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Newsletter 305 - October 2015
Well, here we go again. I am sure the last
newsletter only went out yesterday and now here’s
another one. You may find that the Commodore is
showing traces of desperation as he battles with the
sailing programme for 2016. So far there have been
three ‘final’ versions and time is running out. Pour
me a drink someone ! I gather that other
Commodores have had the same problem so I am
not expecting a lot of sympathy.
The AGM is almost upon us and I look forward to
greeting you at the Old Rectory on Saturday 7th
November. The end of the year is when many of
our boats are taken out of the water and you will
find some remarks about the use of anti-fouling
later on – the EU strikes again! We are keeping a
watchful eye on the Broads Authority and the
Environment Agency – sailing is not their top
priority and when money is short cuts have to be
made – usually not to our advantage.
RACING RESULTS
Globe Trophy Saturday 18th September
Our thanks to the Tebbutts for again making us
welcome at Three-mile House and laying on a feast
for the sailors who were torn between eating and
sailing but eventually got into their boats for the
start. The race lasted around two hours with a
helpful tide and some strong competition between
Quartet (Peter Coleman and Maggi Lomax), Nereid
(Bob Jarvey and Ray Segon) and Cho Cho San
(Nigel Wordingham and Roger Pritchett), with
Quartet crossing the line one second ahead of
Nereid. Tallulah (Jeremy Pointer and David
Treagus) crossed the start line almost an hour after
the start but sailed the course and finished
determined to do better for the next race – read on!
Harvest Bowl Sunday 19th September
Nemesis (Tom Parkinson) sailing single-handed
recorded the fastest time with Cho Cho San five
seconds behind and with Chariot (Alan Winters and
Bob Nicholls) between them. Tallulah pulled ahead
of Atria (Commodore Mike Powell, Monica Powell
and Alison McDermid) coming up to the finish line
and Nereid used their large genoa to beat Quartet
across the line. On handicap the race went to
Tallulah with Nereid second and Atria third.
Results
Globe Trophy – 1st Cho Cho San
2nd Chariot
3rd Nereid
Harvest Bowl – 1st Tallulah
2nd Nereid
3rd Atria
Club Championship Saturday 3rd October
No wind and a strong up-river tide made the start
interesting. Quartet demonstrated how to cross the
line sideways, My Weigh, having crossed the line
before the start used the mud-weight and cup-of-tea
technique and Wingspan managed to get imbedded
in both banks (not at the same time) before getting
away and disappearing up-stream at a very
impressive rate. Only Nereid crossed the line
pointing, more or less, in the right direction. Little
Gem (Bob Nicholls and Allan Winters) hoisted their
spinnaker to get over the finishing line.
Congratulations to all members who persevered and
completed what was a very frustrating race.
Results
1st Nemesis
2nd Little Gem
3rd Cho Cho San
BARN DANCE
By all accounts this was roaring success - should I
say a Rip-roaring Success! A good time was had by
all and we shall almost certainly be repeating this
event. Many thanks to Jeff Harteveldt, Tom
Parkinson and gunslingers/callers Mick and Pat
Bashford (and also the other helpers) who made
sure the evening went with a swing.
AGM
The AGM and Prize-giving dinner takes place at the
Old Rectory Hotel, Crostwick on Saturday 7th
November. The AGM starts at 5.30 p.m. and the
Prize-giving dinner is 7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. This
has been a good year for the Club and its members
and I look forward to the opportunity to meet you
and hear what you may have to say about future
events and other club activities.
CLIVE WRIGHT CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Clive and Sue have moved – new address High Tide
Cottage, 2 Hilltop, Cley, NR25 7SE Tel: 01263
740858 e-mail: clivewright27@gmail.com
ANTIFOULING FOUL-UP
The Brussels bureaucrats have been at it again and
are now interfering with what, until now, has been
the simple matter of slapping some paint on the
bottom of a boat. Not any more it seems: an article
in the November 2015 issue of Practical Boat
Owner (page 6) warns that the use of anti-fouling
paint by boat owners may be severely limited, or
prevented altogether, by European legislation. It
seems that the pen-pushers in Brussels have become
convinced that boat owners actually drink the stuff
or snort it in dark corners of boat clubs. Moves to
restrict the use of anti-fouling to professional boatyards can only add to the cost of the process and
any reduction of the effectiveness of the treatment
(by scaling back the active ingredients) could
undermine efforts to combat the threat of invasive
species.
The British Coating Foundation (BCF) is carrying
out a survey to find out how owners go about
renewing the anti-fouling on their boats. It is hoped
that the results of this survey will persuade the
authorities that boat-owners are not out to kill
themselves, take the proper precautions and far
prefer beer to anti-fouling. I hope that you will take
part in this survey and support the BCF in its efforts
to prevent the introduction of this unnecessary and
costly legislation. The survey is at
www.surveymonkey.com/r/NPNB6NW
CREW LOOKING FOR A BOAT?
If you are available to crew for other members of
the Club then let me know and I will add your name
to a list which will be published on the Club website. If you are not sure of what would be entailed
then please contact me and I will talk you through
it.
FIRST-AID QUALIFIED MEMBERS
Five members of the Club attended a day-long RYA
First-aid training day at the Nancy Oldfield Trust
and were issued with qualifying RYA First-aid
certificates. The course included assessing the
casualty, dealing with wounds and fractures, dealing
with choking, cold-shock, hypothermia, burns,
head-injuries, strokes, resuscitation, drowning and a
number of other peripheral subjects. It was, to say
the least, a very thought-provoking day!
We now have eight qualified First-aiders and I will
be placing a list of these in the Clubhouse and on
the Club web-site shortly.
A vehicular route for emergency vehicles leading
from the South Walsham Road to the Anchorage
has been surveyed and details of this will also be
placed in the Anchorage. In the meantime note that
the access route starts on the Acle side of the Hugh
Crane industrial cleaning site and is signed Fishley.
There is no public right-of-way beyond Fishley
Church and after the farm-yard the concrete way
deteriorates to a mud/grass track only passible by a
4x4 vehicle.
MAN-OVERBOARD
Dealing with a casualty on the shore is one thing but
getting a heavy and sodden casualty back onto a
boat is completely different and raises a whole
string of other problems. Most of our boats have a
free-board of around two feet (sixty cms) and
without some form of lifting gear or safety
equipment it would be virtually impossible to get
the casualty back on-board – especially at sea
and/or if the person is unconscious. A recent survey
of ‘emergency boarding ladders’ revealed that they
were, to all intents and purposes, useless in a real
emergency situation. We will be arranging a
Workshop in the New Year to explore this subject
in more detail with the aim of coming up with
workable solutions to the problem.
MOORING AT THE ANCHORAGE
Members are welcome to moor at the Anchorage
quay-heading (providing no racing is taking place)
but must remain with their boats, i.e. they must not
moor their boat and then leave the Anchorage to
return another day. Please also note that the
Clubhouse must be left clean and tidy and, in
particular, the floor must be swept clear of crumbs
and other debris to prevent vermin and other
creepy-crawlies from settling in for the winter.
NEW MEMBERS
I am delighted to welcome two new members to the
Club; Mark Collins (Pegasus 700, Freeman 26,
Wayfarer) and Duncan Mortlock (Pegasus 700).
HICKLING BROAD ENHANCEMENT
PROJECT
I attended a meeting held at Hickling Barn on
Monday 26th October, organised by the Broads
Authority and attended by nearly 100 people. BA
Officers explained the Authority’s plans to improve
the water quality of the Broad and encourage
biodiversity of wildlife and aquatic plants. Good
news for boat-owners is that dredging of the
channel across the Broad (to 1.5m at low-water) to
the Pleasureboat Inn and the sailing clubs will be
starting shortly. The present depth is 1.2m on
average. The Authority is also looking at ways of
dealing with the excessive number of ‘feral’ geese
plaguing the Broads. With Christmas approaching I
can think of one way!
WINTER BOAT MAINTENANCE
Not all boats will be lifted out of the water this
winter and opinions vary as to the need to renew
anti-fouling on an annual basis. Experience has
shown that the Commodore’s Pegasus can go for
two years without significant deterioration of the
anti-foul protection. However – there are certain
matters that do require annual attention, particularly
if the boat goes to sea. Winterisation and
maintenance of the engine and cooling system is
near the top of the list and battery maintenance is a
close second. Take the batteries out and keep them
charged (no more than trickle charge) after ensuring
that the electrolyte is topped up. (Distilled water for
lead-acid batteries but nothing needed for sealed
batteries). A small solar panel could be a way of
keeping batteries charged.
I take all running rigging off the boat and clear all
soft furnishing from below-deck together with all
clothing, books, food and portable items. I
recommend taking the radio off for the winter and
having it checked after re-fitting. On the last East
Coast Cruise my Icom radio was found to be faulty
resulting in the purchase of a hand-held transceiver.
Get the sails off and stored somewhere were
bugs/beetles/ladybirds/spiders and so on cannot get
to them and check them for any repairs that may be
necessary – better to find out now rather than a day
before the first regatta. The best time to check
rigging, shackles, bottle-screws, masts, guard-rails
etc is probably just before the boat goes back into
the water. I noted that Atria’s rudder-stock has
developed noticeable slackness and this will be
dealt with when the boat is out of the water. One of
our members lost his rudder recently, albeit due to
hitting an underwater obstruction.
2016 SAILING PROGRAMME
The programme for 2016 has been finalised and
your Commodore is recovering well after a near
nervous breakdown. I have to thank the other
members of the Committee for their support and
sympathy which was a great help, as was the
welcome comfort of a glass or two at times of
severe stress. We have produced a programme
packed with exciting events including racing,
cruising, training, social events, talks and inevitably
I’m afraid, work-days.
2016 CALENDAR
The 2016 calendar has been finalised and a pre-print
copy will be on show at the AGM. Tom Parkinson
will be pleased to take orders. Club ties and
burgees will also be available for purchase.
JANUARY CLUB LUNCH
A lunch has been arranged at Ashmanhaugh Village
Hall for Sunday 10th January – noon to 3 p.m.
Bring your own bottle and a dish of food. Please let
Maggie Lomax know what this will be nearer the
date. There will be a small charge to cover the cost
of the Hall and heating on the day. This will be a
good opportunity for club members to meet and talk
about plans for the new sailing year and to talk to
members of the Committee.
At this stage I usually ring round other members of
the Committee to see if there is anything else to add
to the newsletter. However, I think that this time it
is more than long enough so I will call a halt and
finish by wishing you well and saying how much I
look forward to greeting you at the AGM and
dinner.
My very best wishes,
Michael Powell – Commodore
01493 751915 / 752232
Email: ecc.con@which.net