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Commodores Cruise 06

O.D.'s Mooring

Clipper Victoria

Fitting Out Dinner 2006

Commodores Cruise 05

May Bank Holiday Race

Past Commodores Dinner

Fitting Out Dinner 2005

June 2005

COMMENT There has been plenty of activity in and around the club since the last newsletter. Some has been quite disappointing with some unfinished or cancelled racing due to the windy weather. We have had a really mixed bag of weather. BSC was very well represented in the Albert Dock last weekend with about eleven of our boats there. The first two days were sunny, though cold in the evening but Sunday was wet and windy. Some boat owners had planned to stay but of those who wanted to return only the Mayrose managed to do so. A hardy skipper! The tall ships were quite a sight having sailed up from Torbay for the visit and there was plenty of interesting activity and crowds of people enjoying the shows and the music.

The Clipper Race will be the next big event from Liverpool. I wonder if any of our members took part in the Look North West Competition for a place on the first leg of the Liverpool. The person chosen was a middle aged, non-sailing female which generated some uncomplimentary remarks from a few of the chaps!

There have also been some uncomplimentary remarks about the Gormley Statues, which are now being erected on Crosby Shore. I imagine that there will be more by the time all of them are in place; they have already earned a few nicknames. Today two daily newspapers The Guardian and the Daily Mail carry photographs and comment on the first man in place.

There is a fox to be seen at dusk in the environs of the clubhouse and I also saw one last week on our street in the small hours. They were totally different in size and colour. The fox population seems to be increasing, as do the buzzards. We now see more of these birds than over the past few years. Watch out for the fox on the track down to the clubhouse.

The following are a few notes from the General Committee and some notices. Thank you to those who have contributed to the news and please do attend our Lifeboat Day. It is fund raising for an essential service.

The Commodore told the meeting that the Mayrose had returned from the Albert Dock in dire weather. It was a pity that the Apres Race event was not very well supported. Perhaps it was the clash with the Albert Dock event and the awful weather.

Dave hopes that all contestants have taken their details and entry forms for the Altmouth Cup Race He will OD along with Bill Woods . The race is planned for Sunday 3 rd July.

Next Sunday is the day of the Rattray Race to the West Hoyle Bank. It is also the Commodore's Cruise. Those not competing in the race can of course make their way across at their leisure. Dave is looking forward to seeing everybody and the weather forecast is improving.

The fallen perch in the Alt has still not been repaired therefore watch out for it. As reported in last month's news all dinghies in the dinghy park without name or lock WILL be locked up with the help of the YBM at any time from NOW.

The Daily Mail had approached the commodore; they wanted adverse comments on the Gormley Statues. Although there will be a little financial help from Sefton for any extra buoys or chain we may have to use there was still some concern in the meeting about the danger in fog or perhaps being swept onto a "head" in the case of engine failure or other emergency.

The Vice Commodore gave her report on the Sailing Committee Meeting.

Work on the emergency mooring has now been completed.

The measuring device for the yard plan has still to be obtained. CF will remind the Commodore.

Y&BM -
All insurance certificates have been submitted.

A working party to tidy the boat yard will be required, a date will be decided and notices posted.

It is intended that tenders without names/identification will be moved to a central point and secured, any not claimed will then be disposed of.

The hose and reel in the boat yard are to be replaced.

New hinges will be fitted to the electric meter box.

John Hall has advised the arrival of a new boat on 14 June, "Gazelle" will be removed prior to the new boats arrival.

John Needham has left a trailer in the yard, he is no longer a member and the general committee are to be asked to write to him requesting his intentions.

Sailing Secretary -
The use of a flag to indicate the start of a race was discussed and it was agreed that this was required to emphasise the sound signals. SM will devise a method and source any equipment required.

SM will approach South Sefton Partnership to request they provide a buoy for use at the start of races as in certain conditions boats would need to enter the statues exclusion zone.

A Racing Charter was received from RYA and its adoption was agreed. A certificate will be prepared and displayed in the clubhouse.

Club Captain -
A perch on the south reach is in need of straightening, Giles Fielding has volunteered to carry out the work in the next couple of weeks. He will need assistance as the mud in that area is particularly soft.

A meeting was held at very short notice with regard to the adoption of a Clipper crew, unfortunately no one was able to attend. PW will discuss with the organiser to see what progress has been made and whether our interest will be pursued.

Committee -
It was proposed that to improve utilisation of space in the boat yard that members fees are assessed based on the amount of space taken up by boat/trailer and a figure of £4/ sq.m. was suggested. Initially it was thought that some boats would pay slightly more others less than current fees but it was agreed that in principal it was worthwhile but further discussion was required before a proposal would be made to the general committee for adoption.

Phil Wright has LBSA rating forms for those who require rating, those already submitted are being processed.

The Rear Commodore gave The House & Grounds Commmittee Report

Bar Locks - Locks have been replaced behind the bar as part of an overall review.

Bar Coolers - One of the coolers behind the bar is not working correctly and may need repairing.

Porch/Foyer. Still waiting on costings for upgrading the frontage.

Central Heating. Correspondence has been sent to Whitlock Blundell with regards to the renewal of the lease and the required legal easement to allow PowerGen to access our land.

Snug Area Review. A proposal to upgrade the snug area of the clubhouse with costings was circulated to the General Committee.

Rear Door - Still some problems experienced with regard to keys in circulation not working working. There are two options available to the club :

• Persevere and replace the members keys as and when required, which is not an ideal situation with regards to members trying to access the clubhouse in an emergency.

• Replace the overall lock with a new one and have registered keys issued, which the club can keep a register of.

The House & Grounds Committee recommend the latter option.

Notice Boards. A new notice board is available within the clubhouse called "Club Events" advising along with dates upon what is happening within the Clubhouse.

Please see main pillar at the north end of the clubhouse .

Thanks and appreciation is expressed to Mr John Rathe for making the notice board.

Grounds . Black Hut - Mr Bill Woods and Mr Charles Plant have carried out a survey and awaiting upon costings for proposed repairs.

Locks to Gate - We are on our 3 rd lock for the main gate as the first two have been damaged within a couple of weeks of each other.

External Lamp Post lighting - These have been adjusted so that they are turned off when the club house is not in use during an evening.

Clubhouse Hire.

The House & Grounds Committee has received one application to hire the clubhouse for member's private functions. Mr Paul Wren on Saturday 3 rd September.

200 Club. Winners of the May Draw 200 Club Draw

1 st Prize - Mr Peter Williams £ 30.00.

2 nd Prize - Mr Graham Cuming £20.00.

3 rd Prize - Mr Peter Grocott £30.00 (Roll over from May draw).

In addition to the above the General Committee were shown a compass, given to the club by Mr J Newton. Bob Chamberlain has mounted it very nicely. Thanks to both.

The General Committee considered the problem about the lock to the Rear Door and it was decided that a new lock with registered keys would be purchased and fitted. Keys will have to be applied for to Stan Warren. There will be a refundable charge made for each key. Registered keys cannot be copied.

The Hon Secretary informed the meeting that two invitations had been received. The first is an invitation for the Commodore to attend the launch of a new lifeboat in New Brighton and the second is for the Hon Sec to attend the formal opening of the Gormley Statues on the 1 st July.

Martin had written to the people who gave the presentation concerning the statues in the clubhouse expressing concern about Safety and Convenience but has not received a reply. Cedric Loughran however has informed Martin that all the requirements that they had to make have been fulfilled.

The Club will appoint a representative to become a member of the Friends of Crosby Coastal Path.

The Hon Treasurer told the committee that we are solvent and can afford our alterations. He is busy working towards Lifeboat Day.

The Hon Membership Secretary has received a letter of resignation from John Needham. There are also resignations from R A Lathom, Mrs S B McLeod and Mr G N Brown.

Four members have been struck off. Mr L J Needham, Mr Rigby, Mr J Wilson and Mr A Savage.

The Social Chairperson. Trevor has cut the grass around the clubhouse and discovered that we need a new barbecue before the RNLI Day. The committee agreed that he could buy one. Trevor is taking charge of the cooking on Sunday 26 th June.

It was disappointing that the après race, beef sandwiches did not go down very well. There were plenty of people in the clubhouse but not in beef mode. Who knows the reason? Maybe it clashed with the Sunday Roast or maybe not many people eat beef. There was also a clash with the Albert Dock weekend.

After some discussion concerning the proposed RNLI Day the meeting closed.

RYA - News Snips

No change to light dues charges

Reporting Regulations

The reporting requirement on owners of smaller craft has now been reverted to the legal position prior to the 2004 regulations. Once again, craft under 15 metres are excluded from reporting 'incidents' or 'accidents'. The new amending regulations came into force 27 April 2005.

After the RYA commenced its legal challenge, the MCA amended the 2004 Regulations with the Merchant Shipping (Amendments to Reporting Requirements) Regulations 2005.

Without the Amending Regulations it would have been a criminal offence, punishable by a fine of up to £5,000, if skippers of recreational craft did not comply with strict reporting requirements when their craft was involved in an 'incident' or 'accident'. Incidents included fairly commonplace mishaps such as involuntary groundings.

Rod Carr, RYA CEO commented: "We originally objected to the Reporting Regulations in November 2004. Since then, through our consultations with the MCA and more recently through our legal action, we have worked tirelessly to raise the concerns of recreational boaters and protect their interests. We are now happy with the provisions of the Amending Regulations".

New RYA Title Checking Service

The RYA through its Legal Service is pleased to be able to offer to its members a title checking service for use when purchasing a boat in the UK.

This service has been devised as a result of a need for prospective purchasers to take basic precautions to ensure security of title when purchasing new or second-hand boats. This need has arisen partly due to a small number of fraud cases, which have come to light over a number of years.

By carrying out a number of specific checks, the service aims to provide the purchaser with background information on the Vendor's title and details of encumbrances etc. in order that the purchaser may take a view on the risk involved in the purchase of the vessel. The service does not seek to, indeed cannot, guarantee title.

The service is available to members only on the purchase of new or second-hand boats up to a purchase value of £150,000. The cost of the service is £75.00 for Part I Registered boats; £150.00 for Part III/SSR Registered boats; and £150 for unregistered boats together with disbursements. For further details, kindly contact Mandy Peters in the Legal Department on 02380 604225. M.Meadows .

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Pat.

With reference to the age of the club, I have memories of a committee meeting in the early fifties when Jim Wyse said that in the Olden Days and for a short period the BSC became "The Altmouth Sailing Club" it later changed back to BSC. Under either name it appeared to be a band of brothers, small in number and free of rules and paperwork. I have no knowledge of the date of the creation of the club.

Arthur Gelder.

Dear Editor, As chairman of the sub committee appointed to plan ahead for celebrations in 1907,1 feel obliged to comment on Peter Stephenson's letter last month in the newsletter.

From the outset, we were aware of the doubts surrounding the establishment date shown in the diary, vis 1907, and how it arrived there. I personally conducted some research and found articles in the Bootle Times for both 1891 and 1892 under the heading Blundellsands Sailing Club describing races off Hall Rd, and comments such as " the usual course was sailed". Mark Miller our Archivist was also aware of these dates but had not had access to such articles.

We also know that in I 892 at a General Meeting, a decision was taken to remove the clubhouse to a suitable site near the mouth of the Alt for ease of access to and from the Mersey. Research has shown, that the Altmouth Sailing Club was founded in 1899 but was dissolved in 1907 not 1906 as first thought. I discovered a letter to the Crosby Herald by a 0. Harrop in 1962. He was a friend of Alec Burrowes (whom many of us knew) and he clearly stated that the original Burbo Sailing was formed in 1907, and was reformed in 1921, not 1914, at which time Alec Burrowes proposed a name change to Blundellsands Sailing Club, after his earlier suggestion of Crosby Sailing Club was rejected. There is therefore good evidence to support the fact that there was continuous existence of the Club from 1907, and if it is the wish of the Club to celebrate "100 years of Sailing 1907-2007" so be it. Mark Miller is prepared to produce a comprehensive history on those lines, and in due course, I will be approaching some members whose relatives formed the very backbone of the club in the early days, to write up a short biography of their forebears for inclusion in the book.

I do not intend to perpetuate correspondence about the dates. We all know there are still some gaps to fill in the history, and efforts to do this are continuing.

Yours sincerely, Joe Coady

Thank you to everybody who supported us recently in various ways - by giving raffle prizes, donations and buying raffle tickets in the clubhouse. As a result of your generosity and an event at Our Lady's on 5 th June we raised £400, which will be divided between a handful of local young people to help with the cost of their expenses to Lourdes. These young people are going to Lourdes to assist sick/elderly pilgrims in July and are to be admired for their efforts.

On behalf of Michael, his fellow travellers and their families I should like to thank all those who supported us in whatever way especially our editor Pat for helping me on 5 th June.

Colette Meadows