CHRISTMAS 2001
Editor. Mrs P Heyworth
54 Altcar Lane Formby L376AY
Tel. 01704 871727.
Club Website. www.blundellsandssailingclub.8m.com
Christmas seems to have come upon us very quickly and as usual leaves me quite unready for the preparation and organisation, which surrounds this time of the year. However I would like to wish all members a very merry Christmas and I hope the coming year brings you good health and happiness.
I would like to thank all who have helped and encouraged me this year in the production of the newsletter. Your letters and articles are very much appreciated, please keep them coming.
I attended the Annual General Meeting last Sunday. In spite of it being held on the coldest day of the winter so far, it was reasonably well attended, well organised and with the usual good-natured banter and discussion. There was no General Committee Meeting this month so the report will be about the A.G.M.
The Annual General Meeting.
The Commodore welcomed the members and a period of silence was held for reflection on absent friends.
Apologies for non attendance were noted and The Hon Secretary then read out the minutes of the last meeting. These were confirmed as correct.
The Commodore then gave a brief over-view of the year.
Peter said that this had been a successful year with fifteen entries in the Altmouth Cup Race. There was a visit to The Albert Dock in June and fifteen boats went on The Commodore’s Cruise.
There was stormy weather for the RNLI Race day and the race had to be postponed until September. The social side of the day went well with one lifeboat in attendance and another lifeboat crew came by road. At the end of the sailing season there was a very good Prize Giving evening. There was a successful auction of sailing bits and bobs. This will be held again one Sunday next year. Don’t throw things out.
Peter pointed out that the Working Parties had been poorly attended this year. He said that the regular attenders are doing much more than their share, which is unfair, all members agree to attend working parties. The relatively low cost of membership is due to the fact that most of the work in the club is done by members.
Thanks were due to the Rear Commodore for his persistence in digging a dinghy slip by the yard. This design may be a prototype for a replacement for the large slip, which is in constant need of repair. Dave is also in the process of organising gabions to counteract the erosion of the sea wall The Black Hut, which has served the club well over the years, needs to be replaced. Sadly there has been petty thieving from the Black Hut. Several items were taken including garden furniture and oars.
Still with the Rear Commodore there has been a lot of work done in the clubhouse. There have been repairs to the fabric, a new water heater giving hot water to all parts of the clubhouse. There is a new fridge for bar use. The small room for meetings will soon be ready. Most of the work, in and around the club is done by the same members all the time and Peter would like others to volunteer their services. Wednesday opening will become a regular feature at least for a trial period.
On the Social side, many of the events have been enjoyable and successful. The Cheese and Wine Lunch was very poorly attended and therefore will not be repeated. £100 was donated to Southport Lifeboat from the club. There is now a Welcome Pack, which is given to all new members. The Past Commodore’s Burgee Presentation will take place on Friday 11th January. Food will be available.
The Hon Secretary gave his report to the meeting. He gave a breakdown of membership numbers, which is very healthy. There is a membership of 192 and still more people showing a keen interest in joining. Mark gave a vote of thanks to Geoff Bell who had very ably carried out the duties of the Sailing Secretary and to Geoff Welch who filled the gap when Geoff Bell moved away. Thanks, were also expressed to Alan McDonough who has held the position of Club Captain for some years and is now retiring.
Mark also thanked Simon Markland for setting up a club website, which some members are now using. The address is at the top of this newsletter.
The Hon Treasurer gave out balance sheets as members entered the clubhouse. The finances are very healthy. The bar made a good profit and the Wednesday night opening is just about holding its own. Thanks were due to David Warren who does a lot of work purchasing wine and other drinks for the bar, thus keeping the prices down. David Griffiths also expressed sincere thanks to the club auditors for the efficient and willing work that they do. They are P.Williams and Arthur Mount. Cedric Loughran proposed a vote of thanks to Dave Wilcox for the amount of time he spends working behind the bar. There was discussion about setting up a separate building fund, but it was decided that we don’t have enough money to do that at present. The balance sheet was accepted by the members. The auditors were re-appointed unanimously.
Voting took place next. Because there was no opposition to the people nominated for all the posts there was a block vote and all were appointed. The changes are that Alan Roe is now Club Captain and David Rowles becomes the Hon Sailing Secretary. Paul Conalty and Phil Wright join the General Committee replacing Les Carlile and Trevor Mayers.
Proposals. Proposal 11a. Bye-law number 14 was amended and ratified and now reads ”Only Full, Lady, Junior, Social and House members may invite and sign in a guest. The same guest may not be invited more than twice a month” Proposal 11b An increase of 2.5% for Membership and Boat Fees caused a lot of discussion The rise was in line with the Cost of Living Index. The discussion was fairly lengthy and included space in the yard and the persistent problem of members with two boats and members who fail to launch. It was promised that these are being dealt with and rules will be adhered to. Voting was by a show of hands and the proposed rise in fees was accepted by a majority of members.
Proposal 11c was that a discussion should be held concerning holding Annual General Meeting should, in future, be held on Wednesday evenings as they were in the 1970’s. This provoked a very lengthy discussion. Both the Treasurer and the Secretary are not available on that evening along with many others and the final outcome was that the meeting should still be held on Sunday.
The Commodore closed the meeting with thanks to those members who had attended.
BOOKS
ABOUT NOBBIES
THE LANCASHIRE NOBBY, by L.J.Lloyd.
Published by The Merseyside Maritime Museum 1998
ISBN 0 95304082 8 Price £10.95
Apart from a few magazine articles no serious effort has been made to record the rise, development and eventual fate of the nobby, the traditional sailing fishing boat of the N W Coast. Now L.J.Lloyd has written a book about them, which should be read and studied by everyone with an interest in their history.
It is a mistake to think that the word Nobby, is merely an alternative for the longer description ”Morecambe Bay Prawner”. While the basic design appears to have originated at Crossfield’s Yard at Arnside around 1890 the concept was adopted and modified by boat-builders in ports from the Solway Firth to Cardigan Bay.
L.J.Lloyd documents the development of the type with a series of line drawings and sail plans. Other detailed chapters cover construction, mast, spars, rigging and even the fo’c’sle bogey stove. The book is well illustrated with sketches and photographs.
My one criticism is that no mention is made of the many yachts, which were built on nobby lines, nor the many fishing nobbies, which were converted to pleasure use. The Kathleen, for instance, built at Southport in 1896 was converted to a yacht in the 1930’s and is still well remembered as the only boat to finish in the appalling conditions, which prevailed during the Tranmere Sailing Club’s annual midnight race to the Isle of Man in 1935.
SOUTHPORT & NORTH MEOLS FISHER-MEN & BOATBUILDERS.
By L J Lloyd. Pub. Merseyside Maritime Museum 1998
ISBN O 95304083 6 Price £6.95.
In this, his second book, L.J.Lloyd concentrates on the considerable fleet of nobbies built in the Southport area and the various fishing methods used in the adjacent waters.
There are clear illustrations of shrimp nets and trawls and a wide range of fascinating photographs. I particularly liked the series showing the newly built nobby “Snipe” being towed through the streets in 1895 by upwards of fifty men en route from her builders yard to the Marine Drive to wait to be launched on the tide.
L.J.Lloyd is to be congratulated for having recorded so vividly the way of life, now gone forever, of a small community of boat-builders and fishermen
MARK MILLER.
I am very grateful to Mark for these reviews.
I have received two emails this week. This is the first one.
Greetings from British Columbia. Canada.
I am an outport member of the club and just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed seeing the club’s website and the newsletters. After 32 years in Canada there are not too many members that I know anymore but I am in close contact with Joe Coady and during my return visits with Joe and Gwyneth over the years have enjoyed reminiscing with many of the ‘old gang’ such as Eric Wilkinson, Ted McGregor, Jimmy Brown, Arthur Gelder, Stan Warren, Billy Griffiths- the list goes! In addition I have visited with ex members, Brian Roberts, Malcolm Hawkyard and the Stewart, Sharman and Clarke families. To paraphrase an old saying “You can take the boy away from the Alt but you can never take the Alt away from the boy”!!
I noticed in one of the newsletters that you were looking for book reviews and I would like to recommend the following titles to club members interested in cruising.
The Magic of the Swatchways is by Maurice Griffiths (plus other cruising yarns). I amsure that you have heard of these books. Maurice Griffiths was editor of Yachting Monthly for 40 years and in these books he recounts his sailing adventures on the East Coast and Thames Estuary.
Down River and to Sea./ Cheerfully At Sea by Edward Robinson. These two books are probably out of print, they were published in the fifties, but are worth the search since they are about a family’s sailing adventures on the Mersey Estuary and North Wales Coast. Unfortunately the author never sailed to the Alt, but we can forgive him for that.
Two books about the rather relaxed sailing that I enjoy amongst the Gulf Islands of British Columbia are: A Dream of Islands and a Shimmer on the Horizon by Philip Teece, I don’t know whether they would be available in the UK.
Anyway I just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed the website and also the newsletters over the years,especially the voyages of Tao!
Best wishes to all my old friends at the club.
Roger Myerscough.
The second e’mail is from Spain.
Hi John and Pat.
Hope that you enjoyed Oz and aren’t too disappointed to be back.
We are enjoying ‘wintering’ here in Aguadulce with around 80 other cruising boats of which 70% are British, so there are always plenty of activities on the go and never short of a party to go to.
Eating out here is so cheap here, with a wide selection of restaurants and bars surrounding the marina. Tonight we are going to the opening night of a new Indian restaurant, the first in the marina so I have put the toilet paper in the freezer! The Sunday barbecue is a lively afternoon and usually ends around 8 pm. Sumptuous amounts of wine and pork chops are mandatory.
I’ve advertised Ninicha in Boats and Planes Magazine. www.boatsandplanes but I don’t suppose she will sell too quickly as it’s a buyers market at the moment. I have decided not to get the Bruce Roberts 44 as I have realised that teak decks on a steel boat can become an expensive problem. I’m looking for something around 42 ft that would be strong enough for a circumnavigation. We will be looking worldwide to see just what is on offer bu Maureen has her heart set on a Moody 425 or Halberg Rassy 38. Personally I don’t think I will find a more roomy and safe boat than Ninicha, but it would be good for us to choose a boat together. I’ve lived on her for eight years now and to Maureen she will always be mine, not ours. Hopefully she wont sell.. I feel that I’m still a bit too young to do the ‘campervanning America’ yet so there’s no question of living ashore for a long time to come.
I am trying to get a replacement knee on the E111 and up to now it looks promising. The Spanish health service has drastically improved and some expats believe it is better than the British. You certainly don’t have the waiting lists and there’s never a shortage of beds or nurses.
I won’t mention the absolutely glorious weather down here and just say “COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON” TO YOU BOTH” and to all BSC members.
Regards. Mike and Maureen Ascott.
When I reply I will give Mike the club website address.
My e mail address is JOHNANDPAT@Heyworth.fsnet.co.uk
I would love to hear from you.
Now back to reality. The clubhouse is looking wonderfully festive ready for the Christmas season, which starts with the club party on Saturday. The decoration is due to the very hard work put in by Rita Gilbury and her team. It takes most of a day for them to put the whole thing together and they deserve a very big Thank You.
Whilst on the subject of decorations there is a need for a warm dry home for them. Can anybody please offer to store them throughout the year? If you are able to do this will you please contact Stan Warren.
YACHT REGISTRATION David Warren has passed on the following information. It appears that yacht registrations are now to be renewed every FIVE years at a cost of £46 each time. The scheme is being phased in according to the following schedule.
|
Year
of Build
|
Dates
for renewal
|
|
1971 – 1975 |
1st Jan – 31st Mar 2001 |
|
1976 – 1989 |
1st Jan – 31st Mar 2002 |
|
1990 – 20th Mar 1994 |
1st Jan – 31st Mar 2003 |
Year of build unknown. Apply a s a p.
If you do not apply during the appropriate period it will cost you £115 to rectify your omission.
I do not have any more information but if it affects you David may be able to supply more.
On a lighter note: Have you done your Christmas Shopping yet?
Diary dates
The News year’s eve party
31st December 01
See notice board for
details
The past commodores evening
Friday 11th January 02
Presentation of Burgees
Food will be available
The fitting out dinner /ladies evening
Saturday 2nd February 02
More details about these separate
events
later