Weymouth
Sailing
Club

The last Winter Walk this year didn't feel wintery, a little mist then warm spring sunshine. Sailors, Squibbers, and JOG racers started at WSC and covered the 5 or 6 miles along the beach, Lodmore Bird Reserve, Radipole Gardens, Swannery Reserve, and back along the Inner Harbour. Debbie, from the rowers, took the ultimate short cut and joined us for lunch at the club. With Joe not available Russell and Linda kindly opened the bar and Amanda provided an excellent selection of courses for lunch.

We are delighted to have received a community grant from Weymouth Town Council to help fund the purchase of new spinnaker poles and sails for the Larks. The total amount of funding raised to date by the YOBs is £2,768. Huge thanks to our donors, it is great to see the support our youngsters are getting with the Larks Campaign both on and off the water. We’ve still a way to go, so please feel free to donate via the GoFundMe page set up for the Lark trainees.

The weather gods were kind to us today with wall to wall sunshine and a gentle southwest breeze. Some of the youngsters were doing the Ten Tors and we were a bit down on numbers so two more mature club members took out one of the Larks to make a total of four boats on the water.

The Lark Class association secretary came down to cast his eye over our fleet prior to launching, and give us some tips on setting them up. Our aim is to have all six Larks set up the same so that it doesn't matter which one you use once you are familiar with the boat.

The combined Squib & Dinghy Class dinner and Prizegiving will be held at the club on the 9th March starting at 6.30pm.

There are delicious menu options, so please log in and click on the link to make your choices by Sunday midnight 3rd March.
Puddings ordered beforehand will be £2.50 or £5.00 if ordered on the night.

https://wsc.org.uk/node/4660

CRUISING TALKS & SOCIAL Evening
Friday 1st March 7.30pm prompt (bar shutter will close). Galley open for race food ~ 6.00pm

Come and listen to members share their cruising experiences. There will be several short talks followed by chit-chat around the bar to inspire and kick-off your 2024 cruising season!

CRUISING TALK & SOCIAL EVENING
Friday 22nd March 7.30pm prompt (bar shutter will close). Galley open for race food ~ 6.00pm

"Snow Goose's Celtic Adventures - Round Ireland 2023"
A talk by our friends and local cruising enthusiasts Michael and D Gill

CRUISING WEB PAGE
Click on the "Cruising with WSC" banner on the Home page for all things cruising in WSC including the new 2024 Cruising Programme

Thirteen members had an excellent 8 mile workout around the Island followed by lunch at the Portland Heights Hotel. We were lucky with the weather and enjoyed the iconic views across Lyme Bay, the Bill and the Race. Some were suprised by dramatic views of a recent landslip which caused a steep and muddy diversion from the coast path.
Thanks to Iain Jones for leading us.

The next Winter Walk is on Sunday 17th March starting at WSC at 10.00am and finishing with lunch at the club, more details to follow.

The original fleet of Larks grew over the weekend. Our thanks to Tye and Leo who set off on a marathon road trip bringing home to the Club two further Parker Mk2 Larks. The dinghies were unloaded at the cove this morning, wheeled up to the rower’s slipway and then paddled back to the Club’s slipway. The mast and rigging were then reassembled – all ready for our next training session on Sail Controls, later this week. All the sessions have been oversubscribed by the YOBs, an indication of the enthusiasm they have for the new dinghies and the forthcoming Nationals.

The YOBS did some great Lark training this morning in perfect sailing conditions. At the debrief Tye explained to the cadets that dinghy sailing is “an immersion sport” and for no one to worry about the odd capsize as it’s all part of this great sport with capsize or turtle recovery being an essential skill. The session was about the Five Essentials of sailing, adapting your tacking and gybing to suit the Lark and an introduction to hiking out and following the pressure.

The YOBs were out this morning to commence their training programme for the Lark Nationals which are being held in May, and hosted by our Club. A comprehensive schedule has been planned by Tye Shuttleworth and Steve Staple to ensure that our cadet sailors have the opportunity to compete the most competitively in May. Support was provided today by other YOBs helpers, Jon Stow, Celia Rushton and Jo Wolff. We’ll keep you updated with our progress over the coming weeks; we’re going to be busy ensuring we maximize such an amazing opportunity for our youngsters and our Club.