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This is the News Archive for 2003.
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27 Dec 03
24 Dec 03
22 Dec 03
10 Dec 03 Gareth Owen shared lots of good tips on getting to (and staying at) the front of a competitive fleet. James Douglas, Pete Spedding and Will Thompson all had a lot of useful things to add. The use of video shot on the Dee from a rib was an excellent way to highlight techniques and prompt discussion - Debbie McLean's gybing technique impressed us all. The next workshop will be on Tuesday, 13 Jan 04 - so please come along. If there's something you want the workshop to cover then let Pete Spedding know.
08 Dec 03
04 Dec 03 There'll be something for everyone: from novice to experienced; from cruiser to racer, from Oppie sailor to fast cat; from teetotaller to alkie. (Yes, the bar's open!) A panel of the club's top sailors will be on hand to offer tips, answer questions and discuss ways to improve your sailing. They're also intending to show videos of club sailing and training on the Dee and the Marine Lake. During the series the range of subjects will include:
03 Dec 03
This old year is drawing to a close and a new year is marching inexorably towards us. Racing will take a sabbatical for two months, but there will be plenty of activity at the club so sign up for some work-parties and support your Captain. From time to time you may see a public house or emporium of retail desirables with the banner 'Under New Management' emblazoned in two-foot high red lettering. You may wonder that maybe the old management were inept and ran the old business into the ground. Or you may prefer to believe that the previous incumbents were forced to leave under cover of darkness leaving a morass of ruinous policies and financial maladies. This marketing ploy appeals to our British optimism and suggests that things were bad and can only get better. DSC has successfully navigated 2003 without the benefit of a Rear Commodore (Social) this is due to the hard work, dedication and tenacity of Club members, who addition to running busy lives, homes, families and businesses, have given there time and effort week after week. Beryl Roberts and her unfeasible large and scrumptious biscuits, Sue Morruzzi, Jayne Oliver, Helen Latham to name but a few. Working as a team they have piloted the galley through National events and weekend club racing. So to say that DSC social matters in 2004 will be 'Under New Management' would be misleading in the afore-mentioned context. On behalf of DSC I would like to say a big thank you! to our unsung heroes. Simon and Claire, new members to the club this year, have volunteered to take on the role of Rear Commodores (Social) with vacant possession. Hurrah! And Bravo! I use the term Commodores because it is right and proper in this new millennium that Simon and Claire, although an 'Item', will hold equal status in the role. In the November committee meeting Simon did say that he knew he was taking on a thankless task. I would like to ask DSC members to make sure that we don't take our new RC (S) for granted. Finally, the West Cheshire Sailing Club fund-raising bash held in the Wallasey Conservative Club on 28 Nov was well attended with over 165 revellers. This included contingents from kindred clubs. The food, although billed as a buffet was of high quality with a wide choice from coq au vin and chilli to cold cuts of prime beef or salmon with a range of salads artistically garnished and delicately flavoured. WCSC have a chef as a member and is available for outside catering. There was a multi-prize raffle and 'sit down bingo' with a cash prize of £250. The band were lively and loud and the disco good fun. There was a roving artist penning caricatures during the evening and a roaming magician performing at the tables. In one of the tricks performed on the table next to us he gently placed a small foam rabbit into the cleavage of a suitable lady, he then asked her to place her hand over her bosom; to prevent outside tampering? He then made two more foam rabbits disappear into thin air before our very eyes. He then asked her to extricate the bunny from its warm and cosy hiding place, and guess what?… There were three!… foam rabbits that is. I did take it upon myself to surreptitiously check on cleavages for the rest of the evening purely in the interest of science. It was a thoroughly enjoyable do. Well-planned and well-executed. One of the raffle prizes, a pair of green lens binoculars were re-presented and auctioned at the end raising another £45 despite my wife's best efforts to out-bid the winner with Adrian Mould's money. The final total is yet to be announced. The senseless vandalism that precipitated this fund-raising has clearly failed to break the spirit of WCSC and has brought the best out in its members. Mark Emptage
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23 Nov 03
22 Dec 03
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31 Oct 03
12 Oct 03
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30 Sep 03 Dee Sailing Club hosted the fourth and final round of the North Wales Catamaran Circuit over the weekend of 27th and 28th September. Much was at stake with the overall championship still up for grabs and the Youth and F18 prizes to be decided. The 28 entries were greeted with an uncharacteristically calm estuary on the Saturday morning and it looked like racing might not take place at all. Slowly, a light southerly set in and the OOD set a windward-leeward course to get things started. With a varied fleet ranging from Hurricane Sports and F18s to Dart 16s, the average lap system was employed. First home on the water and winning on handicap was the Nacra F18 of Alasdair Davidson and Jonathan Jenkins from the home club with Gareth Owen and Joanna Pierce-Jones second in a Dart 18. With the wind holding steady, a long distance course was set for the second race taking the boats out to the mouth of the estuary and back via the Hilbre Islands. The two Nacra F18s and the Hurricane Sport made quick work of the downwind leg reaching the first mark under spinnakers in less than 30 minutes, followed by a two-sail reach across to the islands. Unfortunately, the wind then decided to die leaving all the boats becalmed for about an hour. The wind then swung round and filled in from the north but it was too late for everyone as the time limit expired. After the traditional Dee SC Saturday evening party, complete with a lively soul band, the competitors were again greeted with still conditions on the Sunday morning. The OOD opted for a 30 minute delay before the boats were called onto the water for the first of three races. A triangle course was set for the first and the winner on handicap was Liz Howell and Chris Cherry in a Hurricane 5.9 from Tresaith with Gareth Owen second again. For the last two races the wind increased to F3-4 giving the fleet the best racing of the weekend. After a general recall the black flag was in place for both races. The first of the two races saw a repeat of Saturday with the F18 first followed by the Dart 18 on handicap. Both the event result and the series result came down to the last race. A less than orderly start saw three cats DSQ. With the tide on its way out the OOD opted to run two laps only with the Nacra F18 again coming home first on handicap and second place this time taken by 11 year old Tom Green in a Dart 16 Spi crewed by his father Neil. With one discard the Nacra F18 of Davidson & Jenkins won with three firsts followed by the Dart 18 of Owen & Pierce-Jones with three seconds.
The Dee event was always going crucial to the outcome of the 2003 North Wales Cat Circuit. Steve Leonard from Tresaith Mariners Club, sailing a Hurricane 5.9, had been leading the series after three rounds with results of 3, 2, & 2. Realistically, only Alasdair & Jonathan in the F18 could overtake him. Having missed Bala and counting a 1 & 3 from the previous two events, they had to finish in the top three at Dee and ahead of the Hurricane. Confident that they could beat the Hurricane on the water, the key to retaining the North Wales Cats trophy possibly lay in the performance of the Dee Darts. After scoring a 10th in the light winds race on Sunday morning things were not looking promising. The distinct possibility of only getting a total of 3 races in meant the 10th would have to count and push the Nacra boys out of the top 3. Fortunately the wind arrived just in the nick of time and with 4 races completed they could discard the 10th. After a closely fought series, Alasdair retained the trophy, crewed by Jonathan at Pwllheli and Dee and by Brigid at Beaumaris. It must be noted that Brigid gave up the crewing slot at Dee to assist the Race team when it was looking like Peter might be out there on his own!! Full results for the NW Cats Circuit will be posted on www.nwcats.co.uk.
19 Sep 03 Work-party 18 Sep 03 The light, gentle breezes were perfect conditions for the younger sailors. 75 boats took part and 9 out of 10 races were held. It was a fabulous sight to see the array of spinnakers and the sun gleaming on all the red sails in the bay. James and Cameron came a creditable 12th position and Cameron became wonderfully adept at flying his spinnaker at every opportunity. Evidence of this can be seen by visiting Turtle's web site www.turtlephotography.co.uk. Congratulations Cameron and James! Jonathan and Andrew were 54th and were also awarded the trophy for the youngest helm and crew, both being only 12 years old. Well done, boys. In addition to sailing other events included quiz night, sandcastle competition, swimming races, karaoke night and a beach barbecue, where the record must have been set for the most disposable BBQs in the smallest area! Huge thanks must go to Alasdair for providing such fabulous entertainment for the junior wannabe trapeze artists on his Inter 17. All in all, Abersoch Mirror week was fantastic and if you are already wondering what holiday to book for 2004, make 1 week in Abersoch a priority and beg or borrow a Mirror if you don't already have one. There is no upper or lower age limit and you will have a great time. We did! David Harris 15 Sep 03 Prior to attending I had to do a first aid course which was completed on a Saturday in March at Hoylake Sailing School. It was good fun but not much had changed since I first did one a long, long time ago. Sarah was happy for me to go as she was to have a long weekend in Brussels with her friends a week or so before I went. The week leading up to the course I was planning to do a lot of revision, but as usual work came first and far too much of it. So much for good intentions. Friday the 11th July duly arrived and I packed my bags with wellies, oilies, lots of warm clothes and a few tee shirts and a couple pairs of shorts. Well it was bound to be cold and wet. After saying my goodbyes to the family I set off for Conwy Marina. I was the first to arrive but soon the team was assembled. Neil Shay was to be our instructor for the course part of the week. The crew comprised of Dave Massey, Bill Hughes, David Manson better known as Trash and myself. Our yacht was to be a Victoria 34 named Victoria Conwy 1, a long-keeled, heavy displacement boat. After loading the boat with provisions, our gear and sorting out who was having which bunk we had a quick chat about the safety equipment on board. Then it was off to the pub at the top of the marina. A good opportunity to get to know the boys as well as a few beers. I was sleeping in the saloon with Trash and Dave, Neil had the skipper's berth and Bill had the fore cabin and all the bags. It took a while to get to sleep that night as Dave, Neil and trash all snored heavily. Of course they denied this in the morning, but was it loud especially when all three were at it. After breakfast and a quick briefing, it was out into the harbour to try our hand at manoeuvring under power; picking up moorings and going alongside. There is quite a rip at the mouth of the Conwy River and with the moorings quite close together it took a lot of concentration. We all completed this with good instruction from Neil without hitting anything. I was on cooking and cleaning duty the first day, so while the others played I knocked up lunch. We had it on the way out of the harbour and up to the fairway buoy. We put up the main and No. 1 genoa, but there was not much wind so we motor-sailed past Puffin Island towards Moelfre. The weather was fantastic; everyone was in shorts, enjoying the sunshine, lots of knobbly knees. You don't get it much better than this, wonderful scenery and warm southerly breeze. Our next task was to put the boat over a tidal diamond on the chart without using GPS, i.e. the old fashioned way. Good practice taking running bearings and plotting our position on the chart. We then set off for the Menai Straits through Puffin Sound.
We made our way down to the Gazelle Hotel and picked up a mooring whilst we had our evening meal. The plan was to go though the Swellies at slack water and then go into the lock at Porth Dinorwic for the night. The sun was just setting as we passed through the Swellies, the water was like glass reflecting the bridges which span the Straights between North Wales and Anglesey. After tying up it was once again off to the hotel just above the lock for a few beers. I was quite shattered after all the cooking and washing so I went off to my bunk early. The next day we practiced manoeuvring in the close confines of the lock,
before setting off to Llandwyn Island. We quickly went into Caernarfon
dock for a quick practice of coming alongside. By the time we had reached
Aber Menai Point we had missed the window for passing over the Caernarfon
Bar, so we turned around to head back to Menai Bridge. With the wind behind
us we set up the spinnaker pole on the No. 1 genoa and put a preventer
on the boom. Yet another glorious day all in just shorts and tee shirts
soaking up the sun, lunch was with the backdrop of Snowdon glistening
in the foreground. The wind slowly died and we had to put the motor on
again to make headway against the ebbing tide. As we passed Plas Newydd, the wind had completely dropped and we took the sails down. I was back on my old stomping ground. The water was perfect for barefoot skiing. My mind wandered back to when I had a powerboat and used to ski on this part of the Straights, usually this sort of time in the early evening or first thing in the morning when no-one else was around. The water would be flat calm and so peaceful. By the time we had reached the Swellies we had just missed slack water, which is two hours before low water. Neil decided that it was still safe to pass through so we went for it. Just before we went under the Britannia Bridge a large dive boat passed us at high speed throwing up a huge wash, we all had to grab on as the yacht was thrown about. Neil gave a hand signal to the dive boats skipper telling him what we all thought about him. The passage was an eye-opener to the rest of the crew (I had done this passage many times before), to see the Swellies Rock and the Platters uncovered. We tied up at the pier at Menai Bridge for the evening and after a good meal it was off to one of my favourite pubs, the Liverpool Arms. The beer was still as good as it used to be. As a crew we were starting to form a bond, which was to be needed if we were all to pass the exam at the end of the week. Dave owned a canal boat building firm in Northwich and had done a few legs of Chay Blyth's Global Challenge; even going round Cape Horn. He had a Colvic Watson motor sailer, which was in his yard and also shares in boats raced at Royal Mersey Yacht Club; a Milne and a Squibb. He also has a share in a boat in Palma. Bill was a bosun on a P&O Ferry crossing the Channel; he was about to buy a share in a Bavaria 38 based out in Croatia. Years before he had been a yacht delivery skipper. Trash owned a cabinet making business in London and had another home in North Wales. He owned a Nobby called Ellidi which was having major work done on her in Porth Penrhyn in Bangor. I felt I was the weak link in the chain with not having as much experience as the others. I found out that the others were doing their Yachtmaster's as we talked in the pub, which made me feel better. The next morning I headed up the walkway to the toilet, on my way down I saw the dive boat that had sped past us the previous evening. Next the skipper of the dive boat walked past me with a woman, he was furious, cursing to this woman. I got back onboard and found out the he had been over to remonstrate with Neil about his hand gesture, Neil had given him short shrift and I had missed all the fun. We went into Porth Penrhyn; yet more practice coming alongside. I did not do a very good job of it, but we got there in the end. We went ashore to look at Ellidi, she was having a new larger transom and longer bow sprit fitted. She is a beautiful boat, Trash was re-doing the cabin. The engine was on the starboard side with the propeller also on the starboard side. Turning to port was impossible, so any close-quarter manoeuvring would have to be well thought out. We headed back out and hoisted the sails and headed up to Beaumaris, time to practice anchoring. Neil wanted us to anchor on the chart's 2m line, opposite the pier in Beaumaris pool. Dave who was helming and had done the tidal calculations got it spot on. After lunch we headed for Puffin Island through the sound and on to Amlwch on the North of Anglesey. It is a small drying harbour with pens for Liverpool pilot boats and the boats that used to maintain the old oil pumping buoy off Point Lynas. We tied up to an old fishing boat which stank and was in such poor condition I would not have ventured out to sea in it. A couple of other yachts were in the pens; one from Liverpool the other from Dublin. We all had a shower in the pub which was wonderful - well worth the £1.50. The next morning we set off again, the wind was about a 4 to 5 with big rolling seas. Several fishing boats were out with a few green faces on the fee-paying costumers. At Point Lynas the seas were very confused and we took a couple of soakings - at least we were getting use out of our oilies. Once back round Lynas the sea calmed and we hoisted the sails. A broad reach down to Puffin. In the Straights, Neil felt unwell and went down below. I was glad I had not done the food yesterday or today. The wind dropped to nothing so we motored to Beaumaris. I had a go at hitting the 2m mark, but we didn't drop the hook as it had been a real struggle to get the chain back into the locker. We motored on and picked up a mooring in the harbour. The sun was shining again as we sat and had our coffee. We asked each other questions about buoys, lights, sounds, rules of the road and general navigation. We even got a few bits of rope and practiced our knots. Neil, who was awake, was very impressed with our revision. I had purchased a pocket skipper's guide book prior to the course and any quite moments I had my head buried in it. We went back to Menai Bridge for the night and met one of Neil's old instructors from his sailing school. We had a real good laugh that night with him telling us stories from when he worked with Neil. Back onboard with everyone asleep except Trash and myself, he told me
a story of his first sailing trip. He had bought an 18 foot wooden boat
and had sailed from Chiswick to Southend on the Thames. On his return
he had just passed the Thames Barrier when a carrier bag fouled the propeller
of his Seagull outboard. As he leant over to clear the bag, the ebbing
tide carried him onto the Barrier; a voice shouted "Are you alright?" The following day we went up into the pool opposite Beaumaris and practiced picking up moorings under sail. Several Hilbres and Stars had arrived the previous evening for the Straights Regatta. Yet again, fantastic weather, the Gods were smiling on us. The wind picked up and we were having a great sail, when all of a sudden there was this loud bang and the No. 2 genoa was in shreds. Neil was not too bothered as it was an old sail. Trash had been helming. We headed off for Conwy going through Penmaenmawr Swatch. The course was coming to a close and the next two days would be the exam. I think we all felt a bit apprehensive. That night we had a meal in the pub and all had an early night. Dave knew the examiner Mike Linski from the Royal Mersey, all he said was that he did not smile much. We decided that it was to be a challenge to make him laugh. We all got up early the next morning, rather nervous about the impending exam. We took on some more stores and a new No. 2 genoa. Mike arrived about 10 am, Dave, said hello but was ignored. We were in for a hard time. Both Dave and Billy wanted to go first, so a coin was tossed and Dave won, or so he thought. The plan was to sail out the marina and pick up a mooring in the harbour before heading off to the Straights, back through the swatch. The skies were grey, the wind was increasing and it started to rain. Once out of the harbour Mike called us down one at a time to go through our passage plans we had prepared the night before. Bill went first, then it was my turn. I had lost my voice the day before so it was hard going, grunting through my plan to sail to Wicklow in Ireland. Next, questions about buoys, lights, rules of the road and weather; just as well I had been revising. Trash was next up, Dave was to be done while I did my skippering. We were still motoring when Mike asked if we should put the sails up. Dave was not happy about this and said no as we were going through the Swatch. Once in the Straights the sails went up and Mike threw a buoy overboard to do a man overboard exercise. We had practiced this quite often and we took it in our stride, joking about Doris being all cold and who was going to warm her up. I think Mike thought we were all mad. Although I think Dave had wished he hadn't gone first. It turned out that Mike had been a lecturer at Riversdale College, teaching navigation to the deck cadets when I had been there as an engineer cadet. We had a good old chat, or as best I could manage with my voice, about the place. My turn was next. I was asked to go into Porth Penrhyn and get out before there was no water. I checked the chart and did the tidal calculations, we had a draught of 1.4m. We had 2m on entering but Mike wanted me to go further up the dock. The depth gauge kept falling. Thankfully he didn't notice when the gauge hit 1.4m, a quick turn about and out to deep water. As he knew I raced at Dee he had me going the channel buoys like racing marks. A man overboard exercise followed by picking up a mooring under sail and I was done. We stopped for a coffee, while Mike grilled Dave. Bill was up next and coped pretty well, then another bang! Trash helming again, another blow out of the new No. 2 genoa, we just all laughed as we got it sorted. It was even older than the first one we trashed. We tied up alongside the jetty in Menai Bridge for the night at about 8 pm. Mike, as he lived on the Island went home for a hot bath. We went to the Liverpool Arms for some food, unfortunately we were too late. So a few pints and a packet of crisps. Dave was not a happy bunny as being first up was the hardest. He called Mike the Grim Reaper as we had not yet made him laugh. Once back onboard Trash did a marvellous job with cheese on toast, we were starving. A good night's rest and a slow start to the day waiting for Mike to come. Once onboard we were off; Trash's turn. We headed for Puffin. The sun was out again with a nice breeze on our tail. We set up the spinnaker pole and preventer only for Mike to call a man overboard exercise; it had been far too relaxed. We forgot to take the pole down, which stopped us tacking back up to the man overboard. We soon realised our mistake and got it stowed. Doris was fine, even Mike smiled when Dave offered to give her the kiss of life. Round the back of Puffin and to another tidal diamond on the chart. I
was helming and waiting for instructions from Trash about where to go
as we sailed past it. Turn round and this time bang on. We sailed back
through the channel and into the harbour, where Trash had to pick up a
mooring under sail, no problem. Then motor back into the marina. Billy was first, a pass. Then Trash; again a pass. Neil had said it was about a 75% pass rate, so I was not looking forward to my trip down below with the Grim Reaper. Yeeees! I passed and Mike said once I have got the sea time in I'll have no problems with doing my Yachtmaster's. Dave's turn next and again he passed with flying colours. Mike had been a good examiner, very fair giving us a second chance if we messed up and not at all like the Grim Reaper, even Dave thought highly of him. He had just had his examiner's hat on. Neil came down to congratulate us. It was time to pack up and clean the boat. Before we all headed our separate ways we had a final drink in the pub, and joked about Neil's sails. It had been a tiring week but a very enjoyable one. I even managed to pass my Coastal Skipper's, all thanks to Neil. As I drove home I thought what for next year. Trash has invited me to sail on Ellidi which would be great fun. I got a wonderful welcome when I got home from the children and Sarah, it was nice to be back. Sarah thought the idea of a share in a boat was wonderful, so the following weekend we went back to Conwy to a have look at it. So here's hoping that the following year we will proud part-owner's of a new Bavaria 36. Mike Hilton
10 Sep 03 Pwllheli Sailing Club Over the August Bank Holiday weekend, 97 catamarans gathered at Pwllheli SC for the combined Formula 20, Formula 18, Spitfire, Hobie 16, Hobie Dragoon, and Nacra/Prindle National Championships. The six classes were split over two courses just a short sail from the beach. The Formula 18 fleet with 36 cats was by far the largest and included a number of professional sailors including pre-event favourite Gavin Colby, the current Hobie 16 World Champion and Formula 18 Worlds runner-up. After light winds on Saturday and no wind on Sunday, we were treated to a good force 4/5 on both the Monday and Tuesday allowing the Race Officer to run seven windward/leeward races. The final outcome saw Gavin Colby live up to his billing by just a point from Matt Eeles. The Dee teams of Alasdair & Brigid and Jon & Piers finished 20th and 33rd respectively. The Nacra/Prindle fleet comprised mainly of Nacra 6.0s with a couple of Nacra 5.5s and Prindle 18-2s. Sailing on a separate course from the F18s, Don Findlay squeezed five races in on the windy Monday to add to the one from Saturday. Long time Nacra 6.0 sailor Ian Kirk from Bala CC sailed consistently well to win with four firsts and 2 seconds but our very own Mark Emptage, crewed by Jenny Allen, put in an excellent performance in their first Nationals to take second place. Pete and Christopher Gregory came in fourth to make it a successful event for the Dee SC Nacras. Despite the mixed conditions, this was a good event with excellent organisation by Don Findlay and Pwllheli SC. F18
Results Full results from the other classes can be found on www.catamaran.co.uk under the News section. Alasdair Davidson
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09 Jul 03 Our Juniors showed tremendous team spirit, showed off their capsize skills
at the beginning of the day (no other team demonstrated such party tricks),
tried their hand at crab fishing, topped up their tan and enjoyed the
barbecue when not sailing. Huge thanks go to West Cheshire for organising it and Mike Jones and his team for their hospitality. Julie Harris
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28 Jun 03 Bill Broughall, Skipper Bill took delivery of his new boat in La Rochelle, fitted her out with electronic gizmos and set sail across the Bay of Biscay with one crew in mid-April 2003. He would probably like to give, personally, a detailed account of his experiences between then and arriving in Las Palmas early a.m. on the 26th April. Suffice to say, it was a very eventful trip, as he was stormbound for 72hrs off Spain/Portugal in force 10-11 winds and huge seas and later, en route to the Canaries, the boat collided in the dark with a large fishing float. It ripped the anchor off the bows and smashed it into the side of the hull above the waterline. Repairs to the hull were carried out in Madeira. Following this, he sailed solo to Las Palmas, where Tim Rooney and I flew out to join him for the big trip. We all hoped his luck had changed and sure enough, it did!
During the middle watch on May 6th. when we were at N22.08 W 31.00, there was a violent wind shift to the SE , the wind got up to about force 6 and the boat gybed suddenly. All (two)hands arrived on deck to join the one on watch, who was wrestling with the wheel, and in about 30 minutes, the main had two reefs and the genoa suitably restrained; so on reduced sail and now on a port reach, we arrived where we wanted to be, or thereabouts, at midday on 7th May, at N19.46 W33.29., having sailed 1180nm in just over 7.5 days.
Our plots at noon for the rest of the voyage are as follows:
General comments about what we saw and did during the trip
Bill, as usual, proved to be unflappable and always made the correct decisions at the right time. He also baked some very nice loaves, which were eaten rapidly. As the voyage progressed, sleep became a matter for each individual to catch up on, whenever possible and we all arrived in St Maarten in pretty good shape, ready for the many rum punches to come.
The main event of the day onboard, was happy hour, when we each had a
can of beer at 1800hrs. We kept the clock at Canaries time until after
mid-Atlantic, but by then, the sun was not rising until 0900 and the evenings
were drawing out somewhat, so we altered the clock by two hours and then
to local time fairly near our destination..
About only five or six ships appeared, mostly during the first five days
and then nothing until we got nearer to the Caribbean, when they caused
some excitement in the dark, rain and force 7 winds (not my watch!) Another interesting bird for you twitchers, was a great skua, which looks
like a little like a buzzard. (You will see it in your European bird book.)
Those of you who have sailed the Trade Winds will know how fantastic it is to sail, day after day in consistent 15kt winds (if you are lucky). The line squalls (if that is what they are), sometimes arrive with heavy rain and 20+ kts of wind and push you north for many hours at a time, but then normal service is resumed! I have sailed W to E from Bermuda to the Azores some years ago (1800 nm) but we all agreed this was a very exciting journey to have made and will be remembered for many years, for the good company and sailing. Tim has been to see me in the Ribble Valley (he has a lady friend here), so we are still in touch. It is strange, the connection, as I had never met him before, until the day we arrived in Las Palmas, to start our great adventure.
He wrote:
I think he will be in the USA now, but does not seem to be missing us a bit John Toms
08 Jun03 Matt Pollock took these shots of the clubhouse while he was briefly flying the right way up.
02 Jun 03
01 Jun 03
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26 May 03 Michael Moruzzi was showing all the signs of growing confidence following lots of sailing he's been doing in Dart 16s and various other larger craft, but it was Cameron Douglas who set his mind to winning the day's races. And he did too, in fine style by quite a margin from Michael and Richard Peck. Sophie and Aden decided the conditions were a little too brisk at this stage of their learning curve so retired to quieter waters. The finishing order was repeated in the second race. Bank Holiday Monday saw the main fleet out at Thurstaston for an early
start
23 May 03 After several weeks of hard work by both Tony Marston, organising both crews and courses, and David Edmundson helping to organise the social event, the LBSA weekend got off to a slow start on the Saturday in a light south-westerly breeze. Wallis Cup Wild Oats and Dilemma were first over the line at the start, closely followed by Artful Dodger, the only boat to fly a spinnaker. As we eased the sheets at Hilbre Island, the rest of the fleet got the spinnakers up and we headed off to HE3. By this stage Artful Dodger had overtaken Dilemma to take second place, and Slipstream was bringing up the rear. After the run to HE3, we then had a beat to HE1. During this leg the wind fell to under 5 knots and went round to the north-west, which set the pattern for the rest of the day. By HE1, Wild Oats lead from Slipstream, who had managed to sail through the Deltas soon after rounding HE3, and Helter Skelter had taken over in third place. On the beat to Burbo Towers, Slipstream significantly reduced Wild Oats' lead, and Helter Skelter pulled away from the other Deltas, lead by Dilemma. However on the run back to the finish Slipstream could not make any further gains on Wild Oats and finished over eighteen minutes behind. The Deltas finished another forty minutes back, but in the light winds they had all closed up and finished together. Dilemma took third, closely followed by Rupert Bear and Artful Dodger, with Helter Skelter finishing last after running aground off the Hoyle Bank, trying to luff Rupert Bear. On corrected time the finishing order was Wild Oats, Slipstream, Rupert Bear, Dilemma, Artful Dodger and Helter Skelter. Sunday The format for Sunday was for three short races. For the first race Tony set the start line behind Hilbre, with two laps of a course, taking us to HE4, then to two buoys laid off Hilbre, then to Seldom Seen and then back to the start. Dilemma was first over the line at the start, but headed off to Seldom Seen, sailing the course in reverse order, claiming it had been in that order when he saw the board. Wild Oats lead the rest of the fleet on the intended course, closely followed by Rupert Bear, with Artful Dodger and Deva Delta further behind. Rupert Bear held on to win on corrected time with Wild Oats second, Artful Dodger third and Deva Delta fourth. At the date of writing this result is subject to a protest. After lunch the wind picked up to a South Westerly Force 5/6, and the format changed to Olympic triangles set between Hilbre Island and the Hoyle Bank. It was just before the start of the second race that Wild Oats had a very embarrassing incident, nearly T-boning both Rescue 1 and Dawpool, missing both by inches. The look of horror on both my crew and the committee boat will stay with me for a long time! In the second race Dilemma was first to start again, although was forced to tack by Wild Oats crossing her on starboard. By the end of the first windward leg, Wild Oats held a narrow lead over Dilemma with Rupert Bear in third. We stayed in this order until the reaches in the triangle stage of the race, when Rupert Bear, still carrying full sail, overtook Dilemma. The order stayed the same until the finish, with Rupert Bear winning on handicap from Dilemma, with Artful Dodger in third. The final race was another Olympic triangle, this time Dilemma misjudged the start arriving a minute early, and Wild Oats took an early lead. By the first windward mark Wild Oats led from Artful Dodger. Dilemma and Rupert Bear then overtook Artful Dodger on the triangle section of the course. However on the final tack for the finish line, Artful Dodger tacked early and just overtook Rupert Bear before the finish. The finishing order on corrected time was Dilemma first, Artful Dodger second and Rupert Bear third. The overall result for the day, subject to the protest is, first Rupert
Bear, second Dilemma, third Artful Dodger, fourth Wild Oats and fifth
Deva Delta. Andrew Hiscocks
2003 Pwllheli Raid North Wales Cat Series Round 2 The following is a personal account of what I, and a growing number of sailors, regard as one of the best catamaran races in the country.
The race is both physically and mentally testing and is run on the basis that the crews should be almost self-reliant. The rescue boats that are stationed along the course are there solely to rescue crews who may be in imminent danger. There will no lifting of mast heads to help you right a capsized cat and no tow back home if you decide to retire until the race is over. Brige and I first competed in this race two years ago, not long after acquiring our Inter 18 and it was a baptism of fire. Just surviving the race with winds gusting up to Force 7 was an achievement, but survive we did to finish tenth. Last year in the new Nacra F18, our race was cut short off Abersoch with gear failure, so I was determined to improve on our 2001 position. Alas, Brige was busy with wedding plans this year so Jonathan Jenkins stepped in to crew at short notice. We'd sailed together previously and Jonathan has plenty of experience on F18s so I was confident that we could put up a good performance. Discussing the final arrangements by phone earlier in the week, Jonathan, I think half jokingly, signed off by saying "let's go and win it".
The beat to St. Tudwall's Islands off Abersoch was lumpy and not without problems. Immediately after the start our mast rotator became unshackled and Jonathan spent several minutes tying it all back together. By St. Tud's we'd pulled back to the leading group and were happy with how things were going. Long distance racing certainly doesn't appeal to everyone. Many sailors prefer the short, sharp, round the cans races but there is an added challenge over and above sailing skills that gives long distance events a unique attraction. Soon we were crossing Hell's Mouth and the greyness of the sea, the land, and the sky blurred into each other making navigation somewhat tricky without a compass or GPS. Some cats opted to sail inshore thereby guaranteeing that they'd pass inshore of the one mark positioned halfway across the bay. We stayed further out and found the mark, but being unable to see the next headland, sailed too high and ended up half a mile further out to sea, having to then bear off and hoist our spinni to get back to the islands off Aberdaron. So at the halfway point we'd dropped a couple of places but were still within reach of the leading Inter 20s, Hurricane Sports, and the sole remaining Tornado Sport. The return journey is basically a mirror image of the outward leg. As we entered the gloom of Hell's Mouth, the leading boats again opted to sail inshore. Having 'found' the mark previously we were fairly confident we could again, so stuck to our course followed by two Hurricanes. Sure enough, we found the mark again and by sailing a shorter and more direct route across the bay we'd pulled back to the leading group as we closed on the opposite headland. By this stage, seven cats were now within a few minutes of each other and being an 18ft cat amongst the 20fts we knew we stood a good chance of beating all of them on handicap. What we had no control over was the 'slower' boats further back.
As we rounded the Bell Buoy off Abersoch we all gybed inshore and hoisted spinnis. Apart from our short leg off Aberdaron to get us back on course this was to be the only true downwind leg of the race. Strictly the course should have suited the two-sail cats but in long distance racing there is always more to it than that. Jonathan, having done this race on four previous occasions, suggested we didn't follow the three leaders as far inshore but gybe back and make for the outer distance mark. This paid as we overhauled both Inter 20s to cross the line third behind the Tornado Sport which took line honours and one of the Hurricane Sports. We knew then that we'd beaten them on handicap but still had to wait for all the boats to finish and allow everyone's times to be calculated. It had been a great sail and a good race. Despite the rain and the lack of visibility, the wind had been perfect. Most boats completed the course and no major incidents were reported. We'd packed the boat up, showered, changed, and downed the first pint before Don posted the results on the board. So, how did we do? Well, we won as Jonathan had suggested on the phone those few days earlier. It was a great feeling and quite different from winning a Sunday race at the Club.
Out of the twenty three entries, Seven were from Dee SC. I would recommend it to everyone and hopefully more members will be there next year. We're definitely overdue a sunny day so maybe the race in 2004 will give us that and the Force 4 to 5 to go with it. Perfect. Alasdair Davidson Yachts
& Yachting Race report
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26 Apr 03
12 Apr 03
06 Apr 03
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25 Mar 03
18 Mar 03 Congratulations are in order for Ian McLean on the arrival of his new Dart 18. It was Sunday morning, newly assembled on the lawn in front of the club, the perfect porcelain of virgin hulls reflecting the cool green of March grass, the pristine anodised grey of the beams and mast, the young fresh tautness of a new trampoline. The sheets and lines exuding newness unfolded with love and care. Untarnished rigging casting dazzling rays of spring sunshine. This is the new page in the exercise book of Ian’s sailing hopes and dreams, no blots, no errors just pure exciting unsullied potential for brilliance. There was no launching ceremony. No bottle of Moet & Chandon to crack across the bows, not even a Veuve du Vernay. She was not baptised by a cheap and cheerful supermarket sparkling white, not even a token bottle of Babycham to whet this new baby's head. How then was this moment heralded? It was by the cocked leg of a club member's border collie: welcomed to the Dee with sheepdog urine. An omen of good fortune I’ll warrant. I would like to wish Ian the best of luck with his new craft. Mark Emptage 17 Mar 03 For those who have braved the Winter Series and have ventured out in sub-zero temperatures, strong winds and black skies, Sunday was as a balmy summer's day. For those who had occasionally sailed if the conditions were unseasonably mild during our winter months, then Sunday was more of a pleasant spring day with a frosty start and bracing wind. For the couch potatoes, the fair weather sailors, those that unscrupulously cite their devotion to their partners or pressure of domestic obligations as cause for land-lubbing, the duration of what has proved to be some excellent competition, then Sunday was cold, water just above freezing, with a biting, searching and icy wind from the South West. It's relative, not like your maiden aunt or a favourite nephew; conditions I mean. Remember we are British and our weather conditions have served to demoralise and thwart invaders to our isles for centuries passed. The North West of England a posting, I am sure, that would have been second only to Siberia. 6 Dart 18s, 4 Dart 16s, an International Canoe and 'Animal' on the water. Alasdair and Brigid conducting the final 3 movements concluding the symphony known as Toccata and Warm up in Dee Major. The Dart 18s were battling in pairs with Will triumphant in the first and James, fresh from the couch, nailing races 2 and 3. (Rumour control; I can confirm as an eye-witness that Will and Amy did in fact capsize last week so another first for Will there then.) Paul R and Simon M were jousting closely with 2 third places for Paul and 1 third to Simon M. Graeme, who is still shamelessly claiming novice status despite successfully completing his apprenticeship and turning in credible results on the water, sailed in with 3 fifth places. Ian C chose a back seat stance with young Nick snatched from the junior fleet as crew. Ian is biding his time, building his confidence and will prove to be a formidable helm in the coming seasons, if he ever manages to cross the line within 3 minutes of the actual start, that is. The 16s, lead by Steve R storming home to 3 firsts, ploughing the road
for the Lucking Brothers on 'Wild Thing' to finish second in all 3 races.
Iain Blair wrestling his canoe around the first 2 courses making it look
too easy. The Animal buzzed, hummed and sang her way around in a song
of enchantment to the other fast cats still in hibernation. Wise people learn things slowly, taking time to establish the psycho
motive reactions to new tasks or actions, building up speed in proportion
to confidence and ability. One exception may be learning the golf swing
(although why anyone would want to escapes me). You cannot learn to swing
a wood slowly; you have to swing it fast then work on your accuracy and
technique. So applying the golf swing principle to sailing the Animal
I flew into each manoeuvre with no accuracy or technique, shouting at
'ikle bro in what must have sounded like Greek: Back at the club and bacon or sausage in a bun. I noticed some polishing going on to a handicap cat and I have heard rumours of fettling afoot. Someone has bought a spinney; being new to the handicap fleet and the only one out on the warm up series I have got a taste for being first. I am not throwing the gauntlet down as such but I am looking forward to some competition and I would suggest it might take a bit more than some go faster shine or a gaudy downwind rag to kick the Animal. Mark Emptage
10 Mar 03 For those of you without the time to contend with my vernacular meanderings I will tell the expedited version first. One Saturday two friends went out for a sail, got into difficulties, inconvenienced loads of people, got a well-deserved fright and were lucky to get off so lightly. The End The truth is that it could so easily have been the end for either or both of us. It is not that to die prematurely is so terrifying, it is what you may have to live through just prior to that event that scares me. The culprit in this case was our own complacency. Normally we would only go out with other boats, usually on a Sunday with rescue cover and we would be on a boat that we both knew well. Factors easily evaluated correctly with the benefit of hindsight. The Dee Estuary has been our playground for 4 years. In that time we have taken our share of risk and danger sensibly…ish. I believe that in human nature there is a strong desire to control, I also believe that control is illusionary. We are quickly lulled into the comfort zone; a place we all instinctively strive to inhabit. Consequently to follow that theory: the more control, the bigger the illusion, and the more comfortable we become. We disregard the risk of mechanical, systemic or procedural failures, as the new level of control/illusion becomes the normal state. It is a very human trait to delude oneself. No matter how we may rationalise our thoughts and beliefs into things that conveniently suit our own particular tenet; we remain divisive. I would like to think I am adventurous rather than reckless, that I may be misguided rather than stupid and will remain alive for the foreseeable future rather than dead. I take for granted that I can handle 'it', I know what I'm doing, and I've got everything under control? Most of us choose to ignore the speed limits on the roads, some don't strap in for a short journey. Ask yourself this; would you travel down a motorway without your seat belt? I wouldn't, but it is significantly safer on a motorway than on the 'short journey'. A large number of the population smoke despite the knowledge of the damage it can do. Familiarity may well breed contempt, delusion and a dangerous disregard for what is really going on or in our case, may be about to happen. I have to say from the outset that these machinations by virtue of having to think to write are mostly reflective, it is not a tale of heroism on my part or an effort to appear other than I am (don't answer that) so please accept that all facts are tempered with hindsight and coloured with vanity. I have known Simon for many years and count him as a close friend. We don't consciously acknowledge our fundamental thinking differences as in many ways they are complimentary. Simon is a classic thinker, logical and precise; I on the other hand, am far more romantic. I don't mean that in the way of the boy/girl thing, but more in the way of being fanciful, a dreamer. These differences are not absolute or totally exclusive, I guess that we share a great deal of common ground. The point that I am trying to make is that when we experience things our reactions to them may be from a different perspective. The decision was made, a thrilling Saturday sail on the Dee. I had spent some time fettling the Animal. Current status: - a happy boat owner. Andy M was in the club working on his International Canoe. We changed, I had forgotten my hat and fortunately someone had left a fleecy one in the changing rooms. The club has an excellent record for belongings staying put, you can leave a pair of gloves behind, come back 2 weeks later and find them still there. It was cold out so I took the liberty of this loan. I said to Andy on the way out, "if we're not back in 2 hours, just wait longer." There are many times in my life when I have regretted my unfortunate style of wit. I have sometimes offended people and then blamed them for their lack of humour. Andy followed us down to the water and helped with the sails and the wheels. Off we went. It was windy and Animal sports a large sail area. Simon hadn't crewed for a while and I was struggling a bit with the steering and getting out on the wire. Still a blast, took me back to early Dart days and the old team back together. The sea fairly choppy and the wind from the SE, we were late getting out so it must have been close to, if not past, high water. We would usually be on the water an hour or more before high tide. The benefits of Sunday sailing meant I no longer bothered to check the forecast conditions, other people always willing to fill me in on the day. Not really switched on I sailed across the Dee. The conditions steady if a bit windy and the visibility was poor. Failed a tack, tried again then bore away down wind and was still grinning. Good gybe headed back up wind and on to a starboard tack. I noticed it was a becoming a bit squally and saw more white tops to the waves. That's the thing, subconsciously treating it all as usual conditions, the same as dozens of days sailing before. Status: - happy blokes out for a play? Trying to hold her steady and about to clip on to go out, I think a bigger wave hit the inside of the port bow she seemed to spin on the nose. Simon appeared to be heading down the tramp. He was in fact holding on the shroud with his left leg under the forward toe strap. I enjoyed a short flight through the forward emergency exit, head first past the forestay. Cold water, glasses drill, bobbed up, retrieved the fleecy hat (after all it was not mine and I had to return it). Animal was about 10 to 15 feet away, I struck out to swim. Breaststroke at first, with all the gear the crawl is very awkward. The gap had widened alarmingly, switched to crawl and the boat really began to speed away. I could not see Simon and the gap was now more than 30 feet. The swimming stroke was a bit more frantic now but to no avail. I stopped and bobbed, I still couldn't see Simon, he was nowhere in the water in-between the boat and me. I assumed he would be on the blind side of the boat sorting out how to right her. Even now I was not as concerned as I should have been. It had not crossed my mind in anyway that I would get separated from the boat, so I had no plan. I afforded myself the luxury of an expletive outburst and realised it was time to start thinking. Right! I thought. A cat on its side could travel faster in the wind than a fully kitted swimmer. I took off my trapeze harness. Although I did not at this stage acknowledge to myself that I was in real trouble, I knew that I had to keep hold of it for the buoyancy, the concept of 'later' had not yet intruded. The intention was to float on my back and hold up the harness as a sail, I tried this for a minute and watched Animal shrink alarmingly. With my particular perspective at water level she could have been a block of flats on a distant horizon. It began to dawn on me that my sail idea was not only pathetic and stupid, but also ineffectual and lame. I was almost glad that there were no witnesses. Status: - bobbing buffoon. I bobbed a little longer with Animal al |
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