January 2006

COMMENT Welcome once again to our newsletter and best wishes for a very happy year. January is a busy month this year, before the end we will have seen the Islamic New Year, 1427, the Chinese New Year (year of the dog) and Mozart's 250 th birthday.

It was reported nationally this month that the biggest participation sport in this country is fishing and for the first time the second biggest is sailing. It is good that many of our members fall into both categories.

By the time our boats start to be launched this year there may be some more hazards as the Burbo Bank Wind Turbines are set to be erected.

There is much to report this month with the Annual General Meeting, the Sailing and House Committees and last night the General Committee meeting which proved to be quite lively and will be of interest to boat owners and members who race. Much is in progress, work on the diary, the social events, improvements to the clubhouse and grounds the sailing calendar and of course just the general housekeeping. Spare a thought for all those who do these things.

Twice now there has been an appeal for the workings of the club to be done with more openness, or transparency as you will read later. I heartily agree. It is against the good spirit of any club that secrecy and even (dare I say it?) manipulation should take place. All members should expect to know what is happening. Will it ever be?

I will begin the reports with a quick report on the AGM on Sun 8 th January, which went very well.

There were about forty members in attendance. The Commodore opened the meeting and asked for a few moments of silence in memory of John Heyworth. There was then rather a long list of apologies for absence. Some members were unable to attend due to the change of date and some didn't give a reason. There seemed to be a few who didn't come because they were making a protest but, as it was not clear to me why, I cannot comment.

The Hon Secretary Martin Dooley read out the lengthy minutes of the last meeting, which were accepted in the usual way, finishing by reminding us that the wall is now 5 years old and that racing in the club was excellent last year.

The Commodore then reported on his first year in office. Dave said that it had been a good year and commented on the amount of work being carried out by members. He thanked all the people who had played any part in the year and Mark Meadows for his work in running the 200 Club and the members who support it. The proceeds paid for the central heating, an excellent effort.

Last year some boat trailers gave cause for concern as they were in such a sorry state. Dave hopes that this year owners will do something about them soon, otherwise refusal to allow launching may ensue.

There had been excellent social events and Wednesday lectures during the year, may they continue.

We had a good number of new members and it is pleasing that we are getting some younger members amongst them.

In conclusion Dave said that the success of the year was due to the dedication and hard work of a few members. He would like to see more volunteers. It was disappointing that not many people put themselves forward for office and he suggested that there may have been too much "secrecy" and hopes that that will change.

The Hon Secretary then thanked all who had supported him during his first year; he said that he had had fantastic help and a very seamless and efficient hand-over from Mark, as the previous Hon Secretary.

Twelve General Committee Meetings had been held and to date all correspondence had been answered and dealt with. The License had been renewed under the new laws with the help of Mike Kennan and there was renewal of the club's affiliation with the RYA and they have suggested new insurers. Last year's Fitting Out dinner was a great success and so was our club representation at other kindred clubs. Martin finished with a breakdown of membership, as you will see from the next diary. We have 199 members in total.

The Hon Treasurer sent his profound apologies for sunning himself in Australia whilst we were reportedly suffering the torments of the frosty weather. Because of Dave's holiday Dave Griffiths gave the Treasurers report, just like old times.

It had been a successful year with a good bar and all improvements to the clubhouse had been done at minimal cost. £6000 had been spent on improvements including central heating and £3000 of that came from the 200 club.

All loans for the roof fund have been repaid. There will be a rationalisation of accounts and bank accounts made in this current year.

There were very few questions; they were answered by David who said that reconvening the meeting had cost only £30 for postage. Any one with further questions can write to Dave Flynn on his return.

The auditors Peter Williams and Arthur Mount were thanked for their efforts and were reappointed by the meeting.

The Commodore thanked Dave for his presentation and then continued with the elections for flag officers, club officers and the General Committee. These were as you received on your notification. As it was not necessary to hold a ballot for any position the members returned all, as proposed.

There was a proposed increase in membership and Boat Fees for 2006 by the General Committee. This amounted to approximately 5% overall. The increase was acceptable to the members.

The proposed additional route to Hon Life Membership by Cedric Loughran was discussed at some length until a vote was taken. Five members were in favour and the rest rejected the proposal.

The Commodore closed the meeting.

The General Committee Meeting 10 th January 2006

All members were present with the exception of Dave Flynn and the minutes of the short December meeting were approved.

The Commodore informed the members that the trench containing the mains pipes and cables had been filled in by Popes. Kieron Riley said that hopefully the gas would be connected on Wednesday so we can all hope for heating by weekend and cast off the long johns.

The Commodore said that it was a pity that the fourth General Committee member had not been nominated. He was not sure why this had happened but said that nominations should be made more open and public next year.

The Vice Commodore reported that a sailing committee had been held last week as follows:

Tuesday, 3 January 06

Present : Carole Fielding, Peter Williams, Ian Cowell, Phil Wright, Dave Ward, Ian Cowell, Simon Markland.

Apologies : Alan Roe, Kieron Riley

Race dates for 2006 season were presented and were agreed subject to confirmation that the Rattray Race/Commodores Cruise would coincide with kindred clubs visit to Hilbre/Hoyle. SM to check and will distribute dates when confirmed. Provisional dates

Rates dates for the Altmouth Cup 2007 were assessed and the following found to be suitable:

1 st choice: 15 July 2007
2 nd choice: 1 July 2007
3 rd choice: 29 July 2007

Choices will be presented to kindred clubs meeting later in the year.

Invites to join the sailing committee will be extended to the following members:

J.Newton
G.Cummins
J.Hall
A.Lee-McGirk

Ian Cowell will be responsible for handicaps, PY will continue to form the basis for club handicaps though discretionary amendment, of up to 20 points, may be made. It is intended that Ian will consult with two other members, not necessarily sailing committee members, before any amendment to current handicaps are made. The intention is to make the handicap process as transparent as possible and be done in such a manner as to encourage more participation in club races without a negative effect on current support.

The subject of whether single-handed racing should continue to be allowed was discussed at some length, the committee while not wishing to prevent anyone racing believed that, particularly in view of events during a race last year, safety considerations must be paramount. A vote was taken and the majority was in favour of ruling that single-handed racing should not be allowed; there was one abstention.

Next meeting will be at 20:00 on Tuesday, 7 February at the club house.

As you can imagine the final paragraph provoked immediate reaction from members of the General Committee. The discussion became somewhat heated, with the words nannying and freedom of choice being uttered amongst many others. The ban was said by some to be detrimental to racing and it was pointed out that boat owners had enough common sense not to enter races bigger than around the buoys solo and to consider the weather conditions.

It was also pointed out that during smaller races boats are always under surveillance by other boat owners. Comments were made to the effect that if the sailing committee were really interested in safety there were many other dangers on the Alt that could be addressed rather than picking on a few who race. Whilst on paper, crewing members are plentiful, that does not prove to be so in reality. They are not always on tap. The discussion was brought to a close when a vote was taken and the result was a majority vote that the status quo will remain. The matter will be raised again when a training day for OD's will be held, with a view to putting single-handedness decisions on to the OD for the day, along with decisions about the weather and the course. Ed.

The Rear Commdores Report

House & Grounds Commmittee Report - Tuesday 10 th January 2006 .

House & Grounds Committee .

The 2006 committee members are to be the same as that in 2005.

Clubhouse .

Bar General.

Monthly Bar Report - Annual bar takings up to the week commencing 2 nd January 2006 monthly report was circulated to the General Committee Members.

Projects - 2005 Outstanding.

Porch/Foyer - Area to be redecorated, i.e. woodwork, walls and ceiling to be painted and a new carpet laid. Club Logo and name to displayed on the main window.

Snug area - Pictures to be hung.

Mains installation - Work is ongoing with regards to the completion of the connecting up of the new electric cable and water pipe. The new part for the central heating system has been obtained and we are waiting on an engineer to install it.

Projects - 2006 Proposed.

Bar Area - The ceiling is to be insulated and plastered similar to snug area with new lighting installed. Review existing bar area to see if more space can be made available for optics, rear work surface and install wooden facia on steel door.

Centre area of clubhouse.

• Lighting - This to be replaced with something new that properly lights up the area.
• Central metal support beam - This to be completed encased in wooden panelling similar to existing renewed side in order to finish it off.
• White beamed area (Seaward facing side) - This area to be fully insulated and covered. The consensus of opinion being that the beams should be covered in wooden panelling similar to central metal support beam above and stained as opposed to covering in plaster board and plastering similar to the snug area .
• Arched ceiling area (Landward facing side) - Area to be repainted.
• Wooden flooring - To be sanded and re-varnished.

Exterior of clubhouse.

• Clubhouse perimeter wall lighting - Fix/renew existing bulkhead fittings.
• Perimeter fencing - Carry out a review of existing fencing and either repair or renew as necessary.

Club Talks

A talk at the clubhouse has been arranged on the following dates.

Wednesday, 1 st February at 8:30pm by Dr Bryan Barrass on "30 Reasons on why the Herald of Free Enterprise capsized".

Club Private Bookings.

• Mr & Mrs Branigan, 21 st January 2006 - Birthday Party
• Mr Martin Dooley, 11 th February 2006 - Birthday Party

2006 Diary .

Work is underway on generating this year's diary and the usual information is required for the following.

•  Committee's - Flag Officers.

•  Membership details - Hon. Membership Secretary.

•  Sailing calendar - Hon. Sailing Committee.

•  Social calendar - Commodore.

•  Club fleet and owners list, Mooring List - Y&BM.

•  List of 2005 Prize winners - Hon. Sailing Secretary/Pat Heyworth.

•  Fleet PY handicaps - Vice Commodore.

•  Kindred club Sailing and Social events - Hon. Secretary.

•  Adverts - Alan Roe.

200 Club.

Winners of the December 200 Club Christmas Draw :

1 st Prize of £60.00 - Number 126 Mr Mark Corns.

2 nd Prize of £40.00 - Number 4 Mrs Shelagh Warren

3 rd Prize of £30.00 - Number 185 Mrs Pat Heyworth

4 th Prize of £20.00 - Number 70 Mrs Pat Heyworth

The draw was kindly carried out by Mr Bill Woods on Friday, 30 th December.

Date of next scheduled draw : Friday, 27 th January 2006

The Hon Secretary reported that about of the invited guests for the Fitting Out Dinner have responded. He will sort out the numbers shortly.

Martin has been asked by both Mark Miller and by Joe Coady for any club records that anybody may have . If you have any past information of any kind about the club can you please let Martin Dooley have them? He will collate any records that turn up and pass them on to the relevant people. Information is needed for the formation of a centenary book.

Are you interested in attending a seminar about the weather? Martin has information about a Weather Day being held by Manchester Cruising Association on the 18 th February. The cost is £22.

The Hon Membership Secretary . Stan's main news was about the Fitting Out Dinner . There will be spaces for about 80 people including guests. The list is now on the board for full members to put their names down. The comedian will be Bobby Kaye and the menu is under discussion. The cost of tickets will be £20.50.

Social Notes The commodore will continue to organise the social events with the help of various people. Volunteer if you can.

Two dates for next year's Diary i.e. 2007. A cocktail Party will be held in the clubhouse on April 8 th and will be attended by the Mayor of Sefton and there will be a Celebration Ball on 22 nd September.

A.O.Business. Phil Wright our Club Captain will represent the Club at a proposed Sefton Coastal Forum to be held in the Floral Pavilion.Southport. An Exhibition of Promotional Material is needed about the club for the day. Can anyone help or come up with ideas? Contact Phil if you can.

Rubbish in the nicest possible way. David Warren told the meeting that Hightown Parish Council are concerned about erosion, the condition of the beach and the rubbish thereon. They intend to ask the Range to clear their bit up and Cedric will liase. Now that we no longer have a bonfire we need to dispose of rubbish in some other way. Sefton will provide skips and help will be needed from our club members for about 2 hours at a date to be fixed in February.

Thanks Kieron Riley would like to thank all who gave their time and effort to help in the installation of new mains supplies to the clubhouse. Without their help it would have taken much longer to complete.

The Commodore closed the meeting.

WANTED

For perch topmarks. Green and especially Red (Tizer) plastic lemonade bottles. These have proved to be ideal and show their colours, by torchlight, in the dark - much better than paint. Please give to Cedric .

Cedric also wishes to thank all who helped him when his hand was in plaster and he was hors de combat.  

Cedric left his Black and Decker disc grinder in the yard. It is a 4.5-inch and was fitted with a metal cutting disc. Has any good soul found it?

OLIVER

Many congratulations to Oliver Loughran who has passed his Admiralty Interview Board at HMS Sultan. Oliver wishes to go into the Warfare branch, which will involve learning yet more about navigation (it just shows where the RYA Day Skipper might lead). He hopes to improve on his father's efforts and not run aground so much.  He is really looking forward to Britannia Royal Naval College when he is given his starting date.

We now know that Oliver will be leaving us in February. I'm sure that everyone would like to wish him well and good luck in his new way of life and we hope that he will keep in touch with us. Ed.

ANOTHER TALK NOT TO BE MISSED .

THE HERALD OF FREE ENTERPRIZE .

30 REASONS WHY THE HERALD OF FREE ENTERPRISE CAPSIZED IN 1987

A TALK WILL BE GIVEN IN THE CLUBHOUSE

by

Dr C B BARRASS
M.Sc FRINA C Eng CNI

Lecturer in Ship Technology and International Consultant in Maritime Studies .

on

WEDNESDAY 1 ST FEBRUARY 2006

Club open 8.00pm

Start 8.30pm