BRISTOL SAILING ASSOCIATION

Newsletter October 2008

Contacts:Gordon Ogden (Commodore)01275 462473

Jock Playle (Secretary)0117 973 8855

Jane Jenkyn (Treasurer) 01275 880318

Marion Brown (Social Secretary)0117 952 0434

The Secretary is grateful to Gordon for drafting this newsletter in his absence.

Prospective new member Kendon Macdonald was welcomed at the October meeting..

Future Trips

1.1Gordon Ogden will skipper a midweek sail on the Phoenix YC yacht “Spellbinder” from Monday morning November 17th to Wednesday 19th. This is now fully booked. The cost will be £17 per day, plus food, fuel, mooring. No advance payment is needed as the skipper collects all payments on the day to forward to Phoenix.

1.2Gordon will skipper another midweek Solent trip aboard Spellbinder from Sunday evening December 14th to Wednesday 17th. This is also fully booked, will cost £17 per day, with no advance payment needed.

2.Announcements

2.1Membership renewal. For those whose membership expires on October 31st, a renewal form is included with this newsletter, or sent separately to those who receive the newsletter by email. Please return these, with contact details updated if necessary, with your payment to the Treasurer, or bring it to the November meeting.

2.2Gordon said that over the past couple of years fewer and fewer people had shown interest in a BSA-arranged Christmas meal in December and that, accordingly, it had been decided not to arrange such an event this year. Reaction to this would be gauged for the future. In addition, Gordon said that a small group had spoken of an informal meal together at Christmas time and that any members would be very welcome to join them – please contact Gordon or Jock if you would like to join in. We still intend to have the social evening, with jazz band and buffet, in January.

2.3At the September meeting, Gordon made certain comments about the use of yacht heads by gentlemen. One member had taken offence at those comments and had sent Jock a written complaint. This situation had been brought to Gordon’s attention and he had immediately apologised to the member. Gordon said he had undertaken to make a public apology to anyone else who might have taken offence, whether at that meeting or subsequently and duly made that apology. He also said that the subject of the way in which men use heads was one he took very seriously, but that he tried to deal with it in a light-hearted manner. He admitted that, in September, it appeared he had not succeeded in this!

2.4Gordon informed the members that, as is normal at this time of year, their committee would meet before the AGM. The AGM will be held at the next monthly meeting, in November.

3.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 with the next newsletter following receipt.

At the October meeting we had three reports. Phil Steele gave a report of a charter from Plymouth he skippered on the weekend of September 26/28, and Chris and Julia Wallace reported on the first sail on their new boat. Bill Thomas gave an account of a two-week charter in Croatia. These reports follow, using Liz Freeman’s later written report of the Plymouth weekend. Sue Fowle also reported briefly on a Croatian flotilla holiday, when she found the marinas expensive, the winds always contrary but the surroundings idyllic.

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Trip on Moonshine, skippered by Phil Steele

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First outing for “Aremiti” – report by Chris & Julia Wallace

Julia and Chris Wallace took their Westerly Conway out for the first time during the first week of September, despite there being no proper galley and only a handheld GPS. It proved to be one of the poorest weeks of the “summer”, with gales forecast. Out through the Bristol lock, they felt slightly vulnerable to the big wide world! They were against a 3 K spring tide in the river and made Portishead late in the evening. There had been no very extensive trials of their 30-year old Mercedes engine prior to this trip, but all was well the first day. As the yacht turned out of the river into the Bristol Channel she met 35 K head winds, so her arrival in Portishead was very welcome. The gales blew hard for three days, during which time Julia and Chris visited Clive Jenkyn’s new yacht in the marina and sampled the exotic delights of Portishead High Street. When, eventually, the gales moderated to about 30 K they sailed and motor-sailed on a fair tide to Cardiff and met up with Marion and Mike Quick and Bob and Tim Coulson. Chris commented that he had not previously seen the yacht rigged and had a question mark over the rigging of the mizzen sheet. They went for a safe, deep water course in the Channel, as their depth sounder was one of the rotating light kind which didn’t seem to like the choppy water! On the return, the yacht had a good genoa run, but off Portishead the engine wouldn’t start, so she was anchored in 18m of water. Chris soon “hot-wired” the engine and entered once again into Portishead Marina (friendly and £16 a night). Next day it was up the river, past the “Balmoral”, to Bristol and back to work after the maiden voyage of “Aremiti”, Tahitian for “gentle seas”!

(Secretary’s note: some of you may remember that, after their circumnavigation a few years ago, Chris and Julia commented that, apart from the stretch from New Zealand to Australia, the most uncomfortable seas they encountered were on the last leg home back up the Bristol Channel!)

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Trip on Jeanneau Sun Oddyssey 35, skippered by

4. The next meeting will be in on Monday 10 November on board Sabrina 6, preceded by the Annual General Meeting at 8.00 p.m. The notice and agenda for the AGM are on page 6 of this newsletter.

BRISTOL SAILING ASSOCIATION

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TO BE HELD ON MONDAY 10th NOVEMBER 2008 AT 8.00 PM ON BOARD THE “SABRINA 6”, REDCLIFFE BACKS, BRISTOL

AGENDA

1.Apologies for absence.

2.To approve the minutes of the last AGM held on Monday 8 October 2007 (circulated with the Newsletter 1st November 2007).

3.To receive the report of the Commodore for the year ending 30 September 2008.

4.To receive the accounts for the year ending 30 September 2008.

5.Election of Officers.

a) Commodore

b) Secretary

c) Treasurer

d) Three Skippers' representatives

The present Officers are eligible for re-election, and have all indicated hat they are willing to continue in office. After many years in office, Marion Brown has resigned as Social Secretary. This post is being left vacant at present, pending consideration by the committee of the future of BSA social events.

6.Any other business. Any matters raised cannot constitute a proposal, and this agenda item is included to provide an opportunity for informal discussion.

T S Playle

Secretary

20th October 2008

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