February 2017 The Commodore Wot? No commodore? Welcome to the February edition of Mainsheet. This contains the usual pot-pourri of articles. Amongst others, there s a copy of the press release about the Toppers that the RYA awarded Roan and Maddie. Laurence keeps us up-to-date with the popular Winter Series racing results, and Ian stuns us with his use of spreadsheet graphs to illuminate us about the club s finances. What s obviously missing is Stuart s normal wise article to send us forward on the crest of a wave. That s because he s saving his thunder for a special Mainsheet due in the next few days covering the plans for a new clubhouse at Piddinghoe, and plans for the Galley at Seaford. Watch this space. The Editor mainsheetnssc@nssc.org.uk 1
RYA Inspection Requirements We were inspected in October by the RYA, and most points were good, but we were lacking robust and upto-date records of Instructors and Powerboat Helms. So can the Instructor/Helms involved help me out to get on top of the Record keeping. Could I ask you to read the Operating Procedures (OPs) and Risk Assessments (RAs) and then get forms back to me for collating. I know that this is boring but it s a legal requirement. The 2017 Registration form and the OP s and RA s are available on the Website, and printed versions are at Seaford in the Racebox, and at Piddinghoe in the Galley, so no excuses for not having access! The club s website has all the instructions, links and forms here: http://www.nssc.org.uk/cms/index.php/ members/instructor-and-pb-helm-registration. Best way is to fill in the form by typing and then give it a new filename like your name Inst registration, scanning in your certificates as well, then email back to me: (trainingnssc@nssc.org.uk). Most important is current First Aid. Some of you responded last year, so many thanks, but I have the old registration list so will target those involved as required. We are planning an Instructors Session in the spring, a bit of fun with updating skills, so watch for more details. Simon Suter Training Director trainingnssc@nssc.org.uk 2
Sailing Tips for Beginners by Ian Walker From international golds all over the world to recent success as skipper of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in the formidable Volvo Ocean Race, Ian truly is a home-grown sporting hero. Here he gives the ultimate lowdown on how to get into sailing, while shattering a few myths along the way. Sailing has given me a lifetime of enjoyment and the pleasure of travelling all over the world meeting new people. What I like about sailing is the balance of a physical, technical and mental challenge. In some ways it really is like playing chess on water, but getting a good workout and lots of fresh air at the same time. But unlike kicking a football it can appear to be a difficult sport to get started in. So how do you get started and is sailing really a sport for all? I am going to start by shattering a few myths Myth 1 You have to start young As in any sport, you learn faster and it comes more naturally when you are young. But the beauty of sailing is that you can sail well into retirement and everyone can find a boat to suit them. One member of my victorious Volvo Ocean Race crew didn t start sailing until he was 19. Myth 2 You have to be really strong to be good at sailing Obviously national teams are not only highly skilled but also very athletic these days and some jobs on a keelboat require huge physical strength. But there are lots of different jobs and some need to be done by lighter more nimble crew. Your power to weight ratio is often important and this is one reason why girls can compete so equally with men. Britain s most famous sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur sailed around the world several times and she is tiny! Myth 3 You have to be rich to sail It s true that flash racing yachts cost a lot of money, but then so do top racing cars. Many boat owners are often looking for crew and willing volunteers are rarely refused. Second hand boats can be the same price as a set of golf clubs and my sailing club membership costs no more than one round of golf at a top golf course! Myth 4 It is not a sport for girls Nothing could be further from the truth and one of the great things about sailing is how men and women compete on equal terms. It is not embarrassing to be beaten by the ladies, although we obviously fight hard to not let it happen! Myth 5 You get cold and wet sailing in England Well I can t promise that you won t get your hair wet but if you buy the right sailing clothing you should stay warm and dry all year round. 3
Myth 6 If you haven t sailed before you will be sea sick Maybe you will but that is nothing to do with how much you have sailed before. In my experience about 20% of people get very sick and this is probably not the sport for them. Of the rest half will rarely ever feel ill and the others can manage it with drugs or homeopathic treatments. Some of the best sailors in the world get sea sick including half of my Round the World crew! Myth 7 You have to buy a boat to go sailing Again this isn t true. You can start by doing an RYA course or maybe learn to sail courses at your local sailing club. Clubs often have some club boats you can hire especially for the juniors. If not you can start like I did by crewing for other people in their boat. Myth 8 Sailing is a dangerous sport especially if you can t swim Being able to swim is a good idea for everyone and perhaps going sailing will motivate you to learn. If not, you should always wear a lifejacket that will keep you afloat if you fall in. The only other real risk is banging your head on the boom and for beginners it can be good to wear a helmet until you understand about the wind. Myth 9 You will get shouted at if you don t know what you are doing Sadly there are some idiots who like to shout at their crew or other boats, just like there are parents who abuse officials at junior football. Sailing is generally a very friendly social sport and people will go out of their way to help you. The top sailors love to tell you how they won the race so you can learn a lot by listening! Myth 10 you have to live by the sea You do not have to live by the sea as there are many lakes, reservoirs and rivers that have sailing clubs in the UK. I never sailed on the sea until I was 14 and Ellen MacArthur grew up in Derbyshire about as far from the sea as you can get. One obvious way to get started is to complete an RYA recognised dinghy or yacht sailing course at a club or sailing school near you. This is not the only way though. Crewing for someone who knows what they are doing is an excellent way to learn and that is how I started in a Mirror dinghy when I was 8 years old. The best advice I can give is to find your nearest sailing club and get down there and meet the members. They should be welcoming to potential new members and they often have taster days. For kids it is even easier as most sailing clubs probably have junior programs and junior sailing regattas. They often have club boats for kids to borrow. My kids absolutely love sailing in Junior Fortnight at our club, not so much for the sailing, but for the chance to hang out and enjoy the social side with boys and girls of their own age. There is no better feeling as a parent than to see your kids learning new skills and enjoying the new life skills that sailing brings. For newcomers sailing can appear daunting and confusing, not least because sailors seem to speak a different language. Every part of the boat and sails has a specific name and so do all the manoeuvres. If you don t know your luff from your clew or your gybe set from your windward side, don t panic! Things can be explained simply and pulling the red one is just as acceptable as tailing the spinnaker halyard! The full article is at: http://www.musto.com/our-world/blog/sailing-tips-beginners-ian-walker? gclid=clegz6l0w9ecfxeo0wodwisp8a&gclsrc=aw.ds 4
Recorder s Notes For the first three weekends of the Elford Series we had very little wind. On the 5 th the wind remained so light that we only managed to sail one lap in each race. At times it was only the gossamer caught in the rigging that enabled me to see where the wind was coming from. (one advantage of having shrouds). The following Sunday was cold, damp and miserable. Surprisingly, we had quite a good turnout of 15 boats despite the rain and lack of wind. When we got afloat we also discovered a thin layer of ice in places which we crunched through as we sailed around the pond. Again, we only sailed one lap in the very light winds. However, by the time the second race started the wind had picked up to F3 and most of the ice had gone. Generally, we had a very enjoyable race despite the persistent rain. When we turned up for the race at the end of January we were confronted with a 12 mm thick sheet of ice covering the south west corner of the pond. We did notice that there were gulls swimming on the far side so decided to try to break the rescue boat out of the ice it was encased in. Luckily we succeeded and the rescue boat proceeded to break a channel from the south bank jetty to the open water for the dinghies to follow. We didn t have an RO but Rupert Smith kindly offered to stand in. The start of the race had to be delayed while all of this was going on. In the meantime the ice at the far edge was showing signs of melting. As the sailing area was restricted by the ice the course was smaller than usual but in the end we managed to complete two good races. For races 8 and 9 of the Elford Series we discovered we were without both a RO and rescue boat skipper and crew. Eventually we found some volunteers who gave up their sailing to help run the race. Julian Dobson was RO, Alan Simmons rescue boat skipper for first race and Bill Wates was skipper in the second race while Simon Hudson crewed in both. I set the course but we had to use the marks where they had been previously been laid to save time. We enjoyed quite gusty Force 3-4 conditions with a gradually increasing wind. Our cadets sailing Toppers did really well with Bill Hudson winning the first race and Roan Briggs was second in the second race. For the 5 th February races there was a chilly gusty F 4 NE breeze. We had no rescue boat crew again but Phil Clare and Tom Taylor volunteered. It was a crowded start, I had quite a good first beat with only the Laser 2 of Chris and Charlie Foster from Lancing S C in front of me at the windward mark. For the next 3 laps we had quite a close battle but eventually I managed to pull away from them. Rupert who had a bad start was slowly but surely work- 5
ing his way through the fleet and eventually finished 2 nd on handicap. Dave Murley was sailing his Radial consistently throughout the race and was 3 rd. The second race saw some close racing between all 3 Streakers but out front was the Fosters Laser 2 and Roger McCall from Pevensey SC sailing his Laser. The Streakers clashed at the windward mark which lead to me taking a 720 penalty which put me back behind the Rupert's and Alan's Streakers and also Julian's Laser and Dave Murley's Radial. The racing was very close. I managed to regain some places and caught Rupert but he pulled away again on the beats. In the meantime Roan Briggs sailing his Topper was having a great race with Charlie also sailing a Topper. The racing was so close but Roan managed to beat the rest of us on handicap to win the race, 2 nd was Rupert with me just behind in 3 rd, Charlie managed to take 4 th place. I would like to thank everyone who has carried out duties during this series especially those who did so at the last minute. At the moment I am leading the Elford series sailing my Streaker, helped by some very light winds in the earlier races. In second place is Alan Simmons also in a Streaker and third is Julian Dobson sailing his Laser. Charlie Riggs is leading the cadet Freeman series with Roan Briggs close behind in second place both sailing Toppers. Roan is also moving up the race order in the Elford Series. There are 5 more races left in the series, the last one taking place on the 26 th February, starting at 11am followed by the prizegiving for the Elford series and the cadet Freeman series. The Dinghy Show will be held during the 1 st weekend in March. We are going up by coach on Saturday 4 th March leaving the Seaford car park at 8:15 am. We still have 5 seats available so if you would like to go please let me know asap. If you wish to make your own way to the show or go up on the Sunday and would like discounted Show entry tickets costing 10 please let me know very soon as I will be putting in a bulk order in a couple of weeks. Laurence Venus 6
Press Release from the RYA About Maddie and Roan Two aspiring young sailors from Newhaven and Seaford Sailing Club (NSSC) have been awarded with their very own boats donated by the John Merricks Sailing Trust (JMST), the official charity of the RYA OnBoard programme. Madeleine Quinn and Roan Briggs are among 15 youngsters from across the UK who were selected from over 80 applications after competing in the RYA Zone Championships which took place at eight venues in September. Once again we were overwhelmed with applications, so selecting just a few youngsters was a very difficult task said RYA OnBoard Development Officer Cat Ferguson. Although many of the youngsters receiving awards this year haven t being sailing or windsurfing for long, they ve all shown lots enthusiasm, talent and commitment to the sport. The 13 boats and two boards that the JMST has donated will provide the young sailors, who may not have ordinarily had the opportunity, to progress their skills with the highest quality of equipment to continue to participate in sailing. Madeleine (12) from Peacehaven will receive a Topper dinghy. She said in her application: I love the noise the water makes as my boat glides through, the wind in my hair and the sense of freedom. People have said I have the racing bug, and I agree. I d love to get further along the sailing pathway with a new boat that is race prepared and unlikely to sink! Madeleine s mother Sarah Cager added: NSCC has a supportive cadet section with instructors who go above and beyond when providing training and advice to today s young sailors. It is through their support that Maddie is at the stage she is today. I believe that 7
this is also down to the fact that NSSC is an RYA Onboard centre with regular input from RYA sailing development officer Sam Rowe and guidance from the RYA in promoting the growth of our cadet section. Zoe McCaig, cadet co-ordinator at NSSC, said: Maddie always approaches her sailing with enthusiasm and pushes herself to improve at every training or racing event. She is a well liked member of the cadets and a role model for younger ones. In future years we think she will become an exceptional sailor and having use of a new Topper will help her greatly. Madeleine said on receiving her new boat: After receiving the wonderful news and collecting my brand new race ready Topper I really feel like my sailing ability is going to flourish. This is all thanks to the generosity of the RYA and JMST. I am overwhelmed that I have been given this amazing opportunity and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Nothing can stop me now! Roan (12) from Eastbourne said in his application: I find sailing exhilarating and challenging. I love competing and socializing at NSSC and meeting new friends at other events. A new boat will enable me to look after it, rig it carefully and adjust it to my advantage. I am keen to travel to more events in the region with the new boat and I would like to be selected for the RY South East Zone Squad and would hope to take part in the national championships. Roan s mother Emma added: The boat will benefit Roan s sailing development as he will be able to care for and respect it and prepare it for racing, gaining skills that he can put into practice at regional and national events. With his self belief, enthusiasm, dedication and determination he will persevere, achieve, and race to a high standard for himself and his club 8
Zoe McCaig said: Roan has been sailing for three years and has progressed to a high standard. To progress further he would benefit from a boat of his own rather than using a worn out club boat. He has natural sailing ability and I believe he has the talent to become a very good racer. Roan said after collecting his new Topper: I was eager to open it, look and sort it out. I have already enjoyed racing in the winter series at NSSC. Having this race Topper will enable me to perform to the best of my ability. This is all thanks to the RYA and JMST for making this possible for me. As official RYA OnBoard Charity partner since 2012, the JMST is donating more than 50 single-handed junior pathway boats and boards to promising sailors over five years. Every year, at least one young sailor will be selected from each of the nine RYA Zones and Home Countries to receive two years of exclusive use of the boat or board. The equipment will then be donated to the sailor s original club to benefit club training programmes and enable other young sailors to benefit in the future and progress into club, regional and national racing activities. This is the fourth year that OB has been supported by the JMST to run this scheme and we are really grateful for their involvement. We re already seeing these youngsters progressing in the sport in ways they would not have been able to, had it not been for this opportunity continues Cat. Ian Walker, double Olympic silver medallist, winning Volvo Ocean Race skipper and JMST Trustee, commented: All at the JMST are delighted to be funding this scheme that supports youth sailors at a grass roots level. It s wonderful to see the progression and achievements that so many of the sailors supported in the first years of the scheme have made over the last few years. We hope that the 2016 RYA OnBoard awards will enable the selected youth sailors to develop their talent, much as John Merricks did when he was awarded a club sailing boat at a young age and started on his own pathway to success. Run by the RYA, OnBoard is a grass roots programme which introduces sailing and windsurfing to young people aged 8 to 18, through schools, youth groups and training centres. 9
Grants, trends, graphs, charts and boring stuff I am looking at funding opportunities for a new clubhouse at Seaford, if we are applying for grants of significant sums then they won't just ask for last years accounts, they may ask for the last 3-5 years or even last 10 years full accounts. If we are applying in 2017 then the last 10 years are 2007-2016 inclusive. The club s turnover normally increases year on year and has over time increased in a broadly linear way, only 92-94, 96-98 and 2006-2012 are the exceptions, see below. The club has only made 2 losses in a financial year, in 1997 and the last in 2010. To that end the reduction in turnover/profit and reported loss of 2010 needs to be explained in detail. The chart below shows long term trend since 1989, the linear line is the median trend. The turnover starts to drop in 2006 and culminates in a loss in 2010. Because financial years and Commodore terms are not synchronised then in 2010 there was a Commodore for Q1(1st quarter) and another for Q2-Q4. It is only when you look at the accumulation of the difference between expected and actual income you begin to appreciate the problem and the time it takes to recover, see below. The problem that started in 2006 and appeared to get back on track in 2012 in fact didn't, we are cumulatively 162,000 below expected income over that period. The same thing happened in 1997 but as it was over a shorter term, we recovered more quickly. 10
The above graph possibly explains things best, with Commodores. If you look at 2000-2005 you get some overall turnover above the predicted/trend and some below, typically plus or minus less than 10%. In reality that is what you would expect in NSSC Ltd with the nature of the business. From 2006 we were down each year, more than 10%, the net effect is that you are now in a terminal decline and to reverse that takes years especially if you have also increased capitalised expenditure which just hits the bottom line year on year. In simple terms the club increased expenditure with falling income and by capitalising the expenditure spread repayment over time. The net effect is that you are in deficit at the start of each subsequent year. The prediction shown for 2016 is 760 below trend, but I did that in April, I know it is better than trend. We were back on the trend line in 2015, had we stayed exactly on trend 2006-2013 we would be 162,000 better off. So we need to look at the figures and anticipate the questions that may come up when any grant application is being examined. What happened, why, and could it happen again? By the way the other two dips cost 41,000 and 53, 000, so overall during the last 28 years we have failed to receive about 256,000 equivalent to say 150 toppers or 60 Lasers/Dart 16's. Also had the dips not occurred and just the usual variance with growth, then you can probably double the amount, my personal calculation is between 420,000 to 600,000, that's a clubhouse. Recovery period? well probably at least 10 years, we are only 4 years in so need to be financially prudent and well managed going forward and pay down some of the fixed asset charges. Ian Johnson 11
Use of VHF radios and AIS Many Club members are users of VHF radios and the RYA has issued a timely reminder on their usage. The article also has advice the use of AIS: http://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge-advice/cruising-tips/hints-tips/pages/watchkeeping- safety-use-of-vhf-radio-and-ais.aspx?utm_campaign=rya+cruising+news+- +February+2017&utm_source=emailCampaign&utm_content=&utm_medium=email Bill Giles VHF Radio Instructor Book Sale for RNLI The RNLI has now emptied two collecting tins at the book sale stand in the Seaford clubhouse. We ve now collected 115 for a worthy cause. Well done everyone who ve bought books or brought some in for sale. The Editor mainsheetnssc@nssc.org.uk 12