Places are being booked up, don’t delay <<First Name>>!

Welcome to the March edition of the Dark Horse Sailing Club newsletter. Since the 2018 programme was officially launched over a month ago, we’ve had lots of members booking events for the year, from the Kick Start Rally to the End of Season Rally, and lots inbetween.

Now is the time to get your place on an event confirmed, before they’re all gone. Don’t delay in sending me an email!

2018 Programme: What Interests You?

The club offers a wide and varied programme with — hopefully — events to suit all members. As always, the Programme page on the club’s website is the best place to look for the latest info, but here’s a selection of events for which we’re really keen to get a few more bookings for:

Training Weekend (21-22 April)

For those wanting to acquire new sailing skills, or hone their existing ones, we have this training event in late April. It’s for all abilities, from those new to sailing to experienced skippers who want to improve. We have three members booked for this as I write, and for it to go ahead we really need to get at least couple more booked.

Being early in the season, it’s a cost effective way of getting more time on the water, and great for getting your sea legs back. The weekend is fast approaching, so please let me know asap if you’re interested.

Kick Start Rally & AGM dinner (5-7 May, Bank Holiday)

This year the KSR and AGM weekend has been moved a little later to May’s first Bank Holiday weekend. The AGM and dinner will still be on the Saturday evening, and we will of course be welcoming those not sailing to join us for the evening.

We’ll be sailing from the Hamble and the AGM venue will be finalised once a better idea of numbers is known (but is likely to be somewhere close to the Solent, possibly Chichester). Please book now if you want to attend as this really helps with planning. We've almost filled the first boat; don't miss out on your place!

Even if you can’t make the sailing for the weekend, why not come to the AGM on Saturday evening, followed by dinner? It’s really important members are well represented at the AGM, as without you the club is nothing! Let me know if you would like to attend so we can make appropriate arrangements for the AGM and dinner venue.

Scottish Cruise (26-28 May, Bank Holiday)

We’ve already got five eager crew members booked for this year’s May Bank Holiday Scottish cruise… however, we don’t have a skipper yet! The final location is yet to be booked, so if you’re a qualified skipper and would like to explore some of the wonderful waters Scotland has to offer, you could make the five crew exceedingly happy!

Some of the crew need to fly from ‘down South’ so if you are interested in being Skipper for the weekend, can you please contact me asap so travel arrangements can be made. Assuming we’re able to get a willing Skipper booked, we still have two crew places available: again, please contact me asap if you’re interested.

Inter Bank Regattas (May, June and September)

There are four events in the season, each hosted by a different sailing club: Bank of England (26-28 May), Portcullis (16-17 June), Spread Eagle (1-2 September) and John Lewis (22-23 September). Typically each regatta will have one or two races on both Saturday and Sunday, with at least the Saturday evening at one of the yacht clubs in Cowes.

Club committee member René Chinnery has kindly offered Temptation (Westerly Regatta 290) for the Inter Bank regatta weekends. Being a club member’s yacht, this significantly reduces costs and so a great opportunity for the club to be represented once again at these regattas.

The sailing fee for the weekend is just £10, plus a share of any expenses for the weekend (race fees, marina fees and provisions). Let’s try to get DHSC represented in all four regattas this year: which events can you attend? Let me know.

South West Cruise, w/ owner (23-34 June)

This event last ran a couple of years ago, with five members enjoying the plush cabins of Mike Thompson’s Oceanaire (Grand Soleil 46.3) and the stunning coastline of the South West. We only have two more places to fill for this year: if you’ve not explored the area before you truly don’t know what you’re missing out on! Drop me an email now if you’d like to book.

Under 30’s Sailing Weekend (23-24 June)

It has been great to have an increasing number of younger members at our events and there was a particularly good turnout at last year’s End of Season Rally. Following on from this, we’re trying an event dedicated to the under 30’s. This is a perfect opportunity for our existing ‘younger’ members to encourage their friends along; hopefully we can get enough to fill the boat and keep the costs down. Let me know now if this event is of interest to you.

Taittinger Regatta (20-22 July)

And finally for this newsletter, we have the spectacular Taittinger Regatta 2018. This will be the 11th edition of the regatta, sponsored by Champagne Taittinger and hosted by the Royal Solent Yacht Club.

The regatta is run over three days, from Friday 20th July to Sunday 22nd. As well as the Champagne reception, there are two days of great round the cans racing in the Western Solent plus some serious partying hosted by the Royal Solent YC in Yarmouth.

As is to be expected, places are booking fast for this event with only three more remaining. If you fancy attending one of the Solent’s more prestigious regattas, please contact me now.

Your Club Needs You!

The club's Commodore will be talking more about this at the AGM, but here's an early note to get you thinking: we have at least one committee member stepping down this year, and so we're even more keen than ever to encourage members to consider joining the committee team.

Suitable for both long-standing members and comparative 'newbies', being part of the committee can really help shape and steer the club for the future. Whether it's cruising or racing, money management or marketing, or just a gentle nudge in the right direction, we'd love to hear from you. Being a committee member can be as 'light touch' or 'full on' as you'd like; the most important thing is that you get your voice heard, and that can really help with the running of the club. Contact Angela (commodore@dhsc.co.uk) for more information.

From the Canaries to the Caribbean

The ARC — the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers — is a ‘must do’ for many sailors, and attracts over 200 boats and 1,200 people every year to sail 2,700nm across the Atlantic from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia.

The ARC is for everyone: families, tough racers, cruising couples, big boats and modest boats, crossing the Atlantic together, but having their own adventures. More than just a boat race, the ARC is about friendships made ashore in the two weeks of pre-departure activities continued over the radio net at sea. It’s about arriving in Saint Lucia to be met on the dock with a rum punch and a chilled beer, knowing you have achieved something fantastic - crossing an ocean on a small sailboat.

The more I think about the ARC, the more I think it's a challenge ideally suited to many DHSC members. There really is something quite rewarding about having completed an ocean crossing. If this is something that interests you, please drop me a line. I'm not after firm commitments yet, just an idea of the level of potential interest within the club. Likely departure would be November 2019, with the crossing typically taking less than three weeks.

Membership Posters