April Newsletter
Editor’s Note
Thank you everyone for feedback and suggestions about my first Newsletter. Hopefully number two will be even better. This second Newsletter of 2022 is packed with stories info about our new kitchen, this year’s RYA Discover Sailing event, the fundraiser to totally renovate and improve our changing rooms, trainee days, a royal sailing quiz and much more. Most importantly, ENJOY!
Commodore’s Greeting
Dear Members
Well, the new season has indeed started off well, especially with the Commodore’s Party, which was great fun. And the Wind Gods have been very kind and we have achieved racing every week so far. Let us hope that Boreas, Zephyrus, Notus and Eurus continue to smile upon us for the foreseeable future.
Many thanks to everyone who helped make the party such an enjoyable event. It was great meeting Deputy Mayor Ruby Cox, who opened our lovely new kitchen. We will now be focusing on the changing room project (more info below), which will further enhance our club for all our members.
I’m excited about our first Wednesday Hub evening, which is on 4th May when hopefully we will be sailing and socialising with members new and old. We have 18 sail trainees signed up for the RYA level 1 course that will attend that evening to receive course information and meet members of the club and training team as well as take part in other events planned. (see more info in next Newsletter item).
Following on from the above the Wednesday Hub for gatherings of a social and sailing kind will be held every Wednesday evening throughout the summer An attended bar, club sailing including women focused sessions and advanced youth along with monthly meet the members sessions are planned.
On Saturday 28th May we will hold our Discover Sailing event alongside celebrating Steering the Course which is an international event promoting female participation in sailing. We have decided to also promote various water activities in the town and a number of women will be involved to provide information/taster sessions. This will include SUP, kayaks, swimmers and the RNLI.
As you can see the Club is now really starting to become busy with not only racing planned but with training and social events too so please get the dates in your diary and I look forward to seeing you both on and off the water.
Melanie
Commodore
Chair of the Exec Committee
Wednesday Social Evenings, from 4 May
To kick off the Wednesday evening sailing this year, on Wednesday 4th of May there will be food from around 7.30pm and a band from about 8.00pm. Club member Richard Morley is the drummer in the band, which will be playing free of charge, with any donations in a hat towards the changing room fund raising project. Come down, sail, eat, listen to some music, meet this year’s sailing trainees and other members new and old. And most importantly, Have Fun!
Achieving Glory – Rum Race
Rum Race – Jem & Ali Short, (Laser 2000, Rye Harbour SC). Best placed Hastings & St Leonards SC member, Roy Sandford, (Laser Radial, second place)
Easter Regatta – Philip & Tristan/Margaret Blurton, (Tasar); Second Place, Eric Petersen
Your Sailing Club Needs YOU!
The club is planning on taking part in this year’s RYA Discover Sailing event — better known as Push the Boat Out — and is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 28th May. However, this does require a large number of volunteers to ensure the day is a success. We are looking for people to take care of registration, to manage activities on the beach, to man a couple of powerboats, to man the tea bar, as well as any members willing to take Joe Public out for a spin on their boats.
We will not be allocating duties to cover this event and will rely entirely on club members volunteering to make this event a success. If you are able to help at all please do let me know at mikedickie@hotmail.com. I will also leave a couple of sign up sheets down at the club, one in the boathouse and one in the clubhouse. Depending on the level of interest we will make a decision on whether this event can or cannot go ahead the week beginning 9th May.
Changing Room Improvements — Fund Raising Starts NOW!
The club will be working with a local firm, Lee & Upton, to make major improvements to the changing rooms at the end of this season. The plan is to install a family changing room, disabled access toilet, and a larger female changing room and make general improvements to all our changing room facilities. The cost of the work will be around £100.000.00. The intention is for the club to contribute £20,000 from existing resources with the remainder coming from grants applications, crowd funding and specific fund-raising activities.
Youth Promotion Officer, Hugh Ashford, who recently installed the lovely new kitchen, is overseeing the technical side of the work and Rear Commodore, Philip Blurton, is leading the fund-raising. Also part of the project group are Simon Terry, Development Officer, and Gerry Skinner. Philip writes, “In addition to a range of fund raising events that will be organised by the club this year, could everyone think about whether they could take some fund-raising initiative of their own, however large or small. It could be a raffle, a coffee morning, a sponsored event, or any other creative contribution that will raise some money. Let your imagination fly and contribute to the cause!”
Eric Peterson and Dick Hogg have produced a “fund-raising sailing club thermometer” to track progress. Look out for it at the club soon. A short video has also been produced, (thank you David Caffrey), which will be used to support grant applications, a crowd funding initiative starting in mid-May and any other fund-raising activities. To view the video, click on the link below:
Please contact Philip if you have fund-raising ideas that you could take forward or support. Thinking hats on and all ideas welcome. philip.blurton@icloud.com (07803 429534). We have a much-improved kitchen and freshened-up clubhouse; it is now time to see our changing room facilities brought up to modern standards too.
Vinyl Sisters Hastings
Saturday the 23rd, there will be the Vinyl Sisters /Hastings, party by the Sea to the best grooves in Reggae, International Beats, Soul, Funk, Latin and Electronica …. with vibrant visuals as well … good time music to dance to!
It’s the lovely launch event for Vinyl Sisters Hastings – the latest ‘branch’ of Vinyl Sisters Outerglobe – with four very fine DJ hosts – DJ Miss Dollymix (Louise Whitham) , Jude Montague, Miss Feelgood (Shirley Slattery) and Debbie Golt. Between us we have played at a host of fine festivals including Glastonbury, Womad, Bestival, Shambala, Fusion Marrakech, Oland Roots, Live coded in Prague, taken Brixton Academy, 100CLub, Scala, Railway Tavern, Mango Landing, Upstairs at the Ritzy, 1200 Postcards … and many more by storm.
AND it’s important that you buy advance tickets so we can have a names list for the Sailing Club as it is really a members club and you would be paying guests. Tickets are only £6 and you can get them from this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vinyl-sisters-hastings-tickets-295831348527
New Mats
We’ve laid down the mats, which make the launching and recovering of patrol boats and dinghies much easier. However, we’re aware that they can cause a lot of hard work when they become twisted or buried in strong winds and high seas. If possible, can all members PLEASE work together to keep the mats in good condition so that we can continue to use them throughout the season. Thanks.
Club Boats
Club boats are available for hire for Saturday afternoons, Wednesday evening and Sunday racing. To book please use the links below. Payment to be made on the day at the club house.
https://webcollect.org.uk/hastingssc/event/wednesday-evening-club-boat-booking
https://webcollect.org.uk/hastingssc/event/saturday-afternoon-club-boat-booking-1
https://webcollect.org.uk/hastingssc/event/sunday-racing-club-boat-booking
Training/Coaching Dates
Wednesday 27th April – laser coaching – the controls ashore session
7th May – Introduction Session for Autumn 2021 Sail Trainees
14th May – Novices Support Sailing
21st May – Women’s Beginner Laser Coaching
– Novices Supported Sailing
Clean Up
A huge thanks to everyone who came along on 12 & 13 of March to help clean up the club.
With all the clean up work, combined with the sparkling new kitchen, the club looks fantastic!
Here are just a few photos of people helping to make our club sparkle!
Hastings Half Marathon
Club members Jim Taylor, Lily Share and Simon Terry successfully completed the Hastings half marathon. The event also had the support of club members Andrew Colthurst, who is part of the Hastings Lions group that organises the event, and Philip Blurton, who was a marshall on the day.
A Royal Sailor’s Quiz
Another short sailing quiz, this one with a royal flavour.
1) Which previous Club Commodore has an MBE?
2) Which Club member received an RYA Award from Princess Anne for services to the Club?
3) Who was Uffa Fox and what was his relation to Prince Philip?
2022 Sailing Club Officers
At the AGM our following members put themselves up to make things happened the keep the show on the road in 2022. Thank you!
Commodore – – – – – – – – – – – – – Melanie Clark (Chair of the Executive Committee)
Vice Commodore – – – – – – – – – Matthew Wiseman (Chair of the Sailing Committee)
Rear Commodore – – – – – – – – – Phil Blurton (Chair of the House Committee)
Principal Race Officer – – – – – – Richard Morley
Secretary – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Stephen Hobson
Youth Promotion Officer – – – – – Hugh Ashford
Sailing Secretary – – – – – – – – – Michael Dickie
Assistant Sailing Secretary – – Luke Herriott
Treasurer – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Teresa Farrer
Development Officer – – – – – – – Simon Terry
Membership Secretary – – – – – Andrew Colthurst
Health & Safety Officer – – – – – Bruce Carter
Boatswain – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Phil Cosham
Coxswain – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – David Gordon
Training Principal – – – – – – – – – Andrew Francis
Wine Steward – – – – – – – – – – – – Ian Farrer
Youth representative – – – – – – – Pearl Herriott
Sailing Committee Members – Don Bowles, Derek Treacher, Mat Windley, Eric Petersen, Nicola MacKew
House Committee Members – Stuary Labett, Lily Share, Merle Jeffries
Safeguarding officer——– – Janey Nash
Newsletter Officer———- – John Cole
Thank you also to all those who are not serving on the various committees but nonetheless contribute in so many ways to life of the club. We are a club run by our membership for the membership.
(Nag Nag Nag)
Those who have paid their membership and boathouse fee, Thank You.
And those of you who haven’t… please do so ASAP… if not sooner!
The club is run by volunteers and late payments take up a considerable amount of your colleagues’ time.