BRISTOL SAILING ASSOCIATION

Newsletter March 2012

Contacts:Kath Liddiard (Commodore)01443 227928

Jock Playle (Secretary)0117 973 8855

Jane Jenkyn (Treasurer) 01275 880318

Future Trips

For 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, and all full payments of £93 per person received, which includes gas and an outboard.

1.2Alan 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 all deposits of £50 paid. The balance of £111 per person will be due by April 24th. Will those going please pay at the meeting on April 16th or send a cheque 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. The original boat booked is now unavailable and we have been upgraded at no extra cost to a Delphia 40.

1.3We 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). (A deposit of £70 would be needed now.) The full cost, including racing insurance, is £237 per person for the week’s charter. The balance of £167 per person will be due by May 10th, or you may prefer stage payments of say £80 in April and £87 in May.

1.4Last 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 February 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 to give 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, as have all except two for the second boat for the day sail, a Dufour 40 at £55 per person. The 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) will cost £165 per person. All deposits for this have been paid. The balances of Payments for both of these are needed by July 1st. For the cross-Channel trip the £65 balance will also be due by July 1st. All payments to the Treasurer, details in 1.2 above.

1.5Jeff Birkin would like to skipper a trip to the Scilly Isles from Milford Haven for a week in September, from the 1st to the 9th, or the following week. Will any crew who would be interested in this please contact Jock.

1.6Graham Constable and Malcolm Price are arranging a charter in western Scotland to sail the Whisky Trail in mid-September. More details will be available in due course, but in the meantime will anyone who would like to join this trip (two places available) please let us know.

1.7Peter Wakeling has advised of a berth available for sailing in western France as follows:

Owing to a cancellation, a berth is available on a private charter on the Civil Service Sailing Association Dufour 405 for the period 14 – 25 July, sailing from La Rochelle to Lorient.  Suitable for all levels of experience.  This trip covers the Vendee and southern Brittany coasts and the interesting and varied off-shore islands.  Flights out to La Rochelle from Bristol or Southampton and return from Rennes to Southampton.  If interested, contact Peter Wakeling tel: 07973 956176 for further information.

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 March meeting Bob Buchanan gave an impromptu report on the postponed “Xmas Lights” weekend trip from Falmouth skippered by Phil Steele. Phil’s final report follows, with one by Sue Fowle on sailing in Grenada.

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Trip on 36ft Bavaria from Cornish Cruising, skippered by Phil Steele

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Trip on Simon Sez, skippered by

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News and notices.

3.1Following Alan Howells’ practical exercise on pilotage into Plymouth at last month’s meeting Alan has supplied the following useful commentary with details of the options available:

Observations on the exercise

The first and most obvious point was the number who ran off to seek advice from others. We all know that Dave, Jeff, Chris etc can do it. That’s not the point. In the situation described you would not have anyone else to ask – the crew would be looking to you alone for the answers. As a day skipper this should be within your capabilities: familiar port / daylight / good weather etc.

I was asked questions about tidal height and streams. A quick glance at the question and the chart should show that they are not important in this case. Plymouth has vast areas of deep water and the defined channel into the marina would be OK even at low water springs. The Almanac says that you are safe 1.5 cables from the shore over most of the Sound. Tidal streams would be very weak and not have a noticeable effect on any plan. Having established that, you would not waste any more time thinking about it.

There were two different routes chosen and planned with the Western Channel being by far the most popular. Let’s run through the sort of passage you might have with each

Western Channel Route

You should be able to see Draystone from South of Rame and can broad reach towards it. I noticed that those who chose this route kept to the port side of the channel which is OK but you must be able to get out of the channel if required. Your course is too downwind to sail especially as there is usually a bit of a sea until you get past the breakwater and you will be rolling. You will therefore be sailing a series of short broad reaches. The channel is not defined by a straight line between Draystone and Queens Ground but encroaches over it to the West. Be prepared to reach to port if a large vessel needs the channel. Wind will become light and fluky in the lee of Penlee to add to your difficulties. That will finally change probably after a few strong gusts tearing across Cawsand bay when you get a bit further.

You should find Queens Ground fairly easily and will pass it to starboard to keep out of the channel and will sail on to New Ground which is easily seen. You identify Melampus as you look along the bearing (you wrote that down) from New Ground. You can’t sail directly to it but have to do a series of reaches instead. You are not in a channel but there is probably a lot of action around you on a day like this quite possible including a race or two. You are safe from large vessels until Melampus after which you have to cross three channels: Asia Pass (used by Brittany Ferries amongst others) Smeaton Pass (the main channel with quite a bit of naval traffic) and the Cobbler Channel which leads into the Cattewater. You need to look pretty much all around you to see if any large vessel is approaching any of these before crossing. You have a large area West of Melampus where you can stooge about if necessary while waiting. When clear you steer your best downwind course to the bay on the East side of the Sound where things will be quieter and you can see the breakwater at the entrance. Quite hard and while everyone I saw wanted to do it that way it would not be the best way of using the Western Channel.

Eastern Channel Route

From South of Rame you can plot a course towards the Tinker buoys which you can make in a single reach. There will be a few yachts out here but not as many as in the Sound. You will be crossing the approach to the Western Channel but have plenty of water and good all round visibility. Note Draystone and the OSR buoys as you pass well south of them to monitor your progress. Tinkers should be easily visible soon and you have good visibility both directions of the Eastern Channel before you pass East Tinker. Carry on to close the coast a little way North of the Shag Stone then gybe. Duke Rock Cardinal will be visible and another West cardinal closer into the coast - leaving the latter a little to starboard keeps you well out of the channel. You probably won’t be able to identify the Cattewater breakwater but you should be able to see (binoculars) two south cardinals and the one on the right is the other side of the Cobbler Channel. They are broadly underneath Smeaton’s tower on the Hoe. Keep going and the breakwater will eventually appear. If anything large is in the main channel your safe direction is East where you can go quite close into the coast but not past the green buoy. Much easier.

Both Routes

Having got safely south of the breakwater you drop the sails (or at least the main) and call the marina ch80 low power to reserve a berth. They give good directions, but ask which side to if they don’t tell you. If there is a ship going though the entrance it might be a good idea to wait a moment. Stay about 50m clear of the breakwater and aim towards QAB (forest of masts). The Channel is pretty well defined by the buoys and lots of moorings on the starboard side. Stay just outside these and follow them round. Looking up river you will see another forest of masts to the right and you aim just past the end of these. You will lose the wind and this is a good time to rig lines and fenders - low on the side to and a couple high on the other side in case you have to squeeze in. There should be no tidal stream and no wind in the marina so you can go as slow as you like to make it perfect.

Note I have given points to aim at during various stages. You might want to back these up with bearings written down in advance. There a lots of other marks that you could use instead and they are fine as long as you can clearly identify them.

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3.2Remember 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 March 12- 1 -