Mid August already and murmurings of and lists for, hauling out, Where has time gone? Last month there was the good news from the nature reserve that there had not been a case of squirrel pox amongst the red squirrels since last December and that the few remaining are breeding again after the devastation caused amongst them. The weather seems to be ‘weed growing’i.e. warm and damp. Some of our visiting birds have already started to move back to warmer climes and the rest will be off in the next few weeks. If you walk down towards the coastguard you will notice fewer sedge warblers. The warblers are summer visitors from Africa. The sedge warbler is a tiny striped brown bird with a noisy song in May and June. They can be seen with the whitethroat in tall vegetation although the whitethroat prefers it to be drier. They sometimes both do short song flight dances that make them easier to see. I have not seen a swift, or swallow recently and the House Martins are reduced in number.

The mixed weather of the past few weeks has given some problems with the racing calendar. The Commodore’s Cruise was cancelled and some races have been re- scheduled. Look in the sailing notes for the dates. Let’s hope that the next few weeks will give those who like to race some enjoyable experiences although the weather maps today show a series of lows heading our way. 

Once again I have been asked to remind EVERYBODY to lock the gate at all times. There was a family of picnickers who entered when the gate was left open and then were stuck in when the next person locked the gate. Surely it is in the interests of the club that an effort is made by all of us to keep the gate locked at times when the clubhouse is not open.

I think that it was once mentioned that we could have car stickers, which identified club member’s car thus showing that any car in the car park belongs to the club. I wonder what happened to that idea?   Pat.

The following are some notes taken from the General Committee Meeting held 11th August 09.

All members attended the meeting except for Ian Cowell who is cruising.

The Commodore  Mark said that he is very glad to have got his boat in the water at last.

He said that the Ladies Race held last weekend was very good.
Mark has been contacted by the Royal British Legion and has made arrangements for the club to put a wreath on the War Memorial.
Reminders of some entries for the 200 club needing updating will be sent out soon.

The Vice Commodore gave his report from the Sailing Committee Meeting. held last week

Revised Sailing Season List:
I Cowell said the Late Series races would be held on Saturday 8th  (O. D. C Williams) and Saturday 22nd August 2009 (O.D. K Riley).
 The Ladies Race on Sunday 9th August 2009 (O.D. J Hall)
 The re-scheduled Gallon of Ale Race on Sunday 23rd August 2009 (O.D. A Bridges).
 The Heyworth Memorial Trophy and Last Chance Race would be held as published on 5th and 6th September respectively.

The Committee also agreed to hold the House & Social Members Race on Saturday 19th September 2009 (O.D. R Berks) leaving Sunday 20th September 2009 as a final Reserve date for any other race, which should have to be cancelled.  Ladies participating in the Ladies Race would not have to be members of the Club as the purpose of these races was to encourage lady non-members to take up sailing. They would of course have to be signed in as visitors. The course to be set by the O.D. as usual.
Results of Races: A decision had been taken to cancel the Commodores Cruise the previous evening but the decision to race was held over until 7am the following morning. This led to a discussion on the holding of races and it was agreed that the decision to cancel or hold a race would be made on the day by the OD.
The RNLI had been a great success with eleven boats participating. Gismo 1st, Kaol 2nd and Scoot 3rd.

Altmouth Cup – Report on the PY for the Beneteau First Class 7. I Cowell had prepared and circulated a detailed report on the race results and the performance of some of the boats in the race. At the previous meeting it had been decided that the results of the race would stand as published. After further discussion and taking into account issues raised by J Myerscough it was decided the PY for La Topaze should be set at 970 and adjusted up or down as Trial Handicap (adjusted after each race), if necessary, under the Rolling Handicap System, if evidence of the Channel Handicap on which the PY 970 is based, can be produced.

The Club Captains Report: M Kennan reported that a team including himself, M Meadows, A Roe, M Parker and I Cowell had cleared both the Launching Slip and Dinghy Slip of mud. M Kennan would in future prepare a cleaning rota for the slips. W Woods suggested a metal can containing fuel for the pump be kept in the Yard Hut and M Kennan agreed to provide an appropriate can and initial quantity of fuel to meet W Woods suggestion.

The Yard & Berthing Masters Report: Damage to Club Boat: C Loughran reported that John Bibby a visitor to the River Alt from Aberdaron Yacht Club had accidently collided with Joe Coady’s boat and caused some gel coat damage on the port side of Joe’s boat in trying to pick up a mooring. John Bibby had admitted liability and Joe was going to get the damage repaired following the hauling out of his boat in September.

Hilbre Swash Buoys: After many years of complaining to Trinity House the Directorate had finally agreed to Cedric’s request and during September are to move buoys HE2 and HE3 to different positions (see article in Club Newsletter). However, there is no news concerning HE4 being relocated.

Emergency Moorings: On Saturday 29th July three 40 metre lengths of new long link chain had now been laid across the River Alt to replace the old emergency moorings by C Loughran, W Woods, P William, G Cummings, P Wright, G Lesbirel, A Bridges. The final phases would involve fitting the risers to the chain and removing the old emergency moorings. Club insurance is not yet in place to cover the use of the Emergency Moorings.

Winch Test:  On Friday 28th July 2009 the winch had been tested and stamped for 3 tons. This, according to P Wright and C Loughran would comfortably cover all the boats in the Yard. C Loughran had also obtained a reduction in the price of the test to £292.00 plus Vat. P Williams had assisted with the test. Boats that have left or are due to leave the Yard having been sold or for sale: P Grocott’s “Jasmine” has been sold and moved to Derbyshire; T Willet’s boat “Thunderball” has been transported to Preston Marina and is for sale; R Pickard’s “Little Mojo” has been sold and is due to be removed on 7th August. Work is being undertaken to remove “Amelia” from the Yard.

Launchings: G Corns “Siebe” and G Welsh’s “Tara Tarn” are due to be launched on 8th/9th August, 2009 and Trevor Willets new boat “Hen Pheasant” recovered for work in the Yard on the drop keel plate. David Oakes has had trouble with his leg, which had been broken and complications had arisen, and as a consequence had been unable to attend to his mooring or launch his boat. TheY & BM will give David time to be restored to full health.

Return of an Old Friend:  Martin Dooley has purchased “Tao” and next season plans to return it to the Club from Liverpool Marina.

Club and Race Officers Legal Protection: Cedric pointed out that if a member attended the RYA Race Officers Course they are covered for any legal liability on the RYA Policy. It would be prudent to check, under the Heath Lambert scheme that David Griffiths is working on at the moment, whether members who act as Race Officers are covered under the Club’s policy. Moreover, it may be worthwhile setting up another Race Officers Course before the advent of the next sailing season, if there is sufficient demand, otherwise members wanting to attend the RYA Race Officers one day course may be able to do so at another venue. P Wright agreed that a talk on racing held over a winter evening would be welcome and he will pursue that matter. Cedric offered to see if he can arrange a speaker from West Lancs.

Emergency Mooring and Owners Liability: Following his action to contact the insurers GJW about mooring liability Cedric Loughran discovered that GJW were the Club’s insurers and Heath Lambert are our brokers. Heath Lambert are the company who cover the Club under the RYA Scheme. Moreover, he had ascertained the Club are now covered for public liability, which includes claims by members or non members for damages arising from the breakage of a mooring provided that the Club keeps a log of any maintenance carried out on the mooring. This, apparently, includes a claim arising from the loss of a boat or boats. Cedric then inquired of Claire Thornton of Heath Lambert whether this cover was available to members on an individual basis. Claire Thornton replied that the way other clubs do this is to take on liability for the individual moorings and give the owners a yearly agreement for the mooring. As this cover is £1.67 per mooring Cedric’s initial thoughts are that the Club might like to consider this option. This, of course, would be limited to those owners willing to sign a declaration and submit their moorings for inspection. Claire Thornton advises that for individuals to seek cover on their moorings the cost could prove prohibitive. Claire asked why such cover is so cheap and Claire replied that where moorings are properly inspected and maintained there is little problem. On the many thousands of moorings they insure they still make a profit. The Sailing Committee considered there was merit in these proposals but that the issue should be put on hold until David Griffiths had reported more fully at the General Committee.

Land on the Bank of the River Alt opposite the Alt Centre: Mike Kennan reported on the further inquiries David Warren had made regarding acquiring a licence on the land opposite the Alt Centre. Some modifications had been made to the proposals since it was initially turned down by the Sailing Committee. The initial cost would be over £1000.00 payable to Sefton with an annual payment of the order of £275.00 per annum. Mention was made of a licence for 25 year though Mike recommended 5 years. On top of this there would need to be the cost of a Planning Application, which could amount to circa £300.00. Initially, the application was for car parking on land in front of the Alt Centre abutting the road that was now owned by the Rifle Range. However, this had not been progressed. The Club’s use of the launching slip was already covered in an agreement with the Rifle Range who owned the land up to the south side of the slip. The Club has long used the mud berth of the Alt – without let or hindrance – over decades in order to launch and recover boats. Yet, other members of the Committee argued the Club could benefit through the acquisition of land. Phil Wright decided that the Sailing Committee needed to make a decision on the issue before it went to the General Committee. The matter was put to the vote and 5 members voted against entering into an agreement with Sefton regarding the land and 2 members voted for. The Chairman abstained.
 Date & Time of Next Sailing Committee Meeting: Tuesday 1st September, 2009 at 8pm

More about the land on the Bank of the River Alt.

After the General Committee heard about the vote in the Sailing Committee there was some discussion and a further explanation given by Mike Kennan. The cost of the planning application is included in the £1000. It was decided by the Committee that it would be an opportunity lost and that the club would agree to the proposal and first apply for planning permission (not guaranteed) and then continue after it has been granted. A vote was taken and the Committee were unanimous in their agreement.

The Rear Commodore back from his holiday said that he was ready to get to grips with all that needed to be done in house.

Martin and Stan Warren will sort out the till.

The Bench outside has been put into storage until it can be relocated this has been done to prevent easy access to the roof.

Work outside on rendering and metal work is being carried out by K Riley, C Lloyd and S Quinn.

Rubbish will be taken to the gate each Tuesday for the commercial collection on Wednesday. It is hoped to provide a cupboard for this to keep the area tidy. Some one from Hightown has been tipping rubbish by the gate.

The Hon Treasurer says that we are in a fairly healthy state financially and he is up to date with the bills.

The Hon Secretary has dealt with all correspondence. And has put what is necessary on the board including a Thank You card from Kathrine Hogarth and a report from Trevor Meyers from the Hightown meeting with Graham Lymberry.

There is a letter asking for volunteer collectors for the RNLI in Liverpool. If you are willing to help, telephone Jayne Morris on 0161 787 8779.

The Hon Membership Secretary has put an application for House membership on the board.

Stan brought to the meeting a proposed new full member to be interviewed by the Committee, as there had a lack of people able to do the smaller interview.
He is John Mahon of Formby. John has completed his R Y Day Skipper and has done a bit of sailing. He has recently bought Camellia, a Corribee 21 from Bob Berks and expects to be sailing next season.

He was interviewed and agreed to everything asked of him. When he left the committee voted and he was unanimously accepted as a Full member. Please make him feel welcome in the yard and clubhouse.

The Social Committee Due to the very high cost of arranging a Casino Royale Night the committee to have a 60’s and 70’s Chilli and Disco Night. Tickets will be £7.00 each.  The poster is on the board in the club. Please put your name down if you would like to join in.

Negotiating an Entrance into the River Alt

As a sailing club we have the misfortune to operate from the lee shore of the Irish Sea and it takes special care to negotiate the entrance to the River Alt. This entrance is made all the more hazardous because of the stones and rocks that line the landward bank of the Alt for 400 yards or more. Over the years a number of the Club boats have been damaged in negotiating the entrance to the River Alt or broken loose from their moorings and suffered damage on the rocks at the entrance. I recall Chris Harman’s Westerly Nomad “Franchise”, Alan McDonough’s Westerly Tiger “Kalinka”, Bob Turner’s Westerly Centaur “Orion”, and Mike and Janette Brannigan’s “D Day”, and my own Anderson 22 “Altcar”. Recently, in a 28 knot wind blowing directly onshore, I again suffered the indignity of my boat my boat being blown on to the rocks at the entrance to the River Alt. Fortunately, my boat was , apart from two small scratches, undamaged. In the earlier incident when sailing my Anderson 22 “Altcar” to participate in an Altmouth Cup a piece of warp wrapped itself around the outboard prop and, in 35 knots of wind, stopped the engine. Again my boat was cast upon the rocks. This time there were one or two scrapes on the hull and the rudder smashed. The Altmouth Cup was, unsurprisingly, cancelled that year. “Altcar” was repaired and launched within three days.
In an effort to avoid a further ordeal on the rocks, and keep my crew sailing with me, I have now consulted with senior members of the Club and the advice I have received includes the following:

1. If you think the entrance to the River Alt is impossible having regard to all the conditions seek a safe haven in Liverpool Marina;
2. If it is more that F5 and a westerly is blowing straight onshore do not put up any sails but wait until just high water before attempting to make your entrance; only attempt such an entry on a boat with a reliable inboard engine;
3. If the wind is blowing from the North or North West and you will be sure of having plenty of water under your keels make your entrance under a well reefed main, but not a jib, and use the full power of your inboard engine; even a Petter Mini Six should be sufficient under these circumstances.

HILBRE SWASH BUOYS.

For some years now, as a result of the Club's regular visits to Hilbre Island, Cedric Loughran has been pointing out to Trinity House that the Hilbre Swash buoys HE2 and HE3 need moving. The Directorate has now acceded to his request and it is now their intention to proceed with the following alterations:
HE2 buoy to be moved 154 deg 476 metres to a revised assigned position in Latitude 53 deg 24' .899N., Longitude 003 deg 12' .893W, and altered to a starboard hand green conical buoy exhibiting a Fl G 2.5s light with a 4 nautical mile nominal range and green conical topmark.
HE3 buoy to be moved 090 deg 41 metres to a revised assigned position in Latitude 53 deg 24' .615N., Longitude 003 deg 12' .783W., existing starboard hand characteristics remaining unchanged.
These changes have been programmed to be carried out during September of this year. Moreover, it is the intention of Trinity House to carry out a further survey 6 months after these alteration have been carried out to check that the buoys continue to effectively mark the channel.
Ian Cowell - Sailing Secretary.

A NOT SO GENTLE REMINDER.

PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU LOCK

THE GATE AT ALL TIMES