Tidal Diamond 465 – Family Fun Day, Bar Duties, Vacancy, Priory Bay,

Tidal Diamond No. 465

Diary Dates

TSC Family Fun Day 18 July 12:00 to 16:00 – The return of the ducks!

One of the highlights of the social calendar, the Family Fun Day is not to be missed!

This years family fun day will follow the highly successful format from the last few years. The emphasis is on relaxed fun on the water and off and a chance to show the club off to friends and family. Guests are welcome & encouraged although unlike the open day earlier in the year this is aimed at members and their friends rather than an event for the general public to show up to.

We will have patrol boats on the water should you wish to take family members afloat near to the clubhouse. We’ll run some light-hearted games in dinghies and kayaks for children and adults and you can bet on those pesky yellow plastic ducks making an appearance at some point. There will be games ashore for those not venturing out. Bring some empty 2L drinks bottles and build a mini-boat for the Children’s mini-boat race.

The bar will be open and we’ll be running a BBQ.

Rob Nicholson
Cadet Captain
&
Steve Francis
Social Secretary

Available Bar Duties

We have a few gaps in the bar duty calendar over the next few months that still need volunteers! If you are available to cover one or more of these duties please let me know by emailing me and I will assign you via Duty Man. The dates are:

If you are not yet bar trained please email me with the duties you wish to perform and I will arrange the necessary training for you.

Thanks,

Jason Chipper
Bar Manager

Vacancy – Bosuns Committee

Following the AGM there is still one space vacant on the bosuns committee. The bosuns look after the compound, moorings, workshop and club equipment such as ribs and tractors, an interest or skills in boat / tractor maintenance would be ideal as this is where we currently could do with extra help, however anyone with enthusiasm will be welcome.

If you would be interested in joining then please contact Ian Smith, Bosun.
bosun

Hannah Barnes
Rear Commodore

Last week’s Priory Bay Dinghy Cruise – update

Well I thought after such a long safety based missive from me last week I thought the least I could do would be to update you all on the events of the day and to give a range of thanks to those supporting. First thanks to John, Paul, Alan and Richard (could you see where I was going there…) who drove the two Patrol Boats. We gave them no trouble from the four dinghies that took part, but it was great to sail out into the Solent with that level of reassurance tucked away behind you. Also a vote of thanks to the Cruiser sailors who turned up on the day expecting to shepherd a small fleet of dinghies across the Solent. Finally very many thanks go to Rob Nicholson who gave me the opportunity to act as lead whilst crewing in his RS Vision.

Well the story starts here to let you know because of the forecast 15 – 20 kts SW at 4pm I chose not to take the Solent crossing, but instead to take advantage of the benign early conditions for a sail out to Horse Sands Fort and back with the lunch stop, instead of on the idyllic Priory Bay sands, on the sands in front of The Ferry Boat Inn. The sail out was a very relaxing affair with the usual wind over tide in the harbour mouth to keep us on our toes. The long sail out to the Fort reminded me of the sheer beauty of our sailing area and it was a challenge to resist carrying on across the shipping lane to Priory Bay as we had reached the halfway mark at the Fort. But decisions had been made for good reason so we turned as planned and we had a fast reach back into Langstone for a good few miles and then onto our lunch stop. After an excellent lunch improved by a glass of cider and/or an ice cream, we left the pub at 2:30 pm and the wind had increased markedly over our lunch stop. I realised then that I was very happy with my weather call and the resulting 2 mile reach down the harbour was exhilarating but not as challenging as having a dinghy fleet scattered across the Solent in increasing winds. It was a great day out but with only four dinghies I wonder if my talk of “grey rigging” and inexperienced helms had too much of a bearing on members’ decisions to attend – I’m happy to discuss with any members if their decision to not join the cruise was unduly influenced by my own personal concerns. As it was the, at the end of the cruise, all attendees agreed that the right decisions were made for the right reasons and the amended plan would have proved perfect for most helms and crew; my biggest concern was a dispersed and damaged fleet in high winds, but plans are for changing and hence we had a grand and safe day out.

The next dinghy cruise is The Round Hayling Cruise on Sunday 9th August and it would be great to see a larger attendance on what is the club’s premier dinghy cruise. I promise I won’t talk grey rigging anymore…

Phil Bryant
Dinghy Captain

Laser 4.7 sail wanted

Will Stokely