Weymouth
Sailing
Club

Weymouth Sailing Club members enjoyed a successful End of Season Party on Saturday 25 October 2008 with a meal cooked by chef Christian Lohez and music by 'Sooty', but as Vice-Commodore Mark Bugler pointed out in his speech it is now a misnomer as the winter sailing season carries on until Boxing Day.   The Open Autumn and Winter series are amongst the most popular in the whole year, with boats from all the Weymouth Clubs competing together for honours.  There have been over 30 cruisers and 20 Squibs on the water in recent Sunday mornings.  Some of the cruisers race with over 6 crews and with friends and family joining in, it makes a very busy Clubhouse after the racing.

Other boat owners have been busy getting their boats out of the water for the winter lay-up.  The first phase of the lift outs have been completed successfully with members forming working parties to help each other, buoyed up by copious bacon sandwiches and gallons of tea and coffee to keep the energy levels up.

A working party of Club members worked all day on Monday 27 October to replace the decking on the roof terrace.  Under the supervision of Peter Jacobs and Vernon Taylor the old flooring was lifted and replaced with new hardwood decking.  John Croydon acquired the replacement decking for the Club during the summer so the job became more urgent as space was needed in the yard for winter storage. 

The wonderful floral displays which have given so much pleasure this summer, were removed to do the work.  Many thanks to Trisha and Norman Lawrence who plant the pots and keep them well watered. 

When you next enjoy a relaxing lunch on the roof terrace after Sunday racing, raise your glass to the members who did the vital work; John Hasker, John Harvey, Peter Jackson, Jim Chalmers and David Knight.

Club member Kathy Claydon took a week out from running her sailing company Yachting Experiences in the Hamble www.yachtingexperiences.co.uk to race in the International Women’s Cup in Bodrum Turkey.

 In the Hamble Kathy sails a 37ft Swedish Arcona ‘Arcsine’.  She is a highly experienced skipper with an impeccable record both in racing results and in teaching sailing and navigation.  She takes part regularly in the JOG races www.jog.org.uk  This year she took a corporate group on the Round the Island Race and competed in Cork Regatta despite a week of gales during the trip to Ireland.  WSC club member Alan Glover crewed 'Arcsine' on the home journey. 

Her week in Bodrum www.womensailingschool.com by contrast was competitive but fun sailing with an international crew.  Kathy was tactician and crew trainer on a Beneteau 30.5 'Rosa Luna' with a Turkish skipper and crews from Venezuela and Israel.  Instructions were in Hebrew and Turkish. Nearly 200 women from Turkey, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Israel participated in the five-lap tournament in the 14 boats.  Kathy’s team came second throughout the week in their 7 boat class and won the final race. 

Simon and Jill Vines decided to have a change from racing Squib 'Magaroo' and have an adventurous summer.  Simon is now back in Weymouth after completing a cruise in Sigma 33 'Harmony' but Jill is continuing her break from being a GP in Weymouth by working in a hospital Uganda. 

"This year Jill and I sailed Harmony, our Sigma 33, to Helsingor and back, helped along the way by sixteen family and friends. We left Weymouth on May 31st and sailed, via the Kiel Canal, to Rungsted (just north of Copenhagen) for the Cruising Association Centenary Rally in the Baltic in early July (see photo).  After the rally we carried on round Sjaelland and returned to the Kiel Canal via the Danish archipelago.  On our way home we took the 'standing mast' route through the Netherlands from Delfzijl in the north to Vlissingen (Flushing) in the south. It took two weeks, but it was just as well we were inland because the mid-August gales would have made progress by sea difficult. We reached Calais before being held up by another gale, and then struggled back along the south coast against strong westerlies to arrive in Weymouth on August 26th.  In all, a very enjoyable experience with quite a few interesting moments."

Click 'Read More' to read Jill's newsletter from Uganda

The morning Coffee Club is well known for being in the forefront of topical debate but it is less well known for its musical talent.  While other members were busy putting the Winter Programme and Autumn Newsletter into envelopes – quaintly known as ‘a stuffing party’ -  two well known members of the group, Don Conn and Paul Hare, were practicing their banjo playing.  Is there no end to the talent of members?

The Winter Programme 2008, put together by our social secretaries Sue Ives and Josie Dadd, will be arriving on doorsteps very shortly along with the Autumn Newsletter, compiled by Lyn Atkins.   There are extended opening hours in the Bar and Galley this autumn and winter and a full programme of social events, as well as the very popular winter sailing programme.  We look forward to seeing you in the Club.

Please download menu and booking form: End of Season Party

Saturday 27th September.  Yacht Clubs of Weymouth Pursuit Race combined with the Phillipson Cup.  Start times and further information

A very welcome return of summer on Saturday 13 Sept with sunshine and light breezes encouraged three Falcons to join in the Malcolm Roberts Trophy.  Peter Runeckles came home first of the Falcons in Harrier and brought back a couple of mackerel which he caught on the way around the course.  Other Falcons on the water were Nigel Lawrence in Ying and Tim Loasby in Cammin.  Winning the trophy in their distinctive red sailed Wayfarer were the Rayner family - and they also won the mackerel count with a trawl of three!

The Squib fleet were out in force for the last race of their Saturday 3 series won by Saskia V.  The cruisers had a fleet of four boats competing for the Mary Mackarness Jug won by Vivienne Bailey in Phoebe.