Spring - Newsletter extracts

A Message from the Commodore

Despite the relentless weather, progress is at last being made with a viewto launching ‘Emma Louise’ in good time for the Opening Muster, which will take place on 16th and 17th of May. We traditionally have an excellent turnout for the Opening Muster so please do come along whether you are cruising, racing or simply meeting up by car. See the attached document for the entry form and sailing instructions. Below are the dates for this season’s Serpent events so please ‘save the dates’.

The Club’s annual AGM on 13 February was very successful and we now have a full new Committee keen to get on with running events, promoting the club over the coming season and preparing for our 40th anniversary in 2016. Graham Gillies has taken over from Roisin Harris as our new Secretary and he has attached a full minute of the AGM for Members information. My grateful thanks are due to Roisin for carrying out her duties as Secretary to the Club over the last 3 years.
I look forward to the new season and meeting up again but if you have any questions or comments about the club, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our new Committee or myself.
Séamus Lalor - Commodore


The SYC committee appointed at the AGM for 2015 is as follows
Commodore Séamus Lalor
Past Commodore Catherine Toy
Vice Commodore Stewart Toy
Rear Commodore Tom Hutchinson
Hon Secretary Graham Gillies gwagilliesATgmail.com
Hon Treasurer Martin Yuill
Race Secretary Charles Sutherland cggsATdsl.pipex.com
Stewards Steve Pickles, Marcus Stone, Don Gillies

From the Sailing Secretary:
We are going to continue to operate just one start to accommodate all classes with a simple system of two flags on poles, deck brushes what have you on the 5-4-1-go sequence. We want to emphasise the importance of keeping a listening watch on VHF ch37/M1 for race announcements and course amendments and also the absolute necessity of taking all race timings from GPS time. Timings taken from manually set watches or clocks will not be accepted. Just make sure you don’t make the classic error of not having read and understood the race instructions before the event. We are really looking forward to a good season with racing which is as friendly and convivial as always in the best spirit of the Serpent YC.

Spring muster
The organisation of the Spring Muster at Tarbert is well underway. The option is to race or cruise from Kip to Tarbert on the Saturday followed by a ladies race on the Sunday back to Kames -see the attachment with Race Instructions and Entry Form.
Please remember that posting your entry on the Thursday before the event is no use. The sailing secretary will not be opening mail on the morning of the event!
The start will be off Kip at 1000hrs on the Saturday morning. Please return your entry forms to Charles Sutherland by Saturday 9th May 2014. The race entry fee is £20 for the weekend. Later entries may be accepted but a £5 penalty will be applied.
Discounted spaces are reserved on the pontoons at Tarbert for Saturday evening. Let the harbourmaster know you are with the Serpent YC. All fees for berthing are to be paid directly to the Harbourmaster. The evening meal once again will be in the excellent Starfish restaurant at 1930 hrs at a cost of £30/person.

New members
Again we have gained several new members in the past year and we look forward to welcoming them at club events. The Committee is keen to increase club membership and also to encourage all members to participate in the various events throughout the year. If you know anyone who would like to join the Club please contact Dr Graham Gillies gwagilliesATgmail.com
 
Serpent Facebook Page
Thanks to Marcus’s endeavours there is now a Serpent Yacht Club page on Facebook for those members active in social media. Contributions are very welcome.

Serpent Membership List
Martin Yuill is completing the onerous task of updating the Membership list which incorporates yacht names, sail numbers,handicaps and contact details. We understand that this is compliant with the Data Protection Act. It will be circulated it to all members soon.
If any of your details change please let Martin know by emailing the club: serpentyachtclub AT gmail.com  where @ is substituted for AT

SYC web site:
This website or blog as it is more accurately termed is for the use of all members to share sailing experiences. photos and what have you. We hope it will be useful to disseminate reminiscences and old photographs for the Serpent 40th anniversary next year. More to come on that but meantime start digging out that old stuff and email anything remotely interesting to the club address please.

Error on Calendar corrected

Error on Calendar corrected

If anyone noted down dates on the Calendar page on this site between the evening of 2/3/15 and 3pm on 3/3/15 please amend them. The correct dates of the Croabh Muster and the September Rothesay race have now been uploaded.

CS  

Exody goes West

As most Club Members will be aware, Peter and Marian Jennett have been proceeding on their circumnavigation since summer 2014.

Exody is a Starlight 39 which has been well sorted out for the trip. They have a fulsome blog linked There are certainly some photos which represent something of a contrast with Tarbert on a wet afternoon.

Exody at time of writing (2nd March) is now in the Galapagos Islands. The following is copied from the World Cruising Club website.  Go here for the full story and to be amazed. 

Skipper Peter writes: 
Swimming with sharks, turtles and eagle rays is a memorable way to spend my birthday on Friday 20th! Opting for the extra hour long visit to nearby Loberia beach we were up early for the water taxi at 06.30. Fernando the guide helped us learn about marine iguanas in and took us for a brief snorkel then it was back to town to join the main trip to Kicker rock- just 12 of us plus baby Kai with Juno and Makena. A high speed 40 minute ride later we were circumnavigating the massive volcanic outcrop and we were soon in the water - like swimming in an aquarium - strange to feel comfortable and safe looking down on 25/30 sharks including two hammerheads, a multitude of other fish, a couple of turtles and closest to us an orderly procession of eagle rays- white spotted. We swam through the narrow 20 metre channel between the main outcrop and its sister - carried gently by the current and with baby Kai towed along on a life-ring. There were some dramatic water temperature changes and it was almost feeling cold (all things are relative!) by the time we reboarded the boat. A short hop to a deserted mainland beach tucked behind a reef for a lunchstop and walk - complete with sea lions, iguanas, and brightly coloured crabs - a magical excursion!

Newsletter January 2015

A Message from the Commodore

Now that the festive period (and New Year resolutions!) have receded in our minds I decided that it was time to get down to the Marina and start on the long list of tasks to be completed in the coming months. It was freezing, howling a gale and hailstones were bouncing off the deck. Discretion being the better part of valour, I decided retreat was the best option. Hopefully, the weather will start to improve and progress will be made!

The Club’s annual dinner in November was a huge success with over 40 attending. The November date, and the location in the Central Hotel, were very popular. Jim Pollock entertained us with tales of his circumnavigation and ‘pots’ were duly awarded with the prestigious Scherling Salver ‘Overall Trophy’ being awarded to Don Gilles in ‘Black Pepper’ for the best corrected time for the season. The winning photo based on the ‘Serpent Fellowship’ theme is reproduced below. The evening raffle also raised a superb £135 for the RNLI and £135 for Chest, Heart and Stroke, Scotland.
Our next event is the Club’s AGM which this year will take place in the Board Room at Hamilton Ice Rink on Friday 13 February 2015 at 1930hrs. Martin Yuill has arranged the venue and will give travel details in his Curling Bonspiel report below. Roisin will be standing down at the AGM after 3 years sterling service as Secretary. We are all very appreciative of her contribution to the running of the Club and wish her every success in her new ventures. If anyone is interested in this or any other position on the Committee please contact either Roisin or myself as we will be pleased to welcome new Committee members to help run the Club.

I would also like to welcome our latest Members, Dr Stephen Dahill and Dr Evonne Curran. The Committee is delighted to see the Club’s membership growing.
The latest news from Peter and Marian’s circumnavigation is that they arrived in Colombia on 15 January 2015 after an 815 miles voyage during which a spinnaker pole was broken! Peter has asked me to say that crewing positions are available on board for the trip from Vanuatu and onward to Cape Town. If any Members are interested, all contact details are on the web link http://exody.wordpress.com/
I wish everyone good luck with preparations for the new season and encourage everyone to participate in the club activities being developed by your Committee on your behalf. As always, if you have any questions or comments about the club, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Committee or myself.
Séamus Lalor - Commodore

Curling Bonspiel : report by Martin Yuill

Sunday 25 January saw the resurrected SYC Curling Bonspiel between yacht crews take place at Hamilton Ice rink. The following yachts were represented by the time the starting bell was sounded. Camus Bosta, Troikka, Out of the Blue, Pondskater, Emma Louise, Ataraxia and Tigerfire.

A good representation of the Club. The photo above shows the whole group minus Dorothy Jackson who took the photo.The comment from the viewing gallery was that some were very hesitant on the ice to start. Understandable as there were three total beginners (now classified as experienced l curlers!!) and some who said they had curled before but were not much better than beginners. The gallery noticed a marked learning curve and by the end there was a much greater fluidity and grace to the movements on the ice. Better sweeping, more aggression and a desire to win. No comments will be passed on the standard of the curling. My thanks to the experienced curlers for helping all the beginners.

The organiser was delighted that there was no blood on the ice, and you seemed to enjoy yourselves. So I am happy to book ice for next year if you want it. You do not need to be an SYC member to take part only to crew on a Club boat. Members please pass this information to your crews.

The winning Rink was. Bill Jackson Skip, Celia Corbett 3rd, Jane Hinshelwood 2nd, and Charles Sutherland lead, with a score of +3 shots.
There were no protests so the good offices of Bobby Corbett as umpire were not needed.
- Relieved OOD Martin.

January 2015
2015 AGM
Friday 13 February 2015 at 7:30pm
Board Room, Lanarkshire Ice Rink

Agenda
1. Welcome, minutes and matters arising
2. Commodores Report
3. Treasures Report
4. Election of Auditor
5. Election of Committee
 Proposed Committee:
 Commodore – Seamus Lalor
 Vice Commodore – Tom Hutchinson
 Rear Commodore – Vacant
 Secretary – Vacant
 Race Secretary – Charles Sutherland
 Stewards – Martin Yuill, Steve Pickles and Marcus Stone
New Committee members are needed. Please contact Seamus if you are interested in getting involved.
6. AOB

October Newsletter

Commodore's Message:
The season is rapidly drawing to a close, finishing with the Frostbite on 18 October from Kip Marina. Our annual dinner and prize giving is not far away as well and will take place on 14 November at our new venue in the Central Hotel. Our speaker for the evening is Jim Pollock, who will be entertaining us with highlights from his recent circumnavigation. I am also pleased to welcome to the club new members Elizabeth and Kenneth McCartney. For our entertainment this winter, Martin Yuill has put together a curling event on 25 January - this will be a first for me! I look forward to meeting up with you at our annual dinner, the details of which are in the newsletter. Please book as early as possible so that we can make arrangements with the hotel. Thank you.
Séamus Lalor, Commodore

Annual Prize giving and Dinner
The Committee is delighted to announce a new venue and date for our annual dinner and prize giving. This year the dinner will take place in the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow on Friday 14 November 2014. We hope you will join us to celebrate another great year. In keeping with tradition there will be a photo competition and this year the theme is ‘Serpent Fellowship’ and judging will take place on the night. There will also be a charity raffle in memory of Alan Robertson with donations being made to the RNLI and Heart, Chest and Stroke Association. Please email your photograph entries to Roisin Harris by Friday 7 November 2014 to allow for printing and display on the evening. We would also welcome log entries.
Tickets for the dinner are £40 per person and include a delicious dinner and a welcome drinks reception. The evening will commence at 19:00. We are also delighted to announce that Jim Pollock will be entertaining us with some great stories from his world cruise.
Seamus and the rest of the Committee look forward to welcoming you and your guests to the dinner.
The hotel is offering a 15% discount on room bookings enter the code "FUNC15" in the booking form promotion code box on the hotels Internet booking form
If you have not managed to return your cups yet, please do so asap so they can be engraved and prepared for the dinner. Cups can be passed to Catherine Toy at the Frostbite. At the very latest please return your cups to Seamus by noon on 1 November.

Download the form for the Annual Dinner here

Forthcoming Events
Frostbite – 18 October (instructions circulated in last newsletter)
Annual Dinner – Friday 14 November 2014, Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow
Curling Bonspiel – 25 January 2015

Serpent Curling Bonspiel   - Martin Yuill writes:


A convivial afternoon of curling and repartee is being arranged. For those who have not curled before, this is your chance to come and try our country’s most famous sport.
Two sheets of ice have been booked at Hamilton Ice Rink for Sunday 25th January2015 at 2.30 session duration approx. 2 hours. This is normally enough for 16players, but we can cater for more for those trying curling for the first time. This ice rink is easy to find and is owned and run by curlers. Direction will be sent out nearer the time, but the rink is close to the M74 Hamilton exit. It has a good viewing area and I envisage an afternoon tea for the non-curlers with drinks, tea and coffee from the bar and homemade cakes and biscuits supplied by the club.

There seems to be a hidden pool of curlers within the Club. Only people who have sailed on club boats may curl so I will accept entries from teams but as it is a social event I will either match two strong teams together or reserve the right to reorganise the rinks to make them more balanced. Teams will play for the Serpent Rock ( Unless someone already has a previous Serpent curling trophy ? phone me ).
Scoring will follow the traditional pattern of shots up then ends up. The “on frozen water” umpire will be Founder Commodore BobbyCorbett, a member of The RCCC Area Standing Committee, whose decision in thecase of protests will be final. The alternative penalty rule will not apply!! Protest flags are not required for question about the rules.
Individuals are welcome to enter and I can accept up to four non curlers who must be prepared to attend at 1.00 p.m. on that Sunday for basic tuition before stepping onto the ice. If there are many more non curlers interested, then an early entry is needed, so extra ice may be requested.
The dress code is warm clothing and a clean pair of trainers. All equipment is supplied by the Hamilton Ice Rink. Costs will be £10.00 for the curlers plus for them a £2.00 temp membership to the ice rink. Those not curling are free.
I plan 8 ends or the bell but if the session is massively oversubscribed I will split the time and have two sets of four ends. Please submit your entry now, along with your cheque for £12 payable to Serpent Yacht Club. This will give me a chance to gauge the numbers and try to book extra ice if available. Entry form below. A reserve list will operate so only early applications are guaranteed to play. Please let me know if you plan to attend outwith a curling group to allow me to assess numbers for afternoon catering. The food and hospitality at Hamilton is really rather good and has an excellent reputation. The ice rink has a contracted out restaurant facility who can supply a good quality high tea, more details to follow in the next newsletter. I propose to have the prize giving after the curling supper, which will be booked for 5pm. 

Download the application form for Curling here

Member News - by Richard Harris of 'Tanit'

The Round Ireland Yacht Race was the first big offshore event of 2014 for Tanit and the first time the crew had sailed together as a team – although between us we’ve had great experiences in offshore races such as Sydney-Hobart, Fastnet, Middle Sea to mention only a few. Mainly Scottish, we did have home nation representation from our Northern Irish navigator, and the boat was smoothly delivered from Southampton by two members of the crew and settled into Wicklow for final pre-race preparation. The Skippers were briefed to anticipate a slow race due to the light winds forecast.

On the start line we found a good position and reached away across the line heading south. We were soon spinnakering all the way to Fastnet Rock but then became becalmed. It was a strange feeling to be so still at such an iconic point which is infamous for its ferocious weather!
Eventually we did break free of Fastnet and were treated to a spectacular sunrise as we passed the stunning scenery of the Skellig Islands. The West coast was a very pleasant leg of the race but the pressure was building by the time we approached Rathlin Island as the boats behind us compressed our lead in a freshening wind, which reached up to 20 knots as we beat and fetched all the way down the final stretch into Wicklow, finishing at around 10am.
We completed 705 miles in just under 5 days but had to wait until the early hours (sampling a local brew known as Guinness and the great Irish hospitality in order to stay alert!) for our final position to be officially confirmed – there was still a chance that we could be beaten on handicap by our closest rival until then. Celebrations started in earnest once the Commodore announced our overall first place!
As a Skipper/Owner, I enjoyed a truly fantastic, very tactical, race which has been one of my favorites in the offshore classics and I look forward to returning.

Wood Farm Rock

Wood Farm Rock in the Kyles of Bute has long been a place of grounding and expensive keel damage. The positioning of the buoy which moves with the tide has often been misleading.  The CYCA has coordinated its replacement with a North cardinal perch secured to the NE corner of the rock and this has been completed with much thanks to Jamie McGarry of Gareloch Support Services. The full story can be read on the CYCA website or on clydesailing.  The photo below (looking roughly North) shows the new perch in position with the old buoy, just before it was lifted, lying to the tide.

Alan Robertson

The CCC has distributed the following information regarding the passing of Alan Robertson who was also an active member of the Serpent Yacht Club

I am sorry to inform you that my father Alan died on 10th September in hospital in Larbert. He had been unwell for a few weeks, but died peacefully. I would be grateful if you would inform the club and his fellow sailors.
The funeral is on Wednesday 24th September aty Trinity Church in Falkirk at 1400. Family flowers only. -  Gillian Johnston (daughter) 

The address is :

Trinity Church, Manse Place

Falkirk

FK1 1JN

 Directions:

http://falkirktrinity.org.uk/index.php/contact-us/item/32-directions