Executive Summary
Easter came and went in the blink of an eye. The sailing season started with the Squibs on Good Friday, we had 2 great Fitting Out Suppers over Easter on Saturday and Sunday and we held the Annual General Meeting on the Sunday evening of Easter. A new range of hoodies has been received, plans for the Dragon Northerns and Dragon Edinburgh Cup have reached the mature stage, a new lease with the landlord has been signed and the hunt is now off for a replacement for Ian (Sammo) Jones. The working party scheduled for the 27 April worked well and we will have Sue Duffy back and James Bowen in the office for the busy 6 weeks in the summer. Since the last Commodore’s Update the Council held meetings in February, March, April and May.
The Squibs at Easter
17 Squibs ventured out at Easter for the 4 day open regatta and completed a full schedule of 8 races. There was in total 6 ex national champions in the fleet. The regatta wasn’t dominated by any single team with 6 boats all winning at least one race and 2 boats winning 2. Consistency was the order of the weekend and it was Dave Best & Steve Allso (SCYC), Bryan & Jenny Riley (Waveney & Oulton Broad Yacht Club) and Chris & Mark Hogan (SCYC) who made the most of conditions; finishing in that order. The weather was superb on the water and a quote from the fleet was “if you weren’t there you missed the best Easter sailing ever”.
Whilst we are talking Squibs, the National Championships commence at the end of June in Cornwall. The Organising Authority of this regatta is the Royal Western Yacht Club in conjunction with the National Squib Owners Association with racing commencing on Sunday 26 June. Can I wish all Club members good luck for the event and let’s keep our fingers crossed.
After the championships, the Class Captain has asked me to pass on the news that, there is a 3 week break before sailing starts with a new event at the Club called the “Early Summer Regatta 16th & 17th July”. The idea is to get some of the classes sailing “together”. Tim Little has volunteered to give Committee boat starts with Squibs, Dragons and Pandora’s, all having their own flight but racing the same course. Also, the Dinghy fleet will be sailing but I think on their own courses from the Club. The idea is threefold and is to give the Squibs something to get back onto the water for after the Champs, bring out the August Squib fleet a little earlier and get a bit of a buzz into the Club by getting as many boats on the water as we can. Obviously this can only work if we give it our support. There is also a do in the cove on the Saturday evening, but more about that later – watch out for the news on the website.
Fitting Out Suppers
This year, due to the huge demand for covers, 2 fitting out suppers were held – one each on Saturday and Sunday evenings resulting in a total 170 members/families/guests enjoying the Cove and the view. A fantastic menu offered a choice of 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts with coffee. Members were served by the local Sea Cadets and there was a collection for the Sea Cadets which netted them £350 and yet another one of Pete Hawkin’s shirts was auctioned off for charity – on the night the shirt which was originally owned by Pete was being worn by Mike Budd and was successfully bid for by Mike Crompton – confused, so am I and I was there. Thanks to Malcolm Blackburn and Andy Brooke for their respective efforts in the collection and auction.
New Hoodie Range
The new range of hoodies arrived at the Club a couple of months ago and sales over the Easter weekend were buoyant. We have specifically gone for a limited range and we were looking to push them all out before or at the Spring Bank Weekend. So please do, if you haven’t already, make your way to the office, or indeed see Ali Morrison, as soon as you can.
The Cove
The Cove Restaurant has the best views of anywhere in Wales. You can dine overlooking Snowdonia, the West Coast of Wales, St. Tudwalls Islands and, of course Cardigan Bay itself. Watch the sailing or simply take in the view, all whilst being seated in friendly surroundings. Lunchtime and Dinner menus are served, cooked to a high standard and very reasonably priced. Wines are also served, with a comprehensive selection available to suit all tastes. The Cove is available for private functions, with both catering and bar facilities available and we know that many a successful function has been held in The Cove including Wedding receptions, Anniversaries and Birthday parties to say nothing of the many Club functions. The Cove re-opened on the evening of Friday 8th April, at 7.00pm and David Smith and Angharad are now fully functional. It is now open most evenings at 7.00pm (booking is advisable). Also most lunchtimes from 10.00am. The Cove will be run as a Café during the day and Bistro style in the evenings. There is a 10% discount offered to all Members on production of their loyalty cards during the evenings.
Dragon Events
The Dragons’ events are more or less on top of us. Rob (Riddell) has been a very busy man indeed and has informed me that the Dragon Sailing Instructions, Notice of Race and Registration Form are all on the SCYC & British Dragon Association (BDA) websites for download and that the final documents have been sent to the BDA. The SCYC Dragon organisation team have acquired some excellent sponsorship and this will be reflected in the success of the events. In terms of the organisation Mandy Gibson & Ruthie Harral are chairing the organisation of the events, Dee Hancox & Susie Hoesli are managing shoreside and Chris Thomas is dockside, cranes & moorings. Barry McGill & Tim Little have done the SI’s etc and are the PROs. The planning team are doing a truly great job, this is going to be one show stopping regatta and please go out of your way to call any of Mandy, Dee, or Chris to ask how you can help. Racing starts for the two events on Sunday 10th July and finishes on Saturday 16th July – just in time for the Solo National Championships to start.
Jazz Festival
The 2011 Jazz Festival is on the 10th, 11th & 12th June. Due to the tough economic climate the organisation has been slower this year until the committee were confident of a successful, exciting 10th Anniversary where the ‘books would balance!’. The voluntary committee have received the backing they needed which has enabled the organisation to go “full steam ahead” with the festival. A full list of bands and details of venues and charges can be found at http://www.abersoch.co.uk/jazzfestival/. As a Club I believe we should be very honoured to be part of this festival as it brings a unique freshness to the Village and being part of it is very exciting. Also for your information our own club members, Linda Williams and Jan Atherton, have been very actively involved in the Committee business of organising the Festival for over ten years now. Some unknown (to me until now) facts that have come to light this year include:
- Over £40,000 is needed to put this Village event on
- It costs £30,000 alone just to secure the bands and accommodate them
- There is in excess of 20 bands playing in the Village, as well as 12 soloists
The best thing we can all do is support this event, both at the Club and in the village, as much as we possibly can.
Assistant Bosun
Ian (Sammo) Jones left the Club on 3rd May to move onto a new role in the nuclear industry. Sammo had been with us 10 years and I wanted to put on the record our thanks for his excellent service over these years. He will be missed for his work as both Safety One and Assistant Bosun. Pete Richards put in a huge push during April and May this year and has already recruited a replacement in Robert (Rob) Falck. Rob is not completely new to the Club as you will recognise him from the launches and from the Bar. Could I take this opportunity to ask you to make Rob’s return to the Club as welcoming as possible?
Helping Hands
Listening and talking to Members over the last few months I was asked why the Club doesn’t organise a Members working party to get us all back into the spirit of being part of the running of our great Club – getting that family feeling back, meeting each other, meeting new Members and just generally helping out. The working party was held on Tuesday 26th April. The party kicked off at 9.30am in the morning and carried on (not continually) until the end of the day on Wednesday 27th April. Malcolm Blackburn managed the whole process and made sure the jobs kept coming. You will hopefully notice the difference this effort has made to the way the Club is currently looking. All I want to say is a huge thank you to those who were involved in the planning, the exercising and the supporting of the party – I won’t name everyone, in case I miss someone, but I know of everyone who gave up some time (on both days) and all I would like to say on behalf of all Members is THANK YOU ALL.
Summer Office Staff
As we approach the busy season in the office we have recruited 2 people who will be with us for 6 or 7 weeks in the summer in the office to make sure that we are fully staffed 7 days a week through the busiest period of the season. Sue Duffy and James Bowen will join us in July through till August Bank Holiday time. Sue, you will recognize from last year and James is our very own Jude’s son. Please join me in welcoming them to the Club in due course.
Subscription Details and E-mail
Could I again please remind you to confirm that all details in the office are 100% up to date in terms of category & ages and also could I remind you to let the office have an up- to-date email address if you would like to receive the regular updates from the Club?
And Lastly
Safety on the water. A couple of weeks ago at the Club we had a man over board situation where thankfully no-one was hurt. Even though no-one was hurt it was a stark reminder about the inherent danger within the sport we all love and something we should never underestimate. History shows that lives are lost from drowning or cold shock or through loss of consciousness brought on by hypothermia. We can all reduce the risks by:
- wearing effective protective clothing - a waterproof outer covering plus several thin layers will give better protection than one thick layer
- wearing a suitable working lifejacket or buoyancy aid fitted with a safety harness and D ring. The lifejacket should be fitted with retro reflective tape and a light to assist location at night
See you on the water, Dave Shiel |
All repeats 
