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Whilst we may think the Club hibernates during the winter months, nothing could be further from the truth as you will see below. In addition to all these activities, the Committee is busy putting things in place like the sailing programme, working parties, training, handbooks, rosters etc. So this is probably one of our busiest times of year, especially for our Membership Secretary and Insurance expert Stef Ward, who shares her journey into sailing below:
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Introduction to our Membership Secretary Stef Ward |
 Stefany Ward | My sailing journey started in July 2019, having cycled to the Club during one of my "non-work days" on a beautiful summer day. After being encouraged by a member to join I completed my Learn to Sail Course in September then volunteered for the Membership Secretary position in October. As I would consider sailing to be a "late development" in my life I was surprised how much I loved being on and very often in the water! I am delighted to crew a Snipe with a very experienced helm, and, of course, supplement this with more recreational sailing in my ILCA.
Having retired from the Commercial Insurance sector after 43 years, I finally now have the time to enjoy leisure activities and dedicate time to my increasing family. No time for work! |
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The Willows will be missed but not for long Unfortunately, having found extensive rot in our willow trees along the foreshore, the Committee made the decision that the safest thing to do was to fell the trees and remove the stumps in order to allow the land to be used afterwards. Whilst this is sad, you may have noticed that Russell Page had the foresight to plant some more willows in front of the old ones several years ago, so with any luck, clearing of the old will make room for the new and we will once again start to see willows on our shoreline. Thank you to Bill Kenyon for organising and supervising the work. |  Rotten Willow |
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 Fire Wood - Please help yourself (if any left) |
All change in the Galley After two years of providing catering services for Budworth, Corrie has decided her vocation in life is in social care so regrettably she will not be providing her wonderful bacon butties any more. Our thanks go out to Corrie for her service over the years and we wish her all the best for the future. Corrie will be missed and we are currently on the lookout for her replacement, so if you know anyone who may be interested in providing a catering service at the Club, please contact either Alison Hubbard or Dianne Owen. In the interim, if you can spare any time to help in the Galley prior to her replacement please contact Alison or Dianne. |
 New PB2 Graduates | New Power Boat Drivers As most of you may be aware, we have had a large drive to increase the number of competent power boat drivers in order to improve the safety for all water users when providing rescue cover.
Last year, Jon Chapman obtained his power boat Instructor's certificate and has been working with Chris Grice to provide a number of power boats sessions over the winter. Our thanks go out to Chris and Jon who have given up their time to deliver the course over a number of weekends. |
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By the time they have finished, we will have another 12 PB2 qualified drivers. Our photographed class of successful power boaters include Faye Cleaver, John Sacco, Peter and Ben Iles-Smith, Graham Pogson and Tom Lenton. The following weekend Paul Toothill, John Haskell, David Ball, Montri Brusseliers Richard and Florence Lucas joined the team qualified with PB 2 well done all. |
 New First Aid Station | First Aid focus The Club's first aid kit has had a facelift ready for the new season. Now in a drop-down transparent drawer style, it's easier to find what you need quickly. The first aid station is in the corner of the clubhouse, where you'll find all the essentials, along with the defibrillator, accident book, club contact details, and a list of first aiders. The Bosun's shed, galley, hallway and the barrels on each RIB are also equipped with some first aid basic items. If you've completed first aid training and would like to be added to the club's first aider list, please contact Jackie Purvis. I would like to thank Jackie who continues to make sure all our first aid equipment is in tip top condition. |
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Working Parties Just a reminder that the working parties will be finishing on 11/3/23. As highlighted last month, it a great opportunity to meet other members as well as doing your small bit for the Club. Please contact Steve Hubbard if you can help on the sessions so he can ensure we can keep all volunteers busy via property@budworthsc.org.uk. Our continued thanks go out to Steve for running the working parties and to the Covert 19 group for keeping the Club in such tip top condition the rest of the year. |
Gybe Talking |
 Jon making being PRO look Easy | Sadly this Thursday will be the last our Gybe talking series until next Winter. The last session, run by Chris Hearn, will take you through how to run the Race Management System (RMS) which not only runs all the starting lights and sign on, but also does the scoring and publishes results on the website. The system, which was originally developed by Chris (Interface), Ian Saville (Database), Phil Hackney (Reviewer and Sponsor) and me (Designer), is now over ten years old and the envy of many clubs. I would recommend anyone who is going to be PRO or ARO attend this session.
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The club is very grateful to Hugh Devereux and Bill Kenyon for hosting the events during the Winter months and even more grateful to the long list of presenters below: - Ted Garner Maximising Boat Speed
- Hugh Attfield First to the Windward Mark
- Nick Devereux Introduction to the Racing Rules
- Jon Chapman Nailing the Start
- Bill Kenyon Prepping your boat for the new Season
- Tony Wilcox Downwind Sailing and Leeward Marks
- Alison Hamlin Hughes - Optimising Your Photography
- Bill Kenyon Splice the Rope (and the main brace)
- Jon Chapman What does the Race Officer do?
- Chris Hearn The RMS
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Changing Duties Thanks to Chris Smallwood, Jon Chapman, Paul Clancy and Bill Kenyon the initial duty roster is coming to an almost final state and some of you will find you have been allocated duties that may not suit. If you need to swap a duty, please ensure the swap is logged on the Club Portal as the PRO and the Race Committee need to keep track to ensure we always have cover in place for everybody's enjoyment. |
A Sad and Happy Day at the Dinghy Show Last weekend I had the honour of sharing our experience as Club of the Year with the rest of the UK sailing community at the Dinghy show at Farnborough International Conference centre. It was great to celebrate not only the foresight of Pete Wilkinson (former Commodore) to develop a long term strategy for the Club, but also to celebrate all the hard work our members have put in to make this Club what it is today. Despite the trepidation of presenting to a large audience, solace was sought after at the Budworth Bar with some of the RS Fleet (anyone recognise the pub sign?). Whilst it was sad to pass the trophy on, our congratulations go to Lymington Town Sailing Club who are now worthy winners of this prestigious award. |
 The Commodore Main Stage |  Budworth Members @ "their Bar" |
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Commodores Top Tip It is time to prepare for the new season both physically and with boat preparation. If you want to avoid the aches and pains after the first sail of the season, why not try to get a little fitter beforehand as the days get longer and weather better. Personally, I get out on my bike and find that when it comes to the start of the season I don't end up like walking like a robot the next day. Even if your boat was stored at the club over the Winter, it's a great idea to check all the sheets (ropes) for wear and tear and replace if frayed to avoid them letting you down when your relying on them whilst out on the mere. I will be checking my toe straps and the screws holding them in very carefully as a dunk early in the season certainly takes your breath away, although it could provide a lot of amusement for your fellow sailors! It is also worth giving your hull a good wash and polish (car polish will do) as when you look at the underside of the hull, you will be amazed at how dirty it is. |
Start of the Season It is not long until the start of the season for our die hard sailors, with the Icebreaker starting on 12 March (appropriately named as it has previously been cancelled due a frozen Mere). Don't forget the need to wear full wetsuit, drysuit or equivalent layered system stays in place until 1 April, although you may wish to carry on given how cold the water will still be. The new format Main Points series will then start on 2 April with the first race starting at 13:15. I hope to see you out on the water then. Cheers Hugh |
