BRISTOL SAILING ASSOCIATION

Newsletter May 2016

Contacts:Kath Liddiard (Commodore)01443 227928

Jock Playle (Secretary)0117 973 8855

Becky Goddard (Treasurer) 01749 346818

We welcome new members Howard and Amanda Pearson and Phil and Norma Bridge.

Future Trips

By the time you read this newsletter eleven of our members will be on cruises in south Brittany and beyond. Alan Howells is skippering a trip from Plymouth on June 7th to La Rochelle and then back along the south Brittany coast until June 25th. At the same time Gordon Ogden is skippering a cruise in south Brittany based on La Trinité from June 4th – 10th. Both these were fully booked and paid by last month.

1.1Ian Collins is available to take one of Plymouth Sailing School’s Bavarias for a weekend trip on July 22 – 24. (Some members had asked for a trip in early July, but this is the only available date.) There are four berths available. As Ian is away for the next three weeks will anyone interested please contact me (Jock). Ian says that some members discussed this with him at the May meeting.

2.News and Notices

2.1First Aid

Eighteen of us, including some members of both Bristol Cruising Club and Shirehampton Sailing Club gained their RYA First Aid at Sea certificates on Sunday May 15th at a course taken by Brian Howell on board Sabrina.

2.2Lifejacket maintenance

At our meeting on February 8th we had a RNLI lifejacket clinic. This included a demonstration of the maintenance which the owners of lifejackets should carry out regularly. Part of this was to open out the lifejacket completely before checking the gas cylinder and firing head, then inflating manually and leaving for 24 hours to check its integrity. However, the development of compact (3-D) lifejackets, and the availability of PLBs which can be fitted inside some lifejackets make repacking without restricting the gas flow difficult. The RNLI has decided that their demonstrators should no longer open these types of lifejacket, and should advise owners not to do so, but should have their lifejackets serviced by an approved service centre. Some newer types do have a panel which allows the firing mechanism to be inspected without opening. If you do decide to open the zip of a compact jacket to check the gas bottle and firing mechanism, remember that you must unzip the jacket completely before reclosing it; trying to rezip after partial opening will break the zip. Opening and repacking the older (and more common) ‘flat’ lifejackets is no problem.

2.3Library Just a reminder that BSA has a small library – some books, both narrative and instructional, and many port and pilot guides – which is kept in the cupboard at the back of the stage on board Sabrina. If you would like to peruse please ask Jock at a meeting to show you where it is.

3.Recent Trips

At the May meeting Bob Buchanan gave the following report on a Solent charter by the crew of the late (i.e. now sold) ‘Lady Emma’.

Trip on Janbo, skippered by R Buchanan

Bsa May 2016 1