New Duties:

We have now added duties to the 31st of November 2014.

Thursday Evenings:

We have added 2 unallocated Rescue Helm duties between Thurday the 5th of June and Thursday the 10th of July.  The Rescue Helm's will be a combind O.O.D./Rescue Helm.  If can can volunteer for some of these evenings the please email me with the dates that you can do.

Many thanks,
Hilary
Duty Sec.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

It’s the economy, stupid.

When asked how elections will go, the above is usually quoted as the predictor. Change the word economy to weather and you have the answer for sailing. At least that was what happened last weekend at the Club. We staged the Flying Fifteen, Fireball and Scorpion Open Meeting. Or it would have been if any Fireballs had arrived. None. I suspect, too, that we had suffered from the “Met Office Syndrome” where would-be visitors look at the forecast and decide it isn’t worth the journey. They might well have been forgiven for doing just that on this occasion with a forecast of gusts nearing 40 mph. However, two Flying Fifteens and eight Scorpions came to the Club and it was good to see them. Well, the forecast was about right. Race Officer Simon Chapman had difficult decisions to make but he got them absolutely right. The first two races were held in testing conditions with numerous capsizes and the third race was shortened as conditions worsened. On Sunday the fleet set off but racing was abandoned before it started as the wind strengthened. The Flying Fifteens were completely dominated by Ian Cadwallader and Nick Stone. They won all three races comfortably even after doing a couple of turns shortly after the start of race three. As Ian said, not easy in a Force 6+. Your correspondent decided that, having washed the starboard side of the boat and the sails in the lake, an early bath was a better move.  Watching the Scorpions, something akin to an over-canvassed matchbox, performing in these conditions was very entertaining. One was seen to be projected out of the water by a gust when running only to return to its native environment horizontally. But they seemed entirely happy. The event was also led emphatically by Andy McKee and Chris Massey from Dovestone (for those who never venture north of Potter’s Bar Dovestone is in spectacular scenery in the Peak District near Oldham) with a score of 1,2,1. I couldn’t help wondering if Andy might be suffering a little splitting of his personality as he arrived at the Club towing his Scorpion with a smart camper van whose number plate read F 15 GBR. He had borrowed it from his father David McKee who has been a frequent visitor to, and winner of, the Chew Flying Fifteen Open. I gather both have ambitions to sail in the World Championships in Hyeres next year. Who’ll get to the camper van first?

As usual the event went smoothly with the well-oiled organisation headed up by Helen Martin doing their stuff when they probably would have preferred carpet slippers and a game of Monopoly. Well done and many thanks.

There is a chance that normal service will resume as the weather man told us this morning that summer is starting on Wednesday. Thank goodness, because it is New Members Day on Saturday and a Class Race Day on Sunday. Furthermore Thursday evening sailing begins on May 22^nd. And I noticed the Martins swooping over the lake in big numbers last weekend so it must be true. So, if you haven’t done so yet, dust off your kit and go sailing.

Chew Valley Lake is the biggest inland waterway in the south-west of England and a great place to sail.

The lake is situated on the northern edge of the beautiful Mendip hills, eight miles south of Bristol.

The picturesque surroundings make the lake a popular destination for walkers, picnickers, bird watchers and anglers as well as sailors.

On the water, the Club can easily cater for fleets of over one hundred boats and we have in the past been called upon to host many large events. Five separate slipways enable easy launching. Off the water, the clubhouse facilities include large changing rooms, hot showers, galley run by professional caterer (serving hot and cold lunches, light refreshments and drinks) at the weekends, a fully licensed bar and terrace overlooking the lake.

We also cater for disabled people with facilities on both floors and a lift.

The Club is open for sailing on Wednesday, Thursday and every weekend with racing held on Wednesday evenings and Sundays. Various sailing courses are held at the club including RYA training, various youth training, powerboat training, race officer training as well as more informal training run within each fleet. A selection of dinghies is also available for members to try.

If you are interested in joining the club then why not come down on a Saturday or Sunday, have a chat with one of our friendly members and have a look at what we have to offer. The good news is that you may not have to wait too long to join as sometimes we have vacancies throughout the year.