Weekly News - 15th February 2022!
Published 10:02 on 15 Feb 2022
After a very calm January and early February the wind has returned full force with several windy weekends recently, and more coming in the next 7 days, with a peak of 80mph currently forecast on Friday afternoon as Storms Dudley and Eunice come through!
Boat Parking
With very strong winds forecast at the end of this week we strongly recommend checking your boats are securely tied down! In strong winds late last year several boats did blow over, with some sustaining damage as a result of this. It is worth pointing out that many dinghy insurance policies will not cover your boat for storm damage if it is not securely fastened down!
Can we please also take this opportunity to remind you that if you lock your boat at the club this must be done with a combination lock, with the code registered with the club office. This is to allow maintenance of the club site, more on this below!
The Adventures of our Topper Sailors
As you will have heard this winter our Topper sailors have been very busy. After braving the Solent for last weekend's JETS session, next weekend several are due to be racing at the second event of the Topper National Series at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy! Hopefully the weather will allow them to race, and good luck to you all!
Planned Training Activities This Week
With the current strong winds, low temperatures and more rain than we have seen for a while please be aware that all training activities up to Sunday 20th February are currently at risk of cancellation/postponement due to the weather forecast.
For any lessons booked in the next 5 days we will contact you 24 hours before your planned activity to confirm whether we will be able to run as planned. Should activities be cancelled that have been pre-paid we will arrange refunds next week. In making a decision about whether to cancel activities we will consider whether it is safe to run, whether the activity will be productive and allow members to achieve their aims, and if it will be enjoyable or risk putting younger members off sailing in the future.
Work Party - 12th March
As we head further into Spring it's time for us to get the club ready for another summer. Over the last two years a huge amount of work has been done to get the overgrown site under control, and hopefully those of you who were members in late 2019 have noticed the difference.
To keep on top of the site, and get ready for the summer, we are planning a Work Party Day on Saturday 12th March, and encourage any member who can volunteer a bit of time to come along and help us between 10am and 4pm. The jobs we would like to do vary from some light weeding around the clubhouse, to re-treating our sheds, to cutting down undergrowth on the foreshore, and strimming underneath boats (so please make sure we can move your boat)! If you are able to offer any assistance this would be greatly appreciated (and rewarded with tea/biscuits). If you plan to come along can you please let the office know on admin@spinnakerclub.co.uk, and also whether you would be able to bring along any garden tools (from a rake to a petrol/battery strimmer or hedgecutter for your personal use) so we can plan the tasks which are achievable. The club does also have a small supply of garden tools we can loan out for this day.
Duty Roster
A big thank you to everyone who has volunteered for a racing duty in the coming months! We are still reviewing all the volunteers and looking at where we still need support.
However, a couple of spots where we would definitely appreciate some assistance in the next couple of months are below:
- Sunday 27th March - Safetyboat Driver for the Topper Traveller
- Sunday 10th April - ARO and Safetyboat Driver for Races 7, 8 and of the Alice Lisle Series
- Sunday 17th April - ARO and Safetyboat Driver for the Easter Fun Day Sprint Series
Don't forget that when you are on a race duty not only are you helping our club programme keep going but we will provide you with tea and coffee!
The Return of Ladies Sailing
Our Ladies Sailing will be restarting on Thursday 3rd March! We will have Improver and Advanced groups running for the first block, with a beginner group starting after the Easter Holidays! The first block is now open for bookings on the club website at the link below!
Book for Ladies Sailing Block 1!
Alongside Ladies Sailing we will continue with our Social Sailing Sessions, followed by tea/coffee and biscuits for all!
Last updated 09:41 on 20 December 2023
