on the Najad have confirmed and paid a deposit or in full. The second boat for the day sail, a Dufour 40, has been booked this week, as well as a boat for the cross-Channel trip, which is a different one from either of the two day sail boats to meet the need for 8 berths (the Najad for example has only 7 berths despite its size). The second day sail boat will cost £55 per person, and the cross-Channel trip £165 per person. Payments for both of these are needed now, and those going will be contacted with details. Those booked on the day sail may wish to pay the full £55, or a £20 deposit now and the £35 balance later. For the cross-Channel trip a £50 deposit is needed. All payments to the Treasurer, details in 1.2 above.

1.6We have been asked if a midweek charter could be arranged for May 7th – 11th. Will any skipper and crew who would be interested in this please contact Jock.

2.Recent Trips

A summary of all trips reported at meetings is given here, or a full report, if available. Members reporting at a meeting are reminded that a full version of the report should be provided, either written or emailed. If this isn’t available, then only a short summary will be given in the newsletter. Full reports will be included in the next newsletter following receipt.

At the February meeting Don Hirst reported on a weekend cruise on Spellbinder on January 20 – 22, skippered by Phil Steele. On February 6 – 8 both Phoenix YC yachts were sailed midweek, Spellbinder skippered by Gordon Ogden, who gave a report, and Quartette skippered by Chris Watts, reported by Dave Britton. These reports follow.

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Trip on Spellbinder, skippered by Phil Steele

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Trip on Spellbinder, skippered by Gordon Ogden

Trip on Quartette, skippered by Chris Watts

News and notices.

3.1Following the very popular and successful session on knots and ropework which Alan Howells led at last month’s meeting, the March meeting will end with a practical exercise on pilotage into Plymouth. Alan has supplied the following notes:

All who attended the last meeting will know that a mini course on rope handling was run at the suggestion of the Commodore. It was meant to be of practical use and seemed to have been well received.

We have one more mini course planned for this ‘Winter’ season and this will take place at the next meeting on March 12th. It consists of an exercise at about Day Skipper level and I have tried to make it as practical as possible without a boat and water – OK I know we will be on a boat on water, but you know what I mean. It has been created from lots of questions that I have been asked when sailing.

As last time we will hold it at one end so those who do not want to take part can carry on socialising at the other end and need not be troubled.

This time I need a bit of help. Can anyone with charts of Plymouth Sound and / or an almanac please bring them to the meeting? They do not need to be up to date. The loan of some Portland Plotters and dividers for the evening would also be appreciated.

Those who want to take part should bring pen and paper. Don’t worry, they are for your use – you won’t be asked to hand them in!

3.2New BSA website. The website developed by Chris Wallace is now live at www.bristolsailing.org.uk Chris has done an excellent job. The website includes recent newsletters with trip reports linked to Google maps with routes, details of all locations, crew details and much more. Chris asks if anyone has any photos of BSA trips and of the boats sailed please email them to him at aremiti36@yahoo.com for the website.

3.3The Cardiff Boat Jumble will be held on this Sunday 4th March at the County Hall Car Park, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay. Gates open 10.00 am, admission £3. Leave the M4 at junction 33 and follow the RAC signs.

3.4We can now confirm that the April meeting will be held on board Sabrina 6 on Monday April 16th. This because our usual date of the second Monday in the month is Easter Monday. This will still leave 4 weeks before the following meeting on May 14th.

BSA Feb 12- 1 -