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WELCOME

Saron Rusden
Commodore

I am sitting writing this having just watched four youngsters racing in Wednesday evening in winds exceeding 20knots. At Easter two of them were worried about joining in racing. The turnout for the Easter Sunday race made us question the format of harbour sailing there were just two of us! (at least I was guaranteed 2^nd place- which is probably the best result I'll get this season).

Some time ago the Committee recognised that the youngsters at Sailing School did not progress into club sailing, also several members expressed their concerns about racing. Paul Walker decided to offer training for all harbour races for those sailors at the back of the fleet, we tested this in the autumn and it proved popular. The trainer in a rib also can advise the race committee on the course and race management. This is proving very successful and we now get in excess of 15 regularly racing in the harbour. Juniors are now progressing to the front of the fleet. If you are nervous about racing do come & join us, you will be offered lots of help.

Sailing school started in May and we have 24 juniors signed up, the maximum we can take. Thanks to Paul & Sue for organising this and Dave for running the courses. We started the season with a laser world qualifier with 165 lasers competing. Max Holloway finished 4^th out of 60 boats in the Standard Fleet and won the last race. Three weeks later we hosted a RS200 open meeting. Early June we held the Quadrangle event for the three Christchurch clubs and Spinnaker. Highcliffe were 2nd overall out of the four clubs world. The club was packed with over 100 people.

The quiz despite being on a snowy Friday night and the Quizmaster snowed in was attended by 80 people. Mudeford Crabs was a great way to celebrate the start of the Sailing Season. The bar will be open every Friday night June, July & August. The last Friday of each month is Youth night 12 years and over. We also particularly welcome new members on the last Friday for a drink. Weather permitting we will also light up a barbeque.

Sadly four members sailed over the horizon for the last time, Britt Hand, Dr David Tuddenham, John Aberdein and Pat Kempster. Britt was a founder member of the club and served as commodore, secretary and latterly Trustee. The club were pleased to offer the clubhouse for his funeral tea.

I would like to thank Mark Sharman for all the work he has put in to update the HSC website
(www.highcliffesailing.co.uk)
This is now an up to date working website and I would recommend members do look at it for updates and what's on, and when. Please sign up for regular updates. We are also very fortunate that another new member - Karen Morris - has volunteered to take over as Publicity Officer; thanks to her this newsletter is being produced.

Roger Murray took a group of juniors for Rib training and we entered 3 into the RYA rib competition. Alex Seton was second, Jamie Tarrant 4th in their age group and Brendan Badley 4th in the under 12 age group. Roger is continuing the Rib training for all 8 -16 year olds on a monthly basis through the summer. Anyone interested please see the web site.

We are promised a hot summer so hopefully we will have some great sailing days throughout the summer. I look forward to seeing more people on the water. Do look at the website to see what is planned for the forthcoming week.

NERVOUS ABOUT RACING?
READ ON

Paul Walker
Rear Commodore (Sailing)

After a couple of years of steady decline in numbers racing in the harbour, we seem to have turned a corner. With turnouts now well into double figures, plenty of enthusiasm and a pool of youngsters eager to join in, things are definitely on the up.

Much of the credit must go to the Saturday sailing school, the improvement in the ability of the children that took part in the first year is amazing! Jamie Tarrant, Matt Langdown. Ellie Walker and Jim Sowden are all now confidently racing and giving the adults quite a run for their money, (Jamie and Jim are now campaigning an RS Feva on the circuit and doing very well) with many more coming through all of the time. This is most definitely the future for racing at HSC.

We have taken the decision to use the harbour racing programme to try and build on this by coaching the beginners and those that lack the confidence to race. This coaching will be focused on beginners of all ages, there are plenty of juniors and most definitely a large group of adults (or should that be a group of large adults)! that will benefit from this. So we are taking a rib out on harbour evening races to follow the fleet and hopefully help those sailors struggling to keep up. There will also be help on hand to assist with rigging and to explain the course and start sequence if needed.

For those potential sailors without a boat, club boats are available for hire, we have Toppers and Laser Picos all of which are available at extremely good rates and will allow you to get a taste for racing without having to first buy a boat.

In addition to the evening series we have looked into filling the 'gaps' caused by the tides on Sundays that limit racing to just one days racing every two weeks.

This programme will be published but will be subject to the tides behaving on the weekends in question so keep an eye on the website to keep up to date with this. As I have said, the coaching will be concentrated on beginners and will work from the back of the fleet but we will be more than happy to help anyone if they ask.

Finally for those interested there is Mudeford week starting on 7th August and the Christchurch Sailing Club junior regatta on 22nd & 23rd of August. Both of these events will give an excellent opportunity to hone those skills picked up from this coaching. (Mudeford week is open to both adults and juniors alike).

See you on the water!

Should you wish to discuss this, please feel free to contact me by email p.walker310@ntworld.com or my mobile 07802 689157

BOSUN DUTIES AT HSC

Kevin Chapman
Bosun

This is my first season as Bosun for HSC and my first article for the Newsletter so here goes ... My main duties are to ensure the club boats, two ribs (Rib 1 and Nelson) along with the two displacement boats (Edna May and Sea Fox moored in the Harbour) are service, antifouled etc where required ready for the coming season. Then it is a case of keeping them operational, this has been achieved so far with help of volunteers. My aim is to carry out as much work as possible on the boats in house, reducing the running costs, after inheriting some considerable bills at the start of the season.

Having learnt the hard way and with some guidance from more experienced members I can sympathise with members that have a boat duty and are not sure of the routine, but there is always somebody on race days to ask for assistance.

One of the things that bugs me the most is when the covers on the Edna May and Sea Fox are not put on. Admittedly, the Sea Fox cover is not much use but hopefully next season it can be replaced.

Could helms and crew of all boats try to ensure that the battery isolation switches are turned off after use, this is not the ignition key but the large plastic T type key that is usually attached by string. If you aware of any problems with the boats, could crews notify myself or a committee member or make a note in the boat located in the club house.

Another duty of Bosun is to make sure the sea marks are painted, their anchors and chains are in good order for another year at sea and then positioned. This was achieved with the help of Matt Bates hand held GPS system, Matt giving me the confidence that they were spot on, Chief !!! However, I am still having trouble finding them when sailing but have developed the technique of following the fleet around the course finding them with great ease (at the expense of first place of course).

RS Feva Nationals (23-25 May)

Jim Sowden and Jamie Tarrant
WPNSA

We were looking forward to going to our first Nationals even though the forecast was for light winds and we like strong winds. We all stayed at a caravan park near to the club, it was good because it had evening entertainment which was a laugh.

Saturday was the first day of racing and there was 72 boats racing in flights to split the fleet into Gold and Silver fleets. As forecast the wind was light and we had to wait for the wind to get started. We did 3 races and finished 18, 21 and 25 and we were 45th overall, so were in Silver fleet. Saturday evening there was a BBQ and they had a RC car track which was all good, then back to the caravan park to see an 80s band which our parents liked.

Sunday was even less wind and difficult to set a course, but after a long wait racing started with Gold fleet going first on a windward/leeward course. We wanted to try and get top 10 in the Silver fleet. In the end only one race was completed on Sunday and we finished 2nd which was great, as we had overtaken 3 boats on the last downwind leg to the finish. Sunday night we went to the pub for dinner on Chesil Beach then back to the caravan park to see some wrestling.

Monday very light wind again, went out not enough wind so got sent back in. Then we were sent back out again and the Race Officer even got to put starting flags up but had to abandon before the start he then gave up and we went back in again. We then had the prize giving and the results were worked out using all the races and having the 2nd place helped a lot because we had finished 3rd overall in Silver fleet. We stood on the podium and won a trophy and an i.tunes card.

Although we did not have the wind we like and not many races, it was a great fun event with sunny warm days and good socials off the water.

RS Feva 1434

***STOP PRESS***
SAILING WORLD CUP OLYMPIC CLASSES REGATTA - KIEL
Congratulations Max Holloway 28th Laser (3rd GBR)
James Rusden & Rob Partridge
10th 470

QUADRANGLE SERIES

Pete Bell
Vice-Commodore

The annual one day Interclub "Quadrangle series" between Highcliffe, Christchurch, Mudeford and Spinnaker sailing clubs took place in Christchurch Bay on Sunday 7th June. 37 boats participated in lovely conditions of SW breeze and a classic Christchurch bay swell and mostly sunshine. PRO Paul Walker made the best of the conditions with a good size triangle / sausage / triangle course. The reaches were deep, creating tactical wave sailing.

Outstanding sailor of the day was Matt Reid (Spinnaker) in a Laser standard only beaten on the water in Race 1 by a RS300 of Luke Ridout (CSC), otherwise beating all including the Christchurch Finns of Merrick Gill and Simon Percival. Tim Reid (MSC) was top Laser Radial scoring 3rd & 4th on handicap.

Clubs (top 5 boats of each club scoring) Christchurch SC 39pts
Highcliffe SC 51pts
Mudeford SC 70pts
Spinnaker 74pts

ROUND THE ISLAND AND THROUGH THE NEEDLES ...

Sue Andrews
HSC Member

It was an early start last Saturday when three ribs took to sea to watch the events unfold in the 2009 Round the Island Race. Testosterone was flowing as ribs jostled for position ably helmed (in most cases) by HSC members. Fun was the order of the day, or at least was during the hour and a half we waited for the first boat to round Hurst Castle towards the Needles (or through them in some cases!).

At last we sighted the helicopter overhead, leading the pack (Leopard in the lead followed by X40s with Russell Coutts & Ben Ainslie match racing around the Needles).

Five boats hit the sunken wreck and one had hoisted its Spinnaker upside down (perhaps too much alcohol the night before!), unusual for sailing stalwarts!

Having seen the leading boats, the rib pack worked its way up through the fleet and onto a full English in Yarmouth. Suffice it to say, Clive was really disappointed that we hadn't ended up in the pub, he had already toasted the start of the race with a bottle of plonk! The ride home was slightly bumpy with Mark and myself nearly being thrown overboard by Kevin Chapman's helming skills (not!). A great experience, bring on the next one!

YOUTH CLUB

Lewis Badley

The youth club with family and friends all met up on the Friday of half term. It was a fun and an eventful afternoon, and to top it all it was very hot and sunny. All of us met up and played around and also had a race on boats such as Pico's, Topper's and even Laser's. We also had out kayaks and windsurfing boards, there was about 15 of us. It was great fun to get together. It was a really enjoyable day.

Afterwards we had a wonderful BBQ, with all the food that we brought from home, ranging from matt's burnt sausages that were falling apart to a wonderfully baked sausages that the McDonald worker made (Jim). All in all we all thoroughly enjoyed it and would love it to happen again, I would also recommend it to any of you who missed out and didn't do it last time!

Articles needed from Sailing School members for next newsletter contact me at Karen_jackson66@hotmail.com

Tania Tarrant
social secretary

see club notice board for further info

Harbour Race Nights
Friday 17th & 31st July (inc youth)
7 pm onwards - BBQ for DIY so BYO!

New Members Welcome Night
Friday 31st July
7 pm onwards- BBQ for DIY so BYO!

Mudeford RNLI Funday
Sunday 2nd August
Club open all day
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Mudeford Week Social
thursday 13th august - bar open

Christchurch Regatta Fireworks
Saturday 15th august- social tbc

Bournemouth Air Festival
20th - 23rd august

Christchurch Junior Sailing Regatta
saturday 22nd & sunday 23rd august

PLEASE NOTE:

* BBQ's WILL BE WEATHER DEPENDANT - IF YOU DO COOK YOUR OWN FOOD, PLEASE HELP WITH WASHING/CLEARING UP!
* BAR OPEN ON RACE NIGHTS - WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY & FRIDAY NIGHTS
* SUPPER AVAILABLE AFTER RACING ON THURSDAY NIGHTS
(Volunteers needed - please see rota on notice board and add name)



Friday 25th June - New members welcome night BBQ

Contender Nationals - Saturday 19th - 22nd September
mudeford crabs return (Sat)
Band Tickets £5 - on sale now! Limited numbers!