Open weekend - this Saturday and Sunday A last minute reminder - join us on Saturday or Sunday (or both!) for our annual open weekend event which we run as part of the RYA's Push The Boat Out initiative. Bring along your family, friends and work colleagues for a fun day of activity on the water, or just relax and enjoy the facilities of the club house. A great opportunity to try Stand-Up Paddle Boarding or sailing different dinghy s. We also need members to help us. If you are willing to helm, cover safety or show people around, we would love to hear from you. You can volunteer or sign up for a taster session here.
Speed Dating at the Open Weekend... At the open weekend this weekend, there is a "speed dating" initiative to allow helms and crews without a partner to try each other out on a no-expectations basis and see if there is a previously unforeseen magic partnership to be formed. There are several 2-person boat owners without regular crews and some very competent crews looking for a boat to call home. There are also several new members looking for crewing opportunities. Please let the event reception (Janet and Sue) know if you d like to take advantage of this. Introducing Saturday Sail Training Whether you are fairly new to sailing, have recently completed a course, or have considerable sailing experience - come and join our new Saturday sail training sessions. These FREE sessions will provide relaxed, friendly advice and sailing tips to improve your sailing skills, build confidence for those wishing to participate in club racing and make getting on the water easy and fun. Saturdays, 1pm 5pm Please contact Alex Kohler on training@dwsc.co.uk or Anthony Cooper on a.d.cooper@btinternet.com for more information.
Booking is required please click here Introducing Sunday afternoon racing! The club will be introducing Sunday afternoon racing this summer. This is in response to feedback in the last members' survey from those who either wanted to sail all day on Sunday or who could not make Sunday morning races. Two afternoon races will be held on each of the following Sundays from June to September: 5th June 26th June 10th July 24th July 14th August 11th September 25th September The first race will not start before 2.30pm, giving Sunday morning sailors time to lunch and others time for a lie-in, listening to the Archers Omnibus or other Sunday morning activities. Remember, you don't have to sail with the same boat or partner in a 2-person boat as you sailed with in the morning The Sailing Instructions are the same as for Wednesday evening (Single Start Handicap) which are also on the website (click here )
Please let the office know if you can help on the race team, either as Assistant Race Officer or to give those Race Officers a break who have kindly volunteered their time for 2 events (in addition to normal club duties). This could be a good opportunity to get more race management experience. Participation levels this year will impact any decision to continue this new innovation in future years - so if this is something you value, please put the dates in your calendar, and encourage your friends to attend. We are aiming to get at least 40 boats out in this 40th year of DWSC. This Girl Can Wow - we are already at 40% of our target for attendance. We are very fortunate to have had wonderful sailing conditions and some great instruction. Thank you to the members who are turning up to helm and show us the ropes. Gabrielle apologises to Clare who had to listen to her squeal every time the boat moved yes lots of squealing apparently - and offer huge thanks to Anji for trying to distract her. Come along and join in the fun and the debrief afterwards.
So long slippery slopes! The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed still bristled brushes on the beach and ramps. These are to brush away slime to make launching easier. The skiffs have demonstrated a large area can be cleaned very quickly when people are working together. Thanks to Mark Cooper for driving this initiative. Please don't take the brushes away - aside from the cost, it's really frustrating if they are missing when needed. We are also using the old changing room mats to help combat slime. If you know of any sources of such matting, please let the office know DWSC Branded Clothing If you want to look the part for the push the boat out weekend don't forget our new range of Datchet Water Sailing Club clothing provided by Brandable Clothing. Adult, youth and kids sizes are available and suppliers include Musto, Regatta and Fruit of the Loom and the clothing is customisable, so you can also add you fleet logo in addition to the club logo. A wide range is available under the News and Community menu on the club website and we hope to have some examples available during the open weekend. So whether you are looking to draw attention to your club and fleet during the push the boat out weekend, wanting a common team identity or just want to look good, the DWSC clothing is now available for purchase. Looking forward to seeing you on the water again very soon.