In this issue: Vote on bye law amendment (dogs); The Early Summer Sailing Programme; NEW START SEQUENCE; Covid Compliant re-opening Guidelines; Some Upcycling projects; More Committee Bios; NEW Launch and Lunch on Tuesdays; Training News
Summer Sailing Programme - Part 1
For the first half of the year is available to view by clicking the button. The club calendar can always be accessed to see what is planned on any day going forward and has more details for each event – www.papercourt.org.uk/calendar/
We kick off with:
Easter Series
This year the Easter series will run for 4 days (Friday 2nd to Monday 5th April) three GH races each day with 6 races to count. All races will start at 11AM apart from Saturday when we will start 1.30PM as it is the first day back for all our training teams and students.
We are of course entirely bound by the Covid Regulations and the second button will take you to our Full Guidelines, or read on below for a summary.
Please see the Sailing Secretary's signal below for important details of the new start sequence for all GH races
1. New Racing Start Sequence and Race Programme
As we come out of lockdown there are still restrictions on what we can and cannot do – but we recommence sailing (Racing and cruising) Friday 2nd April. See below for more details.
2. Saturday Afternoons
As we will be working with a “light” on water duty team, in order to simplify racing and recording, Saturday afternoons will now have a Novice Race at 1PM followed by sprint races starting not before 1.30PM.
3. Sundays
On Sundays we will continue with our current format of three General Handicap (GH) races back to back of about 30 to 40 minute duration starting at 11AM.
4. New Start Sequence
As numbers on the water are likely to be high for these single start races we are going to reintroduce a fast handicap start followed by a slow handicap start and we are also changing our start sequences to make them shorter.
So this is how it will work. All our starts, going forward, will be a 3 - 2 - 1 GO sequence. For the GH races with fast and slow starts the sequence will be 3, 2, 1 GO for the fast fleet with the GO being the three minute prep for the Slow fleet sequence followed by 2, 1, GO. (You could look at this another way – it is now a 6-minute start sequence with fast boats going at 3 minutes and slower ones going at 6 minutes)
Slow Fleet Boats
The two starts are designed to make it easier for all to get a good start whilst not disadvantaging slower boats or those who may be less experienced. We are therefore going to class Optimists, Toppers, Scows, Fevas, Laser 4.7 and our Hartley’s in the slow fleet. Everything else is in the Fast Fleet (first start)
Proposed Bye Law change regarding Dogs at Papercourt and Voting
As most members will be aware by now, there is a proposed change to the Bye Law regarding access for dogs at Papercourt - specifically onto a part of the lawn area. All the documentation, including papers prepared by members for and against any change to our bye laws as well as details of the area for dogs if the motion is passed.can be found by going to the Sailing Club Manager page of the website (where you go to register for duties) and looking at the members information tab on the bottom of the right hand side. Please take a few minutes to have a look before going to the voting buttons below.
This vote will be open until 10pm on Tuesday 6th April - any votes cast after that time will not be counted.
A member may only vote once. Please click yes or no below.
I agree to the proposed change to bye law 13.13, to allow dogs onto the lawn
Yes No
Duties
There are still opportunities to volunteer for duties as from Good Friday and beyond – sign up soon to avoid the fickle computer choosing the wrong dates for you. Once allocated if you cannot do your duty, you have to find a substitute. If you are a new member and not sure what duty is suitable, OOD is a good place to start, or contact Duties@papercourt-sc.org.uk who will be able to explain it all to you
For those who prefer to sail at their own pace or just practice, as before, you can go cruising whenever there is safety cover for the lake. (Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesday evenings – that said probably best to avoid Saturday mornings as it is very busy with lots of novices learning to sail). Cruisers can use the whole of the lake but when racing is taking place please try and stay out of the way of the racers and the race course. If you are a cruiser and want to be assured your are not getting onto the race course please keep south of the white marker posts (the right hand one near the silver birch on the East bank)
Launch and Lunch starting Tuesday 20th April
This is a new club open cruising session where we would like to see as many of you as possible who want to have a relaxing sail during the day. Obviously, there is no fee, but it would help with planning if you could email me if you plan to attend.
At present, you will need to be able to rig, launch and sail without any help or instruction*. However – in the future, if there is sufficient Safety Boat cover, one or two instructors may be available to assist.
* I have a series of Aide Memoire for rigging and launching hire boats. If you would like a copy, please email me.
Day: Tuesdays from 20th April (Term time only)
Time: Sailing from 10:00 to 13:00
Boats: Hire boats available at ½ day price or use your own
Kit: Changing rooms are currently closed so arrive ready to sail.
Lunch: Bring your own.
Safety Boat cover: I will always cover the Safety Boat if there are no other drivers available. However, I would like to have a rota of qualified SB drivers to help out. If you can help out, please email me with your available dates.
Improving: If there is sufficient SB cover for the morning I will try to run improver sessions on the water.
Hire Boats: As always, it will be on a first come, first served basis, and payment of the usual fees.
Future: I will monitor the sessions to see what the demand is and possibly modify the hours to suit.
Looking forward to seeing you on the water
Mike Tozer - tozermike@hotmail.com
Training News
Junior Training starts on 3rd April - sign up on the website
Get Back in your Boats refresher morning on 3rd April - this is now full, but please email training@papercourt-sc.org.uk if you would like us to run this again in April.
Beginners Plus 6 week course - from 18th April - almost sold out
Whatever sailing or other activity at the club you are doing, we all have to comply with the government regulations for re-opening of outdoor sport, so here is a summary of what we all need to do:
Current Covid Restrictions
As we re-open (from 2nd April) we are still subject to a number of conditions but currently, in a nutshell, they are;-
Don’t attend the club if you have Covid symptoms or have a temperature. Hand held thermometers available in the entrance hall.
Login in using the attendance book or NHS Covid quick code
Changing rooms out of use unless essential so plan to come changed and go home to shower
Disabled toilets available
You need to wear your mask if you are in the building
Clubhouse out of use but tea bar open for take-away only - one way system operates
Keep socially distanced outside, rule of 6 applies - no larger groups, or mixing between groups.
If hiring a boat please wash down, with soapy water, before and after use.
Most importantly – enjoy your sailing and stay safe. We have organised extra cleaning of the club to keep everything safe, but please wipe down where necessary with the products provided.
As guidance changes we will update the signs at the club and update you in the newsletter
(Full guidance document on the Button at the Top of this newsletter and on the website)
Meet the Committee - Mike Hall, Treasurer
I was introduced to boats as a baby on board my Dad's Albin Vega which he kept at Emsworth. We joined Papercourt around 1987 and my sister and I sailed in a Mirror which had a very strong fleet at the time. We had great fun on the summer course and racing in the Surrey Schools regattas which were at that time held at Papercourt and three other venues.
I sailed as a crew in a Graduate and competed in a few Championships, even winning at Parkstone in 1992. I moved onto 420s, and after uni sailed on a 707 and Bull 7000 sports boats in the Solent.
When I lived in Southampton I sailed from Weston SC in a B14 skiff which was great fun, although a bit of a handful in a blow with the kite up and the Red Jet approaching! I moved to Warsash on the Hamble River and tried yacht ownership for a few years. They do say there are two good days when you own a yacht, the day you buy it and the day you sell it and I wouldn't disagree. We had some great races across the channel and jollies on the islands, in the coastal towns of Normandy and Brittany, and as far afield as La Trinite, but as my Dad had first remarked many years earlier, I realised that I too got as much if not more fun out of dinghy racing, rather than yachting.
In 2015 I returned home to Guildford, and re-joined Papercourt, buying the same Graduate that I had sailed in the early 1990s with the kids providing willing crew - at least until the onboard sweet supplies ran out! The kids have learnt to sail on their own in Oppies and Toppers on Saturday Mornings, and I sail an old wooden Solo in the Thursday night and Saturday afternoon series, which I thoroughly recommend.
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Since the end of 2018 I provided some limited assistance to Clive White the previous Treasurer, until I was appointed Treasurer at the AGM in 2020.
If any member would like a trial sail in an Oppie, Topper, Graduate or Solo when circumstances allow, just drop me an email at mdehall@me.com
See you on the water
Upcycling at Papercourt
Upcycling an Old Oppie
A former Papercourt member has rescued a dilapidated Oppie from the Club, given it a coat of paint, a new name and transformed it into a wild flower garden to support their local wildlife.
Upcycling an Old Topper Sail and raising money for Sailability
At the last work party a very old dilapidated topper sail was headed for the bin, but has been rescued and transformed (along with old sail bags) into a variety of bags. Possible Uses: Rope or rigging bag; wet clothes bag, wetboot bag, beach bag, or anything else. For Sale with all profits going to Papercourt Sailability. Large bags £10 small £7. Some are Topper specific others more general. Email snowmail@btinternet.com if you would like to purchase one.
More news on how Papercourt is looking after our environment in future newsletters.
What's coming up at Papercourt
Easter Series - 2-5 April
Youth training starts 3rd April
Get Back in your Boats refresher morning 3rd April
Beginners Plus Course for Adults
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