News

Autumn is on its way and the wind is just as unpredictable as always. Some drifters and some great sailing.
Duties for September/October
There are vacancies for duties in September on 18th and 25th and on October 2nd. If you could help out on one these dates then please let Juley Simmons know via the Duties enquiries page on the Shearwater Website. I am grateful to members who have done extra duties this year. Can you fit in one more?

Buddy Sailing Policy at Shearwater Sailing Club
Lone sailing on the lake is not encouraged. If however you wish to sail the Club’s policy is that you must either sail together with another boat or have a responsible person on shore in possession of a mobile.
Your safety and that of your crew is your responsibility.
It is recommended that if you are a novice or a returning sailor getting back into sailing you should only sail when a Safety Boat is on the water. This is on a Sunday throughout the year or a Tuesday evening during the summer. There are also specific dates shown on the calendar and the website where social sailing is encouraged as a Safety Boat will be in attendance.
Any person who is a poor swimmer should be wearing a life jacket and nobody should launch without an appropriate buoyancy aid for their build and age.
Wear appropriate clothing for the conditions bearing in mind sudden changes that can occur.
A weather check the day before and on the day is essential. Wind speeds are always given as an average wind speed. i.e. A 10 mph wind may well have winds between 5 mph and gusts of 15 mph. Take a paddle in case the wind drops completely.
Only sail in winds you feel you are competent to sail in. In the event of a capsize check the safety of everybody and then right the boat. If there is a problem stay with the boat. It will drift into one of the banks.
Sailing s a wonderful sport but your safety and that of your crew relies on an element of caution about the weather and your own ability. Should conditions change it is better to return to the clubhouse than hope for the best.
Using the Club’s Facebook page is a good way of enquiring if other boats are going out.
The RYA runs many schemes to improve our sailing skills. Check their website for details.
Sailing Committee August 2016

Tuesday evening Sailing.
A reminder this Tuesday 6th of September is the last of the series. Starts 6.15pm. My thanks to the Sailing Committee for doing all the duties throughout the series.

Awards Dinner will be held at The Royal Oak Corsley on Friday 25th November at 7pm. So please make a note in your diary. Numbers will be limited.

Clubhouse improvements.
Your Committee is meeting next week specifically to discuss what clubhouse improvements that can be made both in the short and long term. It is hoped to target October to start the upgrade. Details to follow on how members can help. Please contact me or any Committee member if you have any suggestions.

Regards to all.

Clive Chapman
Commodore Shearwater Sailing Club

Hi all.
There must be something about Tuesday evenings. I should be sailing but thunder storms are moving up and down the Blackmore Vale. If the club had a web cam I could see what the weather was like on the lake but a decision had to be made and that is why I am writing this newsletter rather than risking the weather.

The last Familiarisation Day was well attended. Dave had his first sail in his newly refurbished Mirror. Mike Dickens was able to crew for him and ease him into sailing. Bill cruised the lake in his Firefly. Juley was able to gain some confidence by reacquainting herself with her 420 and Mark and Lydia enjoyed an afternoon on the lake in their Duo.

Many walkers stopped and talked to club members and there were two genuine enquiries about membership. It was an idyllic scene with boats cruising around our beautiful lake.

The next Familiarisation Day is Saturday 2nd July from 1pm. All are welcome. No racing just cruising. If you need support just ask. Safety boat will be on the water until 4pm.

We now have enough volunteers to man the Safety boat every Saturday from 1pm to 4pm in July. Social sailing is available to all club members. Bring the family down. If they sail with you don’t forget to sign them in. If you want to hire the club boats don’t forget to sign up and pay your money. Guests can go out with you but they cannot hire the club boats.

If the work party is active give them a hand in any spare moment.

Buddy Sailing. This is a reminder that all club members can sail at any time on the lake. Yes! Any day but only in daylight hours. The only proviso is that you have a Buddy on the shore watching out for your safety and who could raise the alarm in an emergency.

Lost and Found
Mike and I were searching for a lost Firefly tiller from the safety boat that was lost and by chance we spotted a launching trolley in the water near the dam. It wasn’t quite the raising of the Titanic but we were able to retrieve it. If any member has lost a launching trolley in the past can they get in touch with me? I would estimate it has been under the water several years.

Fishermen can be our friends. On Sunday morning the missing Firefly tiller was propped up against the clubhouse. I can only surmise that an angler hooked the tiller by mistake and hauled it in and very kindly put it outside the clubhouse. Thank you if you are reading this.

Last Friday club members and two dogs joined in a Treasure Hunt organised by Juley Simmonds. You had to find clue one and this led to the next. Ten cryptic clues in all. (with hints if you were desperate). It was great fun. All clues were close to the path between the Race Hut and the Start box. Thank you Juley for organising it.
In spite of the weather we have been having an excellent turn out on the water. Not been down yet? We would love to see you.
Regards

Clive Chapman

I am writing this on a Tuesday night when I should be sailing, but discretion became the better part of valour as 16-20 mph Northerly winds are gusting 30mph and its raining.

This Saturday there will be another Familiarisation day. This time we are going to start at 1pm instead of 9.30am. This is because the wind seems to go walk about first thing in the morning. Safety boat will be on the water until 4pm. If you just fancy a sail or want some help getting on the water then please come down. The weather forecast is much much better for Saturday. Honest!

Turn out on a Sunday and a Tuesday has averaged ten boats. We have had great racing; always competitive, but friendly. If you haven’t been down we would love to see you. Duties are going well. Thank you Juley for all your hard work. If you have not yet committed to a duty don’t worry we will advise you of your duty day.

With the warm weather and the rain I don’t need to tell you how fast the grass is growing. Please pop down and check your boat in the Dinghy Park hasn’t disappeared and bring a pair of shears just in case it has.

Shearwater SC website has been refreshed and has a new front page. Take a look! A big thank you to Pat for doing this. Facebook, weather forecast links; calendar and the latest news. If you have some photo contributions for the Gallery then please contact Pat.

Treasure Hunt. Friday 10th June 7pm starting at the Clubhouse. This has been organised by Juley Simmonds. See the Facebook entry and record your interest.

Tuesday night sailing will start at 6.30pm from June onwards. Hopefully the extra minutes will give more of you time to get down to the club and sail.

Can you spare a few hours on a Saturday to help spruce up the clubhouse and Dinghy Park can you let me know?

Fair winds.
Regards

Clive Chapman