Issue 15_2 - Ullswater Yacht Club
Transcription
Issue 15_2 - Ullswater Yacht Club
Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 TILLER TALK Hello Sailors! Issue 15, Spring 2011 Tiller Talk is back for the 2011 season Inside: Dates for your diary Junior and Cadets URDP p. 3 p. 9 Club news UYC at the Dinghy Show Club of the year winners p. 2 p. 6 Articles How we started sailing Joe and Lindy’s wedding New clubhouse competition UYC down under Campsite commentary So it’s official, but of course we knew it all along, UYC is the club of the year, every year. We’ve had a fantastic number of articles for our first edition at the helm of Tiller Talk. Reading through them will remind you of what makes the club so good. If you missed the first weekend of the season then hopefully Tiller Talk will help inspire you get out on the water. Then of course you will have had such a good time sailing that you will want to share it with other members through the pages of the next issue! As the current guardians of Tiller Talk we intend it to remain true to Ian’s original vision; the Members’ magazine fiercely independent of the club management. Any views expressed are those of the contributors and all we’re doing is collecting them together and running them past the spellchecker (Angela!) As Ian did, we aim to include every article submitted. This issue slipped a little as one half of the editorial had extra work commitments and the other extra holiday commitments. We’ll leave it p. 4 p. 7 p. 11 p. 12 p. 18 Club notes 2011 season Dutyman UYC website And more including advice from Auntie Foul… to you to work out who did what… We hope you enjoy Issue 15 and good sailing too through the coming season! Angela and Robin Day p. 5 p. 16 p. 19 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 UYC Do Little And Large The Dinghy Show this year was brilliant as always. Many of UYC’s keen sailors were to be found loitering in the aisles or working stands. One of the clubs largest and fastest boats was on display and proved most popular. Mike, Lillian and the Tempest team had obviously put some serious work in. In contrast to the powerful Tempest, a little yellow UYC Mirror was also a popular attraction with children and adults alike. Left: Ross Kearny (Mirror World Champion) with Dave Winder (Winder Boats) and UYC Mirror ‘Instant Custard’ Nick Whitely Right: Mike Adams and friend on the Tempest stand. Apparently the crew had been to the trade stands asking for a ‘woolly bear suit’ to go under his drysuit. As can happen with all crews he didn’t get it quite right … Below: Useful definitions from Richard Broad; could be needed in the protest room if the Mirror and Tempest ever meet on the start line! Flotsam and Jetsam Did you know that there is a legal definition of these terms as follows;Flotsam - Floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo unintentionally lost overboard. Jetsam - Parts of a ship or its cargo that is deliberately thrown overboard to lighten the vessel in a time of distress and that sinks or is washed ashore. There are two other legal definitions that are not so well known. Lagan - Cargo that is lying on the bottom of the ocean, sometimes marked with a buoy that is intended to be recovered. Derelict - Cargo that is also lying on the bottom of the ocean which no one has any hope of recovering. 2 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 Junior & Cadet Page W Weellccoom mee ttoo 22001111 JJuunniioorr & &C Caaddeett S Saaiilliinngg UYC Open Day 28 May 11 Welcome to the start of another year of Junior & Cadet sailing at Ullswater Yacht Club, with even more events packed in than ever before. This year’s UYC Open Day is being held on the 28 May 11, Plans are being prepared to create an extra special day, so please put it in your diary. The Cadets will be heavily involved presenting the club at its best, with training in the morning and cadet fun in the afternoon, which will be open to friends and family to join in. We need a full list of activities for the open day. Any suggestions and volunteers, please contact Ian Priestley or myself. Once again the Cadet fleet as grown, with more Toppers racing in the 2010 season than the previous year and a greater number of the adult prizes going to the Cadet & Junior competitors. Let’s hope for the continued success of the fleet in 2011. Changes to the 2011 Programme The development of Cadet sailing at UYC has always been through Toppers, which has provided excellent fleet racing, which is to be encouraged. However, through the UYC training and especially during sail-camp, it has become evident that a double–hander should be offered in the Cadet racing programme. Therefore, the Cadet series for 2011 will also be open to Mirrors. As ever, we will loose some familiar faces from the Cadet and Junior fleets, we wish them well and look forward to some new faces joining us. 2011 Dates for the Diary Cadet Races Cadet Spring 1,2 ~ Sat 23 Apr 11 Cadet Race Weekend ~ Sat/Sun 30Apr/01May11 Cadet Spring 3,4 ~ Sat 14 May 11 Cadet Spring 5,6 ~ Sat 21 May 11 Cadet Spring 7,8 ~ Sat 04 Jun 11 UYC Topper Area Champs ~ Sat/Sun 11/12 Jun 11 North West Travellers ~ Sat 11 Jun 11 Cadet Spring 9,10 ~ Sat 18 Jun 11 Fleet Weekend ~ Sat/Sun 9/10 July 11 Cadet Spring 11,12 ~ Sat 16 Jul 11 Cadet Summer 1,2 ~ Sat 30 Jul 11 Ullswater Regatta ~ Sat/Sun 06/07 Aug 11 Cadet Summer 3,4 ~ Sat 13 Aug 11 Cadet Summer 5,6 ~ Sat 20 Aug 11 Cadet Summer 7,8 ~ Sat 10 Sep 11 Cadet Summer 9,10 ~ Sat 17 Sep 11 Mirror Open ~ Sat 01 Oct 11 Cadet Summer 11,12 ~ Sat 01 Oct 11 Nipper Nip, Radical Rip, Cadet & Junior Prize Giving ~ Sat 08 Oct 11 Cadet Fun Events Cadet Fun 1 Open Day ~ Cadet Fun 2 ~ Cadet Fun 3 ~ New to the 2011 sailing programme is a dedicated Laser series. This would be suitable for older Cadets & Juniors. The Laser results will be extracted from the dinghy handicap fleet and collated into a running total for the class throughout the whole season. All types of conventional single-handed Lasers will be included and adjustments made for PY handicaps. See the 2011 sailing programme for the Laser series dates. For our Juniors, racing will continue within the Saturday T&D series. These are held on the same days as the Cadet series. Any class of dinghy can be sailed in this series. There has been particular interest in the RS200 and we are hoping to see a few more this year. After the success of the single-hander series in 2010, the single hander series will again be held on the same day as the island races. It is for those who don’t have the legs for the island and back and can be sailed in any single-hander, including Toppers. The 2011 Parental Disclaimer for Cadets is available on the UYC website, please print off, fill in the appropriate details and bring to the first Cadet & Junior races on 23 Apr 11, Easter Saturday. Sean Brooks Junior & Cadet Fleet Rep ! [email protected] Top Topper Tip Can you afford to loose your rudder? Letʼs not forget that your rudder, stock, tiller and extension sink. So if youʼre turtled and your rudder stock parts with the boat, itʼs going to the bottom. All for the sake of a short length of rope, a typical example is shown below. Sat 28 May 11 Sat 25 Jun 11 Sun 24 Jul 11 Calling All Budding Reporters Last year we had a number of articles written by Junior and Cadet sailors. This was an excellent way of reporting the many varied aspects of the fleet. If you have something to say about Junior and Cadet sailing, then Tiller Talk is the place to do it. We would love to include your reports about events, top tips, photos or comments. 3 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 How We Started Sailing In 1959, David and Jo were students at Bradford Technical College and one afternoon we skived-off and went sailing with a friend in his GP14 at Burwain Reservoir. We enjoyed this immensely but never thought that we would aspire to owning a boat. We got married in 1963 and seemed to go separate ways on Saturdays – David played rugby and Jo played hockey. So, we decided to take up a hobby we could share, and after seeing a Mirror Dinghy exhibited at a shop in Leeds, David drove to Bell Woodworking in Leicester and brought a Mirror hull and spars home on the car roof. He subsequently varnished the boat and put on all the fittings. Sailing instructions and how to rig her were included. The first attempt at rigging her (on the back lawn) did not go well, as we did not understand ‘head to wind’ – so the boat blew over. Our launch was on the river Ouse near York at a free slipway. All prepared in life jackets, old clothes and pumps, we launched the boat, taking along the sailing instructions in a plastic bag. All the dinghy sailing pictures we had seen showed both helm and crew sitting on the same side – so that’s what we did. Needless to say, we chose the wrong side, and a gust of wind had us swimming; and we lost the sailing instructions! Not to be deterred, we joined White Rose Sailing Association, on the river Ure near Ripon, and learnt to sail. We entered the first Mirror Open meeting at White Rose S.C. - and won. Here is a ‘photo’ taken by The Daily Mirror. Well, we moved to Reading and had 2 babies – Philip and Christopher. David sailed a Merlin Rocket on a gravel pit and later a Solo at Goring on Thames S.C. where the ‘committee-bug’ bit him and he became sailing secretary. We returned north in 4 1970 and joined Yeadon S.C., where David later became commodore. Here, Jo was able to sail again, first crewing for David in a National 12 and later in her Mirror (yes, another Mirror) crewed by Phil; she later crewed for Phil who was a much better sailor. Having done some open meetings on bigger waters, and the National 12 championships at Scarborough, we realised that we should move to a bigger club, and joined the newly-formed Leeds Sailing Club on a reservoir in the Yorkshire dales. There we found some high powered youngsters including Lester Noble and Roger Tushingham, and several others. Needless to say, we didn’t win much in that company, but David joined yet another committee and became sailing secretary. Jo bought a Laser and did well in the lighter airs, beating several young guys who promptly retired with ‘gear failure’ when she overtook them!! We sailed various classes, including an Enterprise, Fireball, Scorpion and Merlin Rocket at Leeds S.C. and by the mid eighties, we had started sailing keel boats. The first was a Prelude, which we later sold to a family from Ullswater. This gave us the idea to join UYC in 1988. We then bought a Hunter Europa followed by a Hunter Sonata ‘Baby Grand’, which are both still on the lake. With his penchant for committees (and hard work) David became sailing secretary and later commodore of UYC. Needless to say, we havn’t won any open meetings since the Mirror meeting in 1965 – it must have been beginner’s luck! David and Jo Laycock Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 2011 SEASON Like me, you have no doubt been eagerly awaiting the start of the new season, but before we could get started there were a number of tasks which needed to be completed. The end of the 2010 November series was rapidly followed by the onset of snow and freezing weather. Whilst the skiers amongst us were rushing off to the slopes a number of important end of season tasks were left untouched. The first of these was removal of the racing marks from the lake. This resulted in five of the marks losing their ground tackle in the ice and being washed up on the lake shore. Fortunately these were recovered. The rest were rescued by Bill and need to be checked and moved to their correct locations. In the meantime sinking weights will have to be recast and to this end there was what will be inevitably the first of a series of working parties on Sat 5th March. I know a number of members were at the dinghy show that weekend, but there will be further sessions needed. For further details see the website. Our new committee boat also suffered during the big freeze, and has undergone some mechanical improvements during the close season. However, she still requires some cosmetic TLC and to this end the white wooden rubbing strakes need sanding and repainting. In addition, the mooring needs work to make tying Nina up easier Plans are in hand for this, but again that important ingredient “Member’s Muscle” is required. Now that the Portacabins have gone we have regained use of the whole dinghy park area. In order to maximise best use of the space available, Ian Priestley has undertaken a comprehensive review of the dinghy park layout. Before boats arrive and are parked in their new locations a considerable amount of work has been required. This again is one of the tasks which started on Sat 5th March and continued until the end of the month. Again another case of “Member’s Muscle” required. In addition to a new layout for the dinghy park, some of the areas have required reseeding. So far this new seed has been slow in striking. With this in mind the Management Committee are asking the club’s insurers to pay for new turf for these areas. At this stage the outcome is uncertain, but if successful will require some “Members Muscle” to lay any new turf. During the close season the Sailing Committee discussed the option of moving from Asymmetric and Conventional dinghy fleets to fast and slow handicap, but after opposition from some members decided to stick with the status quo at the start of the season, and convene a meeting of the dinghy class to discuss this option. At this stage I would suggest the best date would be Sunday April 10th after sailing at 4.00pm. This would give the Sailing Committee time to implement any changes before the start of the Spring Series on Easter Sunday 24th April. By now you should have received membership renewal details through your letter box containing the 2011 yearbook complete with sailing programme and duties. This information has been available on the website since early January. Additionally the club now uses the internet based Dutyman system to remind members of their forthcoming duty obligations. This is available via the club website, so please use this system if you need to change your duty dates. Also please remember that Dutyman only works if it has your up to date email address. So please check that this is the case and if not please advise the Membership Secretary of any changes. Again I would ask cruiser members to make every effort to get their boats off the field and onto their moorings as soon as possible. Space is a finite commodity at UYC and we only have room for either boat or car parking, but certainly not both. Good sailing and an enjoyable 2011 season Jim Wilson Sailing Secretary 5 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 UYC named ‘Sailing Club of the Year’ The magazine article reads: “Ullswater Yacht Club suffered severe flooding in November 2009 causing massive damage to the clubhouse. Despite this, members were determined it would be business as usual using temporary cabins whilst major repairs were carried out. “Members pulled together and managed to host major sailing events including the famous Lord Birkett Trophy. They finally celebrated moving back into their clubhouse in September 2010." A happy John Robinson receives ‘Club of the Year’ on our behalf. Is this due to receiving the award or those rather large (and empty) champagne glasses to his left?... Ed. ULLSWATER Yacht Club has been awarded the title of ‘Sailing Club of the Year for 2010’ by the country’s top sailing magazine The February edition of the glossy monthly magazine Yachts and Yachting features its ‘Pick of the Year 2010’ giving the top club spot to UYC. Ullswater Yacht Club beat off stiff competition from sailing clubs throughout the UK. The runners up were two of the country’s biggest clubs - Grafham Water Sailing Club in Cambridgeshire and Hayling Island Sailing Club on the Solent. Y&Y Editor Gael Pawson explained that the awards were a new feature in the magazine. The winners were chosen by the editorial team and were based on stories and pictures which had appeared in the magazine during the year. “We wanted to start something that would acknowledge the achievements of clubs and classes each year and hope to build on the awards in the future. It was a well deserved win, congratulations.” Gael and her team were impressed with the way the club coped throughout 2010 after its clubhouse was badly flooded in November 2009. 6 The accolade came as a complete surprise to UYC members who knew nothing about the award until they opened their latest issue of the magazine. UYC Commodore, Roy Hulse, is delighted and said “I am extremely proud that Ullswater has been voted Club of the Year 2010. The award recognizes the heartache that the floods caused in Cumbria and how well we all coped with the aftermath of the storm damage. Never in the sailing club’s history have we had to deal with a situation such as that caused by the flooding. “The fortitude and determination of our members to carry on as best we could was amazing and I am delighted that all the hard work carried out by both members and the committee has been recognised in this way.” Pauline Thompson Saturday evening meals start on Easter Saturday with a 1950's theme. Janet and John Lyons et al are doing the meal. Joyce Wilson Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 I was asked just before Joe and Lindy’s wedding to write something for Tiller Talk. Sadly work, degree courses and a sailing campaign got in the way and I only got myself into gear to put something together just after Christmas! When I started I was having difficulty writing something that fully reflected the type of day that it was, a day that was full of laughing, smiling and the occasional tear. Then after my third draft it suddenly dawned on me. The only way to illustrate to you the type of day it was would be to show you my speech that hopefully made people smile and laugh because it certainly made me cry! Speech for Joe and Lindy’s Wedding by Murph. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Murph. Firstly I would like to apologise if I seem a little nervous. Public speaking isn’t really my thing, I was hoping for a free bar so I could get some free ‘bravery gravy’ but when was the last time you saw Joe buy a round? Well, like Rich I am in a similar situation where I have known both Joe and Lindy for similar lengths of time. It would be impossible for me to stand up here and tell you stories about Joe when most of them involve Lindy in some way. Even during Christine’s regime, Lindy would have had something to do with Joe being in trouble, but now we know why she was trying so hard. I have to be honest though, Lindy is too clean; I couldn’t dig any dirt on her. She really hasn’t got any skeletons in the closet, although she has had a few bones in her bed. So unfortunately mate, it looks like all of my attention will be on you. When I first met Joe I was only a young lad, fresh from the suburbs of St Helens, wet behind the ears with little understanding of the wide world. Joe, bless him, took me under his wing, and within six months not only could I sail, I had also become an alcoholic. But amongst all the things Joe has taught me none has been less successful than his attempts at teaching me how to chat up girls. One such example was back in 2004 when we went to the Athens Olympics. We had drunk all our beers that we had on our boat and so decided that we would head into town for a few more. For the games a brand new tram network had been installed connecting each of the stadiums and Athens centre, thankfully one of the stops was just outside our marina. So we boarded the tram to head into town. The tram was full of spectators who had just left one of the games and two spectators in particular caught Joe’s eye. As I explained before, we had had a couple of beers back at the digs, affecting Joe in a spectacular way and making him lose his volume control. He looked at these two Greek girls, turned to me and shouted quietly in my ear, “Murph, look at those two girls!!” I turned and looked to see these girls, both pointing and giggling at Joe. I said “Yeah very nice mate”, Joe shouted again “Go and talk to them Murph”. I could see these girls over Joes shoulder whispering and giggling to each other. So I said “nah mate, its fine, really”. Joe again shouted at me “Go on Murph, go and talk to them they are perfect for you”. By this point the whole carriage had tuned Continued on page 7 7 Ullswater Yacht Club Joe and Lindy’s Wedding Continued from page 6 into our conversation without Joe realising. The two girls where still stood behind Joe pointing and giggling. “Go on Murph” Joe shouted. I said “mate really it’s fine” trying to diffuse what was turning into quite a public discussion. Joe, disgruntled by my lack of apparent interest shouted “Ok then, if you aren’t going too! I’ll show you how it’s done, watch this!” And with that comment you can imagine, the whole tram was listening intently, everybody paused to watch Joe saunter up to the two girls, each draped in a Greek flag. The tension was incredible, everybody on the train holding their breath, watching Joe lean coolly up against the wall, leaning on his elbow with one hand behind his head. He turns, winks at me as if to say “watch this son”. Turns back, looks the girls up and down, pauses and says to one of them...... “I like your flag”. Six years later, surprise surprise, I’m still single. As you may or may not know Joe has had quite an illustrious past and there simply isn’t enough time to tell them all. So as you can imagine it was a real struggle to pick just this one. Another problem I had was that stories kept springing up and it was getting more difficult to choose especially when a couple of weeks ago Joe’s mum tells me that Joe was once a Bay City Roller. I have also had a bit of difficulty not to let any issue 15, Spring 2011 secrets out of the bag, like when Joe was 18 and his parents were away on business, Joe crashed his Jensen Healey backwards into a wall at 70mph in his local town and he managed to get the car repaired and keep it a secret from his family... until now. But when I was thinking back, it made me realise that we have had an amazing time. The last ten years have been memorable and certainly there isn’t a point that I wouldn’t go back to, and maybe if Joe gets that flux capacitor going again, we might be able to go back and re-live it one more time. Today though, I think was a milestone. Everybody knows just how close I am to Joe but I feel just as close to Lindy. Today I didn’t just see my two best friends get married, I saw.... and I never thought I would hear myself say this... but today I saw my brother marry my sister! In all seriousness though, I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to know Lindy and Joe. They have stuck by me through the bad times and never let me forget the good times. You are two people that I am so proud to have in my life. You have no idea what you mean to me and just how much I love you and how grateful I am for everything you have ever done for me. You are not just my friends, you are my family and I wish you a life time of happiness together. Cheers. With love Murph xxx Dear Auntie Foul Following a highly enjoyable evening at the UYC Christmas Party, imagine my disappointment when, turning up to the recent 'Working Party', I was given a wheelbarrow and a shovel and told to clear the front lawn of winter debris! My new party shoes were ruined! How can I distinguish between a genuine social event and what amounts to slave labour? Dear Party Goer, I can understand your confusion with regard to recent 'parties' that have been held at the club. Can I assure you the management are giving this problem some serious consideration. Plans are already afoot to merge all parties, Christmas, Working, Political, Pyjama and Tupperware, (for the latter two see Joyce for a current catalogue), under the control of a properly elected vice commodore. Hopefully this will at least ensure that future partygoers turn up wearing the appropriate footwear. 8 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 Lee Noble Joe Pester Paul Murphy So if you want to improve your racing and are having problems with your tacking gybing starting......please feel free to approach any of the above and we’ll take through the process. We are at the club most weekends. Most of us don’t bite. URDP and the Buddy Coaching Secret Techniques This article is private and should only be disclosed to those who want to improve their racing. So if you are not interested in racing then please stop reading this secret document Following the latest debrief from our resident Olympic Gold Winning Coach, Paul Brotherton, the URDP Buddy Coaches have now been programmed to pass on methods he used to achieve Beijing Gold. Basically the method is probably easier to understand in a boat handling manoeuvre, but once ingrained could apply to other parts of racing, ie., starts, tactics... etc There are six components- Communication, Get-Set, Trigger, Transition, Exit, Pre-Set. It is designed to provide the method needed to make every manoeuvre consistent and measurable. So if you need help with your tacking, gybing, starting etc., then feel free to approach your ‘Friendly Buddy Coach’ and we’ll help you through the process. (We have purposely not written it down just in case it was to fall in the wrong hands, like those who don’t want to improve their racing, or those ‘pesky’ members of other sailing clubs.) Your Friendly Buddy Coaches with the new ground-breaking ‘Knowledge’ are, Lester Noble John Robson Dave Giles Matty Lyons James Lyons Dylan Noble Anne Noble With boat preparation being an important ingredient to commencing the racing season on the right foot, the Coaches may also prove a useful source on helping with boat set-up and control systems. If you are seeking advice on something a little more structural concerning your hull and spars then you can approach our boat prep expert Josh Moran. And for those of you who want to take part with an on-the-water session, the first one kicks off on the 9th April and will be on the subject of Basic Upwind Strategy. All are welcome. The session will take a little over an hour and is aimed to start around 4.15/4.30pm, basically after the ACH race. See you there Have fun Lester Dates confirmed so far; Sat 9th April 4.15/4.30pm (ish) All Classes- Basic Upwind strategy Sun 1st May 4.15/4.30pm (ish) All ClassesStarting Sat 7th May 9.30am Laser specific- training with our resident GBR RYA Laser coach, Tim HulseSat 14th May TBA keep your eyes on this page and it should be announced by 9th May Sat 21st May TBA keep your eyes on this page and it should be announced by 16th May Sun 29th May TBA keep your eyes on this page and it should be announced by 24h May Sat 9th July TBA keep your eyes on this page and it should be announced by 4th July Sat 13th August TBA keep your eyes on this page and it should be announced by 8th August Sat 1st October TBA keep your eyes on this page and it should be announced by 26th September 9 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 The Cruiser Captain’s Problem In these days of modern management, ‘person specifications’ and written job descriptions are ‘de rigueur’. Not so with Ullswater Yacht Club which sticks to the old fashioned ways and, using peer pressure, nudges someone into the job. That was my fate and I will do the job to the best of my ability. First, I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor Robin Barratt who was Cruiser Captain for several years. On a weekly basis, he collated the racing results, calculated handicaps and communicated UYC results to the RYA. Robin was often called upon to settle contentious issues. Foremost among these was the establishment of a Club Handicap System for cruisers. This was a far from easy task made more difficult with small numbers in a diverse fleet and the unique wind and weather peculiar to Ullswater. Robin did it with determination and a degree of panache, taking no prisoners amongst those who continued their grievance after the decision had been made. I see my task as continuing this debate but for the 2011 season, the Club handicap system will remain unchanged. We will continue with the Forth Yacht Club system for variable handicap races like the Dennis Vernon, adjusting the handicap after each race. We are also introducing a new Sunday Island series every fortnight to alternate with the ‘round the cans’ racing. This will be handicapped as the Dennis Vernon but I am looking at the option of adjusting the handicap after every two races and reviewing the system at the end of the year. The matter will be put to the next meeting of the cruiser group for discussion and decision. 10 The eyeball to eyeball round the cans racing will be run every fortnight as a single series through the year. Competitors will sail on a consistent club handicap, unchanged through the season with the exception of two boats where current data is not reliable; their provisional handicap along with that of any new class joining, will be reviewed after 4 races. Other open and closed events will be handicapped as last year. From this account you will see that the system is complex. Now I know more about it, I can assure everybody that it has been applied fairly but it will still be prone to anomaly. For that reason development of the information system and its links to the RYA is a central piece of business for the Sailing Committee and great progress has been made over the last year with the introduction of Sailwave. This has already made the race office much more efficient and I hope that 2011 will bring other benefits Greater integration of information and more competitors in the racing will improve the data base for setting handicaps. Reliable information is the key and what we learn this year may lead to modifications and an improved system next year. Not all cruisers race but with the Dennis Vernon Series and the introduction of the Sunday Island Series, we are trying to make cruiser racing more inclusive and I hope this encourages those who, for whatever reason are uncertain, to join in and add a new dimension to their sailing on our unique and very beautiful lake. John Spivey Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 RIBA Design Competition Judging Complete On 15th February the RIBA received 180 design submissions from the 220 plus entrants. After a short review for compliance with the brief the submissions were handed over to John Innerdale and I sort them out prior to judging into A – strong contenders, B – potential contenders and C – non contenders. This process took us 2 full days but also enjoyable days as we saw many great schemes, submissions that were works of art and ones that had fun elements to them Over the weekend of 26th and 27th February we have done firstly, the formal RIBA Judging that included John Robinson and John Tweed (the RIBA Independent Judge) and secondly, a meeting with the UYC New Clubhouse Group that in addition to the two Johns and I includes John Longstaff, John Robson and Dave Lyons. From the judging we have 3 potential winners and from judging and the group a list of questions to go to these architectural practices that would need to be answered at the presentations on 21st March. On that day and ahead of the presentations we have a meeting with the National Park Planning at the yacht club to get their views on the schemes that they would be happy to see UYC develop and submit for planning approval. On 26th March we will present to the UYC Management Committee the process that we have gone through with the RIBA, views from the planners, conclusions from the presentations by the practices and the preferred scheme. At that meeting we will seek endorsement of the preferred scheme for the members to view. The preferred scheme, other potential winners, those that were strong contenders and a selection of the other designs will be displayed at the club over the Easter weekend. Myself and others from the UYC New Clubhouse Group will be on hand at various times to discuss the schemes with members. Provided the above process supports the preferred scheme we will then seek approval from the Committee for the RIBA to formally advise that practice that they are the winner and that subject to approval by the members at the AGM in October they will be the architect for the project with design and planning next Winter. At the moment only a few of us know the potential winners. We can’t wait to show you these, as all of us believe that they give us a great new yacht club with many improvements over the current building and views. Brian Moreton UYC New Clubhouse Group Dear Auntie Foul, I was pleased to see the recent Architectural competition to design the new clubhouse has apparently been a resounding success. How can we ensure the designs remaining in the running maintain the 'feel' of the old clubhouse? For example, have any of these designs kept the view of the veranda fence just outside the windows? I for one would not thank some city architect type for designing a building where I could see the lake from inside the clubhouse. Auntie Foul Replies, "Dear concerned member. Firstly can I applaud your interest in the Arcitectural Design Competition. I assure you that the strict criteria of the design brief will ensure that the view of the lake will certainly remain obstructed. Also included in the brief were a bar area with no view at all, (let alone an obstructed view), and a main entrance that will continue to guide visitors into the club house via the bins and the gents urinals. It goes without saying that the siting of the new Club House will be downwind of the sewerage farm so that members may continue to enjoy the pungent odours that eminate from it on balmy summer evenings. 11 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 Representing UYC down under by Jono Shelley Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, exactly 11,856 miles from Ullswater Yacht Club and I am pleased to say that they like sailing just as much over here……and they are damn good at it! A two year secondment with my employer PricewaterhouseCoopers to work in our New Zealand practice has opened up many opportunities for Carolyn and I but most importantly has meant lots of time on the water!! The Kiwis are genuinely great people and are fanatical about water sports be it sailing, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, diving, kayaking, ocean swimming…(the list goes on). A disproportionate number of the world’s best sailors are from New Zealand. One just has to just look down the list of Americas Cup and Volvo Ocean Race Crews and there are loads of Kiwi’s and then add in the famous names like Grant Dalton and Russell Coutts and you can see why there is such a big sailing scene over here. Wellington, situated at the south end of the North island of NZ, is known as the windy city for very good reason – it seems to blow over 30 knots pretty much every day. This makes the upwind slog in a Laser even more punishing but makes for some of the best downwind rides. My windsurfing has also come on a bit spending many evenings on the water trying to nail the elusive carve gybe. On arrival in NZ I bought an old ‘OK’ dinghy with a view to competing in the world championships that were held in February 2010. The OK is one of the bigger dinghy classes over here along with New Zealand designs the P class and Starling and more traditional classes like the Laser, 470 etc. There is also a good fleet of 12 foot skiffs – 2 people, twin trapezes, massive rig, big kite - totally insane but lots of fun! The OK is a very old design with the best hulls made by Icebreaker of NZ. Development in the class has lead to super stiff carbon masts and high quality North sails being used by most. I was found out pretty quickly when out racing for the first time and chopped around at the back of the fleet until I slowly learnt that you use your kicker down wind and not up and sailing by the lee is not 12 quick! I was training with Paul Rhodes (who eventually came second in the worlds) and a few other guys who featured in the top 10, including world champion Karl Purdie and over time managed to get closer to the front of the fleet. Unfortunately I injured my lower back when out in one of Wellington’s normal force 6 – 7’s and that put an end to my OK sailing (I didn’t recover until well after the worlds had been and gone….very frustrating). Following my recovery I was fortunate enough to be invited to do some SB3 sailing over in Australia. I raced an SB3 in the UK for a number of seasons with my brother Ben and Graham Priestley and therefore jumped at the chance. Chris and Clare Molloy (with whom I also raced an SB3 in the UK for a season) and I competed in Audi Victoria or ‘Geelong’ Week in January 2010. Geelong week is essentially the Cowes Week of the Southern hemisphere and takes place in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne each year. Sunshine, flat water and a solid but shifty force 3 – 4 (reminiscent of everyone’s favourite Ullswater south westerly) for 3 out of the 4 days provided some excellent racing. The Aussies are also super competitive when it comes to their sailing (and everything else) but we managed to string some bullets together to take home the trophy. What a great place to go sailing. Continued on page 12 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 Representing UYC Down Under Continued from page 11 involves lots of short (10 – 15 minute) races with the last boat in each race being eliminated to eventually leave 3 boats to sail off in the final. The fleet was full of sailing stars including Nathan Outteridge, current 49er and Moth world champion and Australian 49er Olympic representative, Glenn Bourke ex CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, multiple world champion and Olympic medal winner and a number of other Australian Olympians and national champions. We had a great first day, making it to the final with Nathan and Glenn which was very humbling. However the second day was an absolute disaster. We made a big mistake in the first heat of the day, had an embarrassing broach and were eliminated. This was a huge shame after the highs of the first day but there is no way back in a short race against such a talented fleet. The next event was the Australian national championships where I was crewed by UYC’s very own James Walker (son of Keith and Joan) and Jonnie Harrison from Derwent Reservoir YC (It seems I am not the only one to learn that it’s pretty nice down under!). The event was held in Port Stephen which is on the East coast of Australia (about 2 hours drive north of Sydney) as part of the Sail Port Stephen regatta. Again the fleet was a very high calibre and included some ex Olympians and reigning world champions in other classes. We had a shaky start but got into the swing of things and posted some good results to lead the event going into the last day. In a no discard series the event all came down to the last race where theoretically any one of 4 boats could have won it. We got off the line well and sailed a pretty conservative race to post a solid third. This was enough to lift the Australian national championship sailing under the burgee of UYC – a very proud moment. We were very pleased to hold our nerve and win after coming second in more events than I care to remember. This regatta was closely followed by Geelong Week 2011 where we spent 3 days racing against 15 SB3’s including one helmed by Nathan Outteridge and crewed by his Olympic coach. This was one of the best learning experiences of my racing life. We placed second overall behind Nathan in the event but had some amazing tussles with him at the front of the fleet. There was rarely more than a few seconds between us on the water but Nathan and his crew demonstrated why they are one of the favourites for Olympic gold in the 49er by making no mistakes and never missing a shift. Next we were invited to race in the Audi King of the Docklands event which was held Melbourne on a tiny piece of water in the middle of the city surrounded by restaurants and high rise office towers. This was a ‘skins’ series held over two days with first prize being a new Audi car! A skins series The Audi Sydney harbour regatta was the final event on our programme and I again teamed up with James Walker and Jonnie Harrison. Sailing with the back drop of the Harbour Bridge and opera house is absolutely incredible but the amount of water traffic (including the Manly ferries that do not stop or even change course for anyone) means that you don’t have much time to enjoy the view! The racing was great and was held in seriously shifty and gusty wind with lots of ‘snakes and ladders’ on the course (familiar?). We were well ahead of the majority of the fleet and had a fantastic tussle with another Olympic sailor. This time Matt Belcher (current 470 World Champion and Australian Olympic representative) won the event. We were Continued on page 13 13 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 Representing UYC Down Under Continued from page 13 second but the opportunity to race against the very best is without doubt the best training you can get! Back in Wellington to stay out of trouble I have been racing on an exciting 30ft sports boat aptly names ‘Drinks Trolley’. It is a modified Thompson 30 mostly made out of Carbon and planes downwind at over 24knots, much like a big SB3. The boat has a wing known as a ‘Dynamic Stability System’ that cuts laterally through the hull under the waterline and provides lift and stability when going at pace. We placed pretty well in a couple of local regattas and I will certainly miss being one of her crew of 8. My overall reflection of sailing in the Southern hemisphere is very positive. We have been incredibly fortunate to race in so many great events in great locations and against some serious talent. It is easy to understand why so many great sailors hail from this part of the world and it’s a real pleasure to see so many people take to the water. I hope that our sailing will have benefited greatly from the racing we have done on this side of the world and I look forward to putting this to the test when Carolyn and I return to the UK in July this year. We very much look forward to visiting the club and getting on familiar water at UYC. Cheers Jono. Drinks Trolley New Members We have welcomed two new members into the Club over the Winter. thirty year absence and will be sailing with Kevin Parr this season. Andrew Percy, (apparently no relation to Gold Medal winning Ian), has joined as a crewing member. Andrew is returning to sailing after a Also joining us will be the new arrival in the Wanless household, Martha. 14 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 Are You Ashamed? Are you ashamed of your behaviour? Would your friends, neighbours, relatives and colleagues be mortified if they knew what you got up to at weekends? How would your friends, neighbours, relatives and colleagues react if they knew that what you did at weekends you did in one of the most beautiful parts of the country? What would your friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues think if they knew that you did what you do, where you do, at a venue voted Best in Britain 2010 by Britain’s premier yachting magazine? Not ashamed? Then why not tell them what you do and where you do it? Even better why don’t you bring them along to Ullswater Yacht Club, named by ‘’Yachts and Yachting’ as’ Club of the Year 2010.’ Our open day is on the calendar for Saturday 28th May. We are asking all members to come out of the closet, admit what you get up to at weekends and invite a friend, relative, neighbour or colleague to join us for the day. To make the day a success we need the help and support of all members. For further details on how you can be involved watch the club notice board and website, or contact me at [email protected] ISP Dinghy Park 2011 The dinghy park has been reorganised for the 2011 season. The reorganisation has been done with the intention of trying to make life easier for all dinghy sailors though I am sure that we will not have pleased everyone. We have tried to keep boats of the same class together. Some bays have been made slightly larger to accommodate the wider boats. We have tried to locate the heavier boats either nearer to the lake or alongside the road to make moving them on site easier. The Flying Fifteens and Tempests have been moved to the top of the slip or alongside the gravel road. This should greatly speed up their launching and recovery. Tempests and Fifteens must return their trolleys or trailers to their berths after launching. Please check on the diagram or list in the club house to see which berth you have been allocated. It is unlikely that you will have the same berth as last year. If there is a problem with the actual berth please would you leave your boat alongside the tarmac road and contact me as soon as possible. Stickers with your membership and boat details are with Bill at the bar. Please could you apply these to your boat where they can easily be seen. All the berths have been tagged with the details of your boat as taken from the club data base February 2011. Your boat should match those details. If there is a mistake with this there are three possible causes. You have not informed John Longstaff, (Hon. Sec. Existing Members), this is highly unlikely. You have informed John but he has not updated the data base, again highly unlikely. Your details are correct and up to date and I have made a mistake, highly probable! Whatever the reason please can you let me know. Unfortunately the ground where the portacabins were located last season has not yet recovered. This means that the berths in those areas will not be able to be used at the start of the season. If you have been allocated a berth in that area could you please leave your boat alongside the tarmac road until the ground has recovered. Any problems see me at the club, give me a call on 01768 362495, or e-mail me at [email protected] ISP 15 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 The DutyMan Roster System – what it is and how it works UYC is a volunteer run club and relies on its members to ensure all aspects of Club life run smoothly. Carrying out a UYC duty is a condition of your membership and to assist with managing members’ duty dates the DutyMan Roster System is in operation. Well done to those who have already confirmed their duties and/or amended their contact details – examples to us all! UYC uses a web based system called DutyMan (DM) for interfacing the members with its duties roster. DutyMan notifies members (automatically) of their assigned duties by e-mail. Members can use the system to exchange their duty dates (if necessary), get members’ contact information, confirm their availability and do much more. If you are new to the Club, your contact details will be added to DM (note: this may take a short while so bear with us) and, when you are assigned a duty with your team, your duty will be added to the DM roster. What happens next depends on whether or not you have supplied us with your e-mail address and whether it is current. I have received a number of messages from the system that some members’ email addresses are undeliverable. Members with e-mails will then get a welcome email containing their unique log in name and password. You cannot log-in until you get this email! If/when you are assigned a team duty, you will get an advisory email about your rostered duties and their corresponding dates; later you will receive reminder e-mails in advance for these duties. These e-mails have a quick ‘one click link’ log in to the DutyMan site. possible if you can use the internet as you can view the basic roster to see who’s on duty when. You can do this if you have no e-mail or if you have e-mail but have not yet received your log-in password. (see ‘Getting Started’) Getting started Check out the DutyMan roster system. You do not need a password or an e-mail address to do this. It only needs internet access from your PC – nothing more. Here’s how in 3 simple steps: 1. Go to the UYC website http://www.ullswateryachtclub.org 2. Select Members tab [near the top of the home page] 3. Select Duty Roster - this will open UYC’s Dutyman Roster web page and you can now look at the basic Roster. Logging In You must log in if you want to confirm your duty or swap your duty or have access to the e-mail address or phone number of other members. Note, this is a separate log in from UYC website log in. You can also update your contact details, privacy preferences, etc. • Logging in requires your password or a ‘quick login’ link – both are sent to you from Dutyman by e-mail. • If you haven’t received your password or a duty reminder it may be that you have not given us your e-mail address OR your e-mail address is incorrect OR you are not yet on the roster. • Once you’ve logged in your duties appear in easyto-spot red text and you can also now see other members’ contact information. Members without e-mails obviously do not get any email communication. However, you should give us your contact phone number so the club and members can contact you regarding your duties. • If you already have a password but have lost or mislaid it - go to the DutyMan web site and click on the link `Forgotten your login?’ Either way, do check out DutyMan as soon as Continued on page 16 16 Ullswater Yacht Club The DutyMan Roster System Continued from page 15 Do’s and Don’t’s Do • Check out the system – especially if you are new to UYC or Dutyman • Give us your e-mail address - if you haven’t already done so • Check your details [phone and e-mail] and update your e-mail address on DutyMan – if it has recently changed, is different or wrong • Confirm your availability for your allocated duty on Dutyman • Use Dutyman to swap your duty if necessary • Enter all swaps on Dutyman – including those you have agreed verbally! [this will update the rest of the team on the same day who need to know] • Inform your OOD /Safety Officer if you are unavailable and can’t arrange a swap • Get in touch if you have a problem or any doubts • Save your reminder e-mails for the one click ‘quicklink’ login to your duties Don’t • Panic if you are not shown on a duty day, you may not be assigned yet • Turn up if your team is shown but you aren’t – always check with your OOD or Safety Officer for the day first Remember • You will get 2 reminders by e-mail; the first 60 days then the second 21 days before your duty. A link to what you need to do on the day will be included. • The fastest way to log in is through the ‘quick link’ in your reminder e-mails. It is the web link that follows the words `To view the duty roster, to confirm that you can do your duty, or to arrange a duty swap go to ………………………….’ - so don’t delete your reminder e-mails if you want to keep your ‘quick link’ handy • DutyMan is intended to assist the management of duties for you and the club if you have a problem, can’t do a duty or arrange a swap you must contact the OOD or Safety Officer concerned issue 15, Spring 2011 • It is a condition of membership that club members do allocated duties; so everyone should be familiar with the basics of DutyMan as it is the tool used to notify or remind you of your duties, display the most up to date roster and manage the overall roster. Got a problem with your duties that cannot be resolved with OOD or Safety Officer? Contact - Jim Wilson, Sailing Secretary [email protected] or tel 01325 730392 Got a problem with DutyMan? …or want to give some feedback? Contact - Neil Thompson, Dutyman Co-ordinator [email protected] or tel: 01642 783485 Dear Auntie Foul I read on the club website that we have lost several 'Racing Marks' over the winter. This is very disappointing as I had several close races against people called Mark last year. Where are they now? Auntie Foul Replies, Dear racing member. Unfortunately you are correct in that we have lost a number of Marks over the winter. Can I however assure you that the newly formed Marketing Group is working hard to introduce more new Bouys into the club. They will let you know their names in the next isssue of Tiller Talk so that hopefully you can continue to enjoy some close racing. Could this be Racing Mark? Ed. 17 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 Campsite Commentary Dear fellow Campers How we all await the start of the new season with eager anticipation. Warm Winter nights beneath 24 tog duvet are no solace for the bracing chill of a Summer’s eve on the yacht club campsite. The stillness of the air, the muffled scuffle twixt squirrel (grey and red), baa-ing and low-ing from tents all around, and the screams of ecstasy from the Lady of the Lake as she escorts a plethora of partygoers from Glenridding to Pooley Bridge in a haze of liquid contentment. For nigh on 5 months all campers have forsaken the lure of the camping field in favour of Nasa tested memory foam – but .... Older Members of the Club wax lyrical about how the campsite used to be as flat as the Sydney Cricket Ground and that during WWII it was used as a landing strip whereby supplies of saffron and champagne were flown in for the guests at Sharrow Bay to maintain morale. Since then, due to Plate Tectonics and the absence of an enormous roller, the billiard ball surface has declined. Present day campers rejoice in the hills and valleys that remain, viewing the highest peak – Wanless Fell - as the choice pitch for those occasions when the brook bursts its banks, the site floods, and we all roll about laughing at midnight in our damp negligees wondering really how much 18 fun we are allowed to have in a National Park after closing time. It is a true testament to the inventiveness of youth that Alexander Bairstow took time from his PSIII Studies and applied his talents to resolving the dilemma of how to sleep soundly on the equivalent of the surface of the Moon. The “Aero Tent” is sure to be a hit with campers. It is pitched at a height of approximately 4ft above the ground and consequently ensures that even the most surly teenager wakes up in the morning well rested, re-energised, and ready and willing to bring tea in bed to any adult that has pre-booked it the night before. Amongst several unique features it has the benefit of 4 ft long tent pegs and a step ladder access that permits easy entry even after the most sociable evening at the UYC bar. There is also a “stairgate” option that can prevent most unfortunate accidents occurring during the night. The tent is available for purchase from Alexander’s parents at a discounted price of £99.99 for members. optional personal injury insurance available subject to quotation. Phil Bairstow Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 UYC WEBSITE We hope that members of UYC will have noticed an improvement on the contents of UYC website over the Winter. Andy Webster and Pauline Thompson have taken on the responsibility for bringing the website up-to-date and have included regular updates and news throughout the Winter season, as well as linking up to the web cam and weather station at Pooley Bridge pier courtesy of Ullswater Steamers. As from April, the UYC website will have a 'Members Only' area. This will include Minutes of Meetings of various committees, Club By-Laws, Club Notices etc. It was also felt appropriate to restrict the Forum to members only. To gain access to the Members Only area you will need to do the following:• You will need to request a new login username and password by emailing [email protected] with your name and membership number which will be validated against club records. A new login will be created for you based on your name and membership number (1 login per membership number). • Providing we can validate the membership number you should then receive your new login which will allow you to log into the website. • At first login you will be prompted to change your password. This should be something memorable and secure. • You will now be logged into the website and new options under the members drop down within the menu will be available to you. Other things to consider: • Once you have logged in you will see your display name at the top right next to “logout”. If you select this you will see your profile. • When you are in your profile at the top left of the page you can select view or edit o Select Edit o You will now be able to select Edit Profile underneath your photo. • Your profile will be partially populated with your membership number, and boat class (Dinghy/Cruiser). • In this section you can fill in more details, restricting who can see what by changing the visibility option. • If you plan to use the forum at all, you can add a photo here which will be visible when you make a post so people new to the club will know who you are when they are next at the club. Also on our website we will have a separate Classified Section which will include Boats for Sale, Boats Wanted, sailing equipment for sale etc. If you have a boat for sale it would be good to include a photo, which will go on our website. Please let Andy or Pauline have updates on your news during the coming season. Reports on Open Meetings etc. would be welcome. [email protected] or [email protected] 19 Ullswater Yacht Club issue 15, Spring 2011 Finish Line If you’ve managed to get this far then you’ve probably seen Racing Mark in trouble already. Some of you may have thought that that picture was Craig Robinson in his International Canoe – an easy mistake to make. In fact it was from a selection sent in by Simon Purdy and here’s the remainder and an explanation to just what was going on. He describes it as "the permanent and mobile image of a wrecked ship that has become a functional and safe leisure object." French artist Julien Berthier has designed a fully functional boat to look as if it is sinking. The 6.5m (21ft) yacht was cut in half with a new keel and motor added so it remains in the sinking position while being fully functional. The Love Love was built to look as if it is sinking The designer and artist designed and built the floating installation in 2007. He named his creation Love Love. Berthier has taken the boat (or should I say half-a-boat) across the English Channel to London and has toured it around Europe, getting plenty of offers of assistance from unwitting good Samaritans, who would presumably be either very annoyed or rather bemused by the contraption. Get writing and photographing! No sooner have you read this and it’ll be time to start thinking about the next issue. You don’t have to wait for the nagging e-mails, get inspired and start creating as soon as you have finished sailing. When you're sailing asymmetrics you’re living, anything else is just waiting…