08/12/2010

Annual Dinner and Prizegiving

Due to the current extreme weather conditions it has reluctantly been decided to CANCEL the above event on Friday 10th December with a view to arranging a suitable future date.

23/11/2010

Portavadie Day in June 2011

This year, in June, the club held a very successful jaunt to Portavadie where a pontoon party was followed by a good meal in splendid surroundings. The wonderful weather which June is delivering these days certainly helped and the prevailing view of those attending was that a repeat in 2011 was in order.  Unusually, this event did not take the form of a race but it has been suggested that the Club could do more to offer pursuit races to encourage those who are somewhat intimidated by conventional starts (and with Stewart Toy around the start line  who could blame them! ).  The Portavadie outing would seem an ideal opportunity for a pursuit race and the Committee are keen to hear the views of active members on this suggestion. Please use the comments facility at the end of this post to state your views.   

Annual Dinner and Prizegiving 2010

Catherine Toy, recovering from having been hit by her horse (requiring 8 stitches in her head), has asked that a notice about the Annual Dinner be posted.


The Annual Dinner and Prizegiving 2010 will be held in the Glasgow Art Club on Friday 10th December at 7.30 for 8pm.  This is always an enjoyable and sociable evening and this year the speaker is Prof Paul Dodson who is an old chum of our Commodore.  In addition to the distribution of the familiar galaxy of tin pots, the prizes for best photo and best log of 2010 will be awarded.  The evening commences with a drinks reception and all Serpents are encouraged to attend. The cost is £45 pp and we are assured that with new caterers  great things are expected. The booking form is attached to the newsletter which all members should have received either royally or by email but failing that get in touch with Tom Barrie asap.

31/10/2010

Frostbite Race

October 30th provided perfect autumnal sailing conditions for the Serpent YC 'Frostbite' race around the Cumbrae from Largs. With bright sunshine and a southsouthwesterly wind up to the high teens we couldn't have asked for better. As ever it was a small and somewhat motley collection of yachts gathered for the event but there could be no doubting the general enthusiasm although the start had to be postponed for 10 minutes to allow late arrivals from Kip who had underestimated the journey time in the prevailing conditions. The start involved the bizarre Serpent technique allowing the committee boat to join in the race without too much delay The obvious thing to do was to hit the Cumbrae shore and tack up it but as is usual with the Serpents there were in evidence any number of variations.
The two spinnaker boats were first to the Tan Spit where spinnakers were deployed for a fast run up the west side of the Cumbrae. Troikka made sure that this year she found the correct green buoy and took line honours although she waited anxiously as Guilty seemed too close behind for comfort.
In the brisk conditions Neil McDougall's Camus Bosta was well able to sail to her extraordinary handicap and was the clear winner of the restricted sail Class3. After the race Troikka and Guilty headed straight back to Kip while Aquaholic, OOTB, Camus Bosta and Emma Louise went into Largs and Tulla headed off for afternoon tea in the Holy Loch.  
 Troikka ended her season with a stressful moment as the engine cut suddenly on the final approach into the Kip  entrance channel. However some quick work by the crew had some headsail back up and a rapid response by the marina staff meant that she was able to go alongside in the marina without mishap. It turned out that the cause of the problem was a spinnaker guy around the prop - definitely something to be avoided at all costs. Here are the results:






22/09/2010

The new website
One of the aims of setting up the new Serpent Yacht Club website as a blog was to increase the possibility of interactivity. At present, the committee members are the only people who have the passwords to log in and post an actual article or place photos but at the end of every posting there is a line which says "Posted by Serpent Yacht Club at xx.yy time. 0 Comments ".
If you click on the '0 Comments' it opens a dialog box where you can place your own comments be they interesting, grateful, witty or just plain scurrilous.  Serpent members are thus encourged to use this facility. Unfortunately you cannot add photos via the comments box but we may try to start an open photo repository elsewhere.  

21/09/2010

Serpent Autumn Muster 18th 19th September

For a change this year’s Autumn Muster headed South to Rothesay. The acting Race Officer unwisely set a shortened course which missed out the passage through the Tan and resulted merely in a fetch to Hun 1, Toward and thence to Rothesay.
Such was the enthusiasm at the start that there were two recalls. Kelpie :D was first over the start line having miscounted the guns but heard the recall announcement and restarted. On the other hand, Stewart Toy on Out of the Blue, powering up to the line in great style and distracted by his all female crew, mistook Anne Sutherland waving at him as an instruction to cross the line (N.B. 2 excuses there!) and was completely over when the horn sounded. Unfortunately, and presumably due to the aforementioned distraction, Out of the Blue paid no heed to the recall signals and remained OCS.


Sailing through a breezy but drizzly force four which was followed by light and bright threes, the fleet reached Rothesay far too early in what had become a fine sailing afternoon.
Later, Que Chica, Emma Louise and Exody cruised over to join the racing fleet.
A pleasant few hours were spent socialising and viewing new boats in and around the new harbour- Neil McDougal’s Camus Bosta, Peter Jennet’s Exody and Tom Hutchinson’s fast-looking Aquaholic. Drinks parties developed on Camus Bosta and Troikka and many thanks to Neil and Marie and Charles and Anne for hosting these.

 At six thirty, a bus transported us all to the very stylish Mount Stuart Visitor Centre where we enjoyed a beautiful dinner of locally produced food: lamb, halibut, langoustine and Isle of Bute cheeses and many thanks go to Mount Stuart catering staff for providing such a fine dinner. At the dinner the results were announced. The Acting Race Officer appears to have mislaid the timesheet (or left it on his boat) but the result order was:

Class 1
  1. Guilty
  2. Aquaholic
Class 3
  1. Tulla
  2. Camus Bosta
  3. Troikka
  4. Kelpie: D
  5. Out of the Blue (OCS)
Sunday dawned misty and damp. Only Kelpie D, Tulla , Guilty and Aquaholic braved the morning haar and absence of wind to struggle back to Kip. With her early start, Kelpie:D was first to catch the wind and took line honours, closely followed by Tulla, Guilty and Aquaholic.

05/09/2010

Autumn Muster 18th/19th September 2010

This year’s Autumn Muster is from Kip to Rothesay with a pursuit race back to Kip on the Sunday. We have organised a special three course Dinner at the stunning Mount Stuart Visitor Centre. The cost will be £30.00 which includes the cost of the meal, plus the cost of the bus there and back. The bus will leave from Rothesay Pier at 7.00 p.m Completed entry forms to be returned to Catherine Toy by the 12th September, to help identify numbers for catering and for the bus. If you require a children’s menu can you specify that on the form and we will organise it with Mount Stuart.

Frostbite 30th October 2010

This will take place from Largs and will be a race round Greater Cumbrae. This year’s socialising will be left up to the participants on the day. Race instructions are enclosed with this newsletter.

Annual Dinner and Prize Giving - Fri 10th December 2010

The venue is the Glasgow Art Club in Bath Street and the guest speaker will be Paul Dodson, a friend of Tom Barrie’s. He is both a sailor and a medic. More details will appear in the November Newsletter.
Could all members who won cups last year please return them to Iain Sinclair or any Committee Member no later than Mon 1st November.


Commodore’s Message

Dear Friends,

After the stunning weather in May and June, which was often accompanied by fair winds, it was all the more disappointing to experience yet another dismal July and August. There seems to be some malign presence which causes the weather on the west of Scotland to break as soon as the schools stop, and often only to pick up again as soon as the autumn term commences.

Whilst we have to live with whatever the local weather throws at us, we can at least try to devise as attractive as possible Musters. You will see in this newsletter, the venue for the Autumn Muster has changed to Rothesay. Whilst keeping a similar sailing format which has worked well in the past, we have organised a rather special dinner at Mount Stuart House restaurant, together with transport from Rothesay. Having seen the menus and the wine list, this should be a memorable evening for the club.

The Cal Mac ferry timetable may prevent those who usually drive to this muster from returning to the mainland after the meal. However, there is a wide range of accommodation on Bute, and particularly if anyone has not already visited Mount Stuart House, I can strongly recommend that they combine a visit with the muster, since both the house and the gardens are quite outstanding.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Bute in September.

Tom Barrie,
Commodore


Log and Photographic Competition

Please remember the club has a log Competition. For those of you who travelled far or even not so far this summer, entries should be forwarded to Catherine Toy, by the 31st October.
There will also be a prize at the dinner for the best photograph of a Serpent Boat. Again entries to Catherine by 31st October.

Congratulations

The club congratulates
· Roisin and Paul Harris on the arrival of their twins Arthur and Bridget.
· Kirsten Clow on her marriage to Julian Finnigan.
· Tom Hutchison and Peter Jennett on their new boats. Tom’s is a Sun Odyssey 33iP to be called Aquaholic. Peter’s is a Sadler Starlight 39.

09/08/2010

Portavadie Marina Open Day 22nd August




Graeme Galbraith, Assistant Marina Manager at Portavadie writes to us as follows:

I’d like to take this opportunity to invite your members to an open day at Portavadie Marina on Sunday 22nd August. The idea behind the open day is to promote our facilities to boat owners and crew who may not have had the chance to visit Portavadie Marina since opening three years ago. We are offering free overnight berthing on the Sunday and a complimentary breakfast for two people per boat on the Monday morning. There will also be hosted marina facility tours and a chance to see our new luxury apartments and shop.

To register your interest please contact info@portavadiemarina.com or call
01700 811075 quoting “open day registration”. We will require contact
details to reserve your place and are limited to 4 guests per boat. Please
book early as spaces are limited.

27/07/2010





25 July 2010
Round Shuna Race

Sunday dawned rather damply with a F3/4 from the West. Six Serpent boats joined battle on the start line at 11.00am.
Almost immediately, Troikka disappeared over the horizon showing the rest of the fleet a clean pair of heels to take line honours. This despite Charles flying his cruising sails, clearly offset by having the Hannah's aboard as hotshot crew.

A tussle which developed between Seamus Lalor on Emma Louise and Stewart Toy on Out of the Blue involved much luffing and resolved in favour of the smaller boat. Stewart had the consolation of beating his long time rival Black Pepper which, together with Tango Too was serenely passed by Martyn Webster, Arup Ray and Tony Adgent on the elegant Shona, which went on to win the race.

Photos by Jane Hinshalwood














Results

Skipper Boat Corrected Time hh:mm:ss Place
Martyn Webster Shona 1 03 38 1 The Bon Secours Quaich
Chas Sutherland Troikka 1 06 25 2 The Sorin Cup
Seamus Lalor Emma Louise 1 06 58 3 The Datex-Ohmeda Trophy
Stewart Toy Out of the Blue 1 08 13 4
Iain Sinclair Black Pepper 1 10 21 5
Steve Pickles Tango Too 1 12 26 6




24 July 2010
Summer Muster at Craobh

The annual Craobh barbecue was held on Saturday 24th July, a day which seemed unpromising with persistent West Coast rain and drizzle.

The marina staff made great efforts to prepare the boatshed for us, including erecting a shelter above the barbecue to keep the chefs dry. It had been discovered that the grill, which we have used for many years, had rusted, fallen apart and been binned during a spring clean. Undaunted, the Marina staff located an oil barrel which was swiftly cut in half and prepared for cooking duty.

As a Club, we are so fortunate in having the help and support of Jim Berry and his team and we are extremely grateful for the donations, both wine and financial, from Holt Leisure Parks.

The evening was a great success, and hugely enjoyed by 34 members and friends. Steve Pickles, ably assisted by Trevor, produced another tour de force in the catering department with sumptuous burgers, tasty sausages, kebabs and mouth-watering pineapple. Ample quantities of liquid refreshment helped everything go with a swing.

John Mackenzie's Ceilidh Band was again in attendance with Tony Adgent on accordian. A fine selection of music was played and danced to and a special delight for us all was to hear Fay Jennett singing Scots songs. Fay's international singing venues this summer are - Craobh boatshed, Berlin, Leipzig and New York! We wish her well.

Vice Commodore Catherine Toy thanked everyone who had contributed to the success of the evening and looked forward to hot competition in the Round Shuna Race.

Photos by Jane Hinshalwood and Iain Sinclair

08/07/2010

Upcoming Event

Don't miss the Summer Muster on 24th July 2010
Barbecue and Ceilidh in the Boatshed at Craobh Haven
7 for 7.30 finishing about 11pm so that everyone is in tip top form for the..

Round Shuna Race on Sunday 25th July starting at 11am weather permitting. Race instructions will be handed out at the BBQ.

There will be a charge of £10 per head for the barbecue/ceilidh and a race entry fee of £15. Obviously there are cheaper ways to go for a sail round Shuna but not with the opportunity to win the Bon Secours Quaich, The Sorin Cup or the Datex-Ohmeda Trophy.

Please contact Steve Pickles by Wednesday 21st July if you intend coming so that appropriate catering arrangements can be made. Conatct Steve on 01555 666348 or 07981443462. If no answer leave a message
or email stephen.pickles(AT)btinternet.com

Also:
Photography Competition
Stephen Pickles, as winner of last year's competition (with his memorable photo of his own yacht solidly aground) has been asked to organise this year's competition. Unsurprisingly he has chosen the theme 'The Best Picture of A Serpent Boat Under Sail' (ie not aground) to be judged by members at the Annual Dinner. So get shooting and send your entries to Catherine.

Log Competition
There is also a competition for the best log. Entries have been sparse in recent years. There is a cup at stake so get your chainsaws out.

Burgees
If anyone needs a Serpent burgee they can be obtained direct from the Ensign Flag Co. www.ensignflags.com They are very prompt and helpful.

June Update

The Portavadie Cruise
on 19th June was a great success. A more detailed report may follow later but we had some excellent weather with a fine sailing breeze building for a brisk beat up Loch Fyne to Portavadie. There was a good attendance for the Pimms party held by the Toys on OOTB with some additional supercharging with de genuine Caribbean rum punch. Thereafter we repaired to the Portavadie restaurant for an excellent meal. There was general agreement that Portavadie is a potential future destination for the Club





New Arrivals

The club congratulates Roisin and Paul Harris on the arrival of their twins Arthur and Bridget. It remains to be seen how long it will be before all four are out sailing on Tanit.

Another arrival, also involving four legs and occuring the night of the Portavadie outing was the long awaited foal of Molly, belonging to Catherine Toy who naturally had to rush home without delay on the Sunday morning. Mother and daughter are shown below.



all photos by David Toy

13/06/2010

Serpents at Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series

The Serpent Yacht Club had a good showing at the Scottish Series at Tarbert this year. Slipping quickly out of their nappy changing mode of the previous Opening Muster weekend Paul and Richard Harris went on to win the closely fought IRC Class2, in the process beating Roxy6, a new Corby design and their Clyde sister ship Bateleur 97. In IRC 3, the massed Serpents on board Troikka were more out for a good time but enjoyed some close and exciting sailing in the class which produced the overall winner.



The Troikka crew were well catered for on mother ship Out of the Blue (henceforth referred to as OOTBee) and the pic below shows chef Steve Pickles with an appreciative Anne, Seamus and Marcus. Stewart was probably doing the dishes at the time. Steve's exceptional galley skills are now well recognised and thus he is once more in charge of the barbecue at the Croabh Muster in July.

Opening Muster Weekend 2010

It was a glassy calm and windless Saturday for the Opening Muster. Paul Harris on Tanit set the course for Tarbert via Garroch Head, dropping the mooring once all starters were away and catching up by the time the rest had reached Toward. There were innumerable holes to pick through and a decision was taken to shorten the race at Garroch Head which Troikka reached first with Tanit close behind.
Troikka and Tanit were motoring well up Loch Fyne before any sign of Class 2 appeared round the corner but eventually everyone arrived in time to bask in the Tarbert sunshine although Guilty’s engine self -destructed with a bang on approach. The meal in the Anchor Hotel was well attended and to more or less the usual standard.

Next morning the Ladies were fired up for their race but off Tarbert there was absolutely no wind and so Seamus on Emma Louise, who had possession of a large water pistol started some water fights. Eventually, to general surprise, the race committee on Guilty sounded the horn and some fairly desperate drifting commenced. However the ladies were not to be deterred and eventually a fine sailing breeze filled in leading to an enjoyable sail to Ardlamont and an easy run to the finish at Kames.





22/04/2010

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2010

A Message from the Commodore
Despite an extended cold spell and a late spring, work has been moving on apace, with members getting boats ready for the new season.
A lucky few already have their boats in the water and have enjoyed a few beautiful days sailing. For others that pleasure still awaits.
Unfortunately I could not attend the AGM in February but I understand it went well and we are indebted to Jill Young and her staff at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital for their help and hospitality.
As I write this, I am currently stuck in Marseille waiting for volcanic ash to settle and the promise of a flight home.
I’d like to welcome all the new members who have recently joined the club and welcome back our regular members. The committee has organised a programme for the year and I would encourage you all to come along and take part to renew old friendships and build new ones.
I am l looking forward to seeing you on the water in this coming season.

Tom Barrie
Commodore


AGM 22nd Feb 2010
The AGM was once again held at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank on the 22nd February. Douglas Russell and Robbie Rodger retired from the committee and were thanked for their years of service to the club.
Charles Sutherland was welcomed to the committee. Charles has very kindly volunteered to update the Serpent website and is currently redesigning it . The new site will be launched later in the year, in a new more interactive format.
The committee for 2010 is:
Ø Commodore: Tom Barrie
Ø Vice Commodore: Catherine Toy
Ø Rear Commodore: Vacant
Ø Secretary: Catherine Toy
Ø Treasurer: Val Glen
Ø Sailing Secretary: Paul Harris
Ø Stewards: Roisin Harris, Steve Pickles, Charles Sutherland
Ø Ex Officio: Iain Sinclair



Ocean Youth Trust Scotland
The AGM concluded with a very interesting and entertaining presentation on the work of the Ocean Youth Trust Scotland by Lorraine Toner who is the Volunteer Co-ordinator for the OYTS.
Based in Greenock, the Ocean Youth Trust Scotland operates three sailing yachts which take young people aged between 12 and 24 to sea on youth development residential courses. Voyages last usually for 5 days. Through the shared challenge and adventure of life at sea young people build self confidence, develop problem solving and leadership skills and learn to take responsibility for their own actions.
Pauline encouraged those present to consider volunteering as crew members or consider raising funds for OYT . She highlighted the Big Commute being organised by OYT which is a race from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Lerwick. Two crews of twelve adults are racing OYT Scotland’s ocean-going Challenge 72’s from 20th - 29th August 2010. If you are interested you’ll need to raise a minimum of £2,950 to take part – more details can be found on the OYTScotland web site at www.oytscotland.org.uk or by contacting Helen at helen@oytscotland.org.uk.

A donation will be sent from the Serpent Yacht Club to OYT Scotland as a thank you.


Dates of Forthcoming Serpent Events in 2010

22/23rdMay Spring Muster ( Tarbert )
Saturday 19th June Clyde Get Together (Portavadie)
24/25 July Summer Muster (Craobh)
18/19 September Autumn Muster (Rothesay- To be confirmed )
Saturday 30tht October Frostbite Race (Round Cumbrae)
Annual Dinner Fri 11th December (Art Club)

Spring Muster 22nd / 23rd May 2009
The organisation of the Spring Muster to Tarbert is well underway. The option is to race or cruise to Tarbert on the Saturday and then for those interested in taking part, a ladies race back to Kames on Sunday. See the attached Race Instructions and Entry Form.

Berthing is available at Kip on Friday evening for those requiring it and members should pay berthing fees to the marina directly. The start will be off Kip at 1000hrs on the Saturday morning. Please return your entry forms to Paul Harris by Saturday 15th May. The race entry fee is £20 for the weekend.
Late entries will be accepted but a £5 penalty will be applied.

Spaces are reserved on the pontoons at Tarbert for Saturday evening. Let the harbour master know you are with the Serpent. All fees for berthing are to be paid directly to the Harbourmaster. The evening meal on Saturday will be in the Anchor Hotel at 7.00pm for 7.30pm. Cost is £25 per head, for a three course meal and coffee, children aged 5 to 12 years inclusive at £10 each and no charge for 4 years and under. Please state special dietary requirements on the entry form.

The committee hope that you will be able to attend the muster and look forward to another excellent weekend. Please bring along your friends particularly those who might be interested in joining the club. Membership has now been extended to a wider range of people working in areas related to health care, so opticians, pharmacists , physios etc. are now eligible for membership. If members or member’s friends require accommodation, this should be arranged directly with the hotel: tel 01880 820577.


Clyde Get Together – Saturday 19th June

Catherine Toy will be organising the June get together this year. We are going to visit Portavadie Marina for the first time. Drinks on Out of the Blue at 4.00pm, followed by dinner in the marina restaurant.
Could those interested in attending contact her in advance on 01555 665191 so that she can reserve tables?

Summer Muster – 24th and 25th July – Craobh Haven

The format will be similar to last year, with a barbeque in the grounds of Craobh Marina on Saturday evening followed by a the Round Shuna Race on Sunday. More details will be in the next Newsletter.

Retiring Members

Many members will remember John Short and his family sailing the beautiful "Strega" in Serpent events. John has written to the secretary :
”Alas age is playing a part in deciding to hang up my wellies and I would like to tender my resignation”.
Strega was a "She 36", and was well known on the Clyde and west coast waters. We wish John all the best for the future and assure him that he will always be welcome at Serpent events.

New Members
The club has just accepted Dr John Thorburn as a new member . John is a retired anaesthetist from Bearsden. He sails ZOE a Hallsberg Rassey 36 out of Kip.


Other News
Charles Sutherland has invited some club member to enter the Scottish Series so there will be a Serpent crew in the Scottish Series aboard Troikka.
(The Scottish Series sails out of Tarbert from the 28th-31st May. Results are reported in the Herald or online.)

Another Serpent boat Tanit is expecting additions to their crew in July - Paul and Roisin Harris are expecting twins. Roisin is keeping well and we wish her all the best .


Basking Sharks
SHN has issued a poster which it has sent out to saiing clubs drawing attention to Basking Shark hotspots.

It identified the hotspots around Canna and Hyskeir and and around Coll and Tiree and recommended considerate behaviour for yachts sailing in these areas. It is asking all sailors to move slowly around them and treat them with respect.

08/03/2010

JANUARY NEWSLETTER 2010


JANUARY NEWSLETTER 2010 A message from the Commodore: I wish you all Happy New Year and welcome to the Club’s first newsletter of 2010. We certainly had a White Christmas with snow and very low temperatures well into the New Year. I hope you all survived unscathed, without frost damage to house or boat. Our thoughts can now turn to warmer weather and to new choices and challenges. Some of you might be in the midst of anti-fouling and fitting out, others may still have that treat in store. You might even be about to take possession of your sparkling new boat. Whichever is the case, please note the dates of club events in your diary. The committee has planned an interesting programme for you, as usual, and we are looking forward to seeing you at club events during the year. Despite the recession, and some mediocre weather, the club had a good year last year culminating in a splendid turnout at the Glasgow Art Club for the Annual Dinner and Prize Giving. The meal at the Art Club was not quite up to their previous high standard and we have taken this up with the Club and understand that appropriate changes are to be made. I look forward to seeing you at the AGM which is being held on Monday 22nd Feb at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank. Iain Sinclair, Commodore ________________________________________________________________________

The Annual General Meeting of the Serpent Yacht Club will be held on Monday 22nd February 2010 in the Board Room at the Golden Jubilee Hospital, Beardmore Street, Clydebank. A buffet supper will be served at 7pm with the AGM starting at 7.30pm.

Thereafter there will be a presentation by Lorraine Toner on the work of the Ocean Youth Trust Scotland. The OYTS is a charity which operates three sailing ships and take young people aged between 12 and 24 to sea on youth development residentials.

New Members We are happy to welcome new club members. Subra Viswanathan and his wife Alexis, who live in Glasgow. Subra is a Consultant Radiologist at the Royal. Trevor Watson and his wife Barbara have also joined. Barbara is a GP practice manager and Tevor has a Jeanneau based in Upper Loch Fyne.

Finally, an e-mail from Jane Herbert, one of our members who moved south in 2002. She retired at Christmas and is looking forward to more sailing and she was wondering if there were any Serpent members who would like to "lend" Rob and her ( both Yachtmasters ) a boat on a bareboat charter basis for a week in May at a favourable rate. If so could they contact her directly on ejherbert@aol.com
Finally some news from Robbie and Alyson Rodgers Just now we are still in Lagos, in the Algarve (along with Sapphire of Treshnish - Alan Faichney boat - however I’ve not seen him out here but have been keeping an eye on it for him). We are here until 31 March and I will be organising a lift out at Sopromar the local yard. After that a 160 mile sail to Gibralter mainly to refuel (diesel is 45p a litre -will save me about £300) After that we are going to Ceuta in North Africa (Spanish enclave) and work our way East along the Morocco coast to the other Spanish enclave Melilla. In June we must be at a convenient airport to come home for Katie's graduation. So we will cross to Almeria on the Costa del Sol for that. Thereafter we can either work our way up the Costas to winter near Taragona - possible taking in the Balearics if we ave time or plan B is to return to Lagos for next winter. We are now insured as far as East coast of Italy and have the paper, electronic charts and pilot guides to take us there. Happy fitting out and hope to see you all soon on the water.

07/03/2010

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2009

A Message from the Commodore

There may not yet be signs of green shoots in the economy but there are certainly plenty of signs of springtime around us. Hopefully, the good Easter weather will develop into the fine summer that we all feel we deserve.

The AGM in February was hosted once again by the Golden Jubilee National Hospital and we are indebted to Jill Young and her staff for their help and hospitality.

We said thanks to Douglas Russell and Robbie Rodger who have both retired from their flag positions, but remain on the committee, and thanks and goodbye to Nick Pace and Jane Faichney who left the committee. We welcome Roisin Harris who joined us and Steve Pickles who has subsequently been co-opted to strengthen the team.

Your committee for the year is:

Ø Commodore: Iain Sinclair

Ø Vice Commodore: Tom Barrie

Ø Rear Commodore: Catherine Toy

Ø Secretary: Catherine Toy

Ø Treasurer: Val Glen

Ø Sailing Secretary: Paul Harris

Ø Stewards: Douglas Russell, Robbie Rodger, Roisin Harris, Steve Pickles

The AGM concluded with a highly interesting and entertaining presentation by Paul Harris and Alan McLeod, on the “Tanit” crew’s participation in the Sydney – Hobart race.

The Club website now has a page with a tribute to the late John Elias-Jones which contains the very moving sonnet by John Burman which I read at the meeting.

Some things to note for the forthcoming season:

Ø The committee has decided to change our race start procedures to bring them into line with other Clyde clubs so please pay special attention to the race instructions for the Spring Muster.

Ø We would also like to move as soon as possible to e-mail distribution of Club newsletters and other communications. We will be updating our e-mail address records but don’t worry; if you’re not “on-line” you will still be able to get information by snail-mail.

I wish you all a memorable sailing season and hope to see as many of you as possible at Club events.

Iain Sinclair, Commodore

Dates of Forthcoming Events

Spring Muster 16/17 May Summer Muster 25/26 July

Clyde Family Barbecue Saturday 20th June Autumn Muster 19/20 September

Frostbite Race Saturday 31st October Annual Dinner Friday 11th December



This is a trial go at a new website for the Serpent Yacht Club. The aim of the club is to further the sport of yachting in its widest sense , particularly among those whose occupation pertains to the health care professions. The club is active with a calendar of races and musters based on the Clyde and West coast throughout the sailing season.