Weekly Club News - 18th April 2023

Published 08:40 on 18 Apr 2023

Club Branded Polo Shirts

After many requests from members we have decided to sell cotton polo shirts with the Club's logo and name embroidered on the left breast. These shirts will be 100% cotton and available in women's cut as well as men's.

They are similar to the polos worn by James and his staff but in sky blue rather than navy to avoid confusion.

If you are interested in acquiring one they can be viewed and purchased on the Shop section of the website. Orders must be placed by Monday 24th April. We will then order an initial batch for collection from the Club as a trial.

Spinnaker Sailing Club - The 5 Year Plan

Over the last few years we have tried to concentrate on and improve on what the Club does well such as junior training, club racing, team racing and opening sailing to a wider audience. To this end a small working group of the Main Committee produced a Five Year Plan, which was then approved by the Main Committee. The plan does not envisage a huge expansion of the Club, more of a consolidation with investment in the Club to improve the experience for our members and associated groups. We have also tried to invest in green technology, including the installation of solar panels in 2022 and trialing our first electric powered out board engine in 2023.

As the plan was first formed almost one year ago we are about to review the plan. Tom Clay, our Rear Commodore Sailing is leading the working group. Should you have any views on the future of the Club please do send them to Tom at rcs@spinnakerclub.co.uk.

Upcoming Racing Events!

This Saturday we are hosting the British Schools Dinghy Racing Association Southern Team Racing Qualifiers, organised by Winchester College. This will see 20 teams battling it out for a day in Fireflys, with successful team progressing to the Finals later this Summer! The lake will be exceptionally busy during this day with many cerw changes and a busy race schedule, to support the delivery of this event we would ask members do not sail whilst it is running.

On Saturday 29th April we are hosting our annual ILCA/Laser Open Meeting. Full details including the Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, and Entry can be seen here on our website. On Saturday 29th August there will be no recreational access for sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding or windsurfing to the water due to the size of this event.

Club Racing Programme

This weekend we had a few queries about the start times for our Club Racing Programme. On this page of our website you can find some handy PDF guides for our racing programme for the whole of 2023 including the start times of races, how many races are in a series, what discards are available, and the format of racing.

If you have any further questions about the racing programme please speak to any of the Sailing Committee.

Wetsuit/Drysuit Rule

You may be aware that as it is now April (and the sunshine sometimes means it feels like it) the Club's wetsuit/drysuit rule has been relaxed, and it is now at our member's discretion whether they wear a wetsuit, drysuit or other clothing whilst afloat. Although the requirement has been relaxed in our Byelaws we would like to take this opportunity to remind all our members and users that the water is at its coldest right now. Please exercise caution and continue to wear appropriate clothing afloat.

It remains a requirement to always wear a buoyancy aid or lifejacket whilst afloat at Spinnaker Sailing Club.

Last updated 15:50 on 12 January 2025