WE HAVE had a warm, very warm winter, which I am sure thouroughly frustrated some, if not all, of our skiers and snowboarders. But I’m not complaining because I hope to be down at the club sailing my Finn before I head off to the 2012 Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth UK. And that takes place in early May.

We are looking forward to another really great sailing season, with Docks-In planned for the 14th April. I hope to see many members showing up. (I know how busy it can be — I have a friend’s wedding I need to attend that evening.)

Here are a few guidelines we should go by, when running the race on Tuesday or Thursday nights:

• If you can’t make it on the night you have been selected, please contact someone else on the race committee list and see if they can switch with you; or contact the Commodore or the Rear Commodore. This will help ensure that we will always have a race committee.
• Do your best to get everyone to sign up before the race. Of course there will be a few that will arrive after the committee boat has left the dock, but you will help the RC’s job of getting sail numbers. And competitors: if you haven’t signed up, please check in with the committee boat for safety and scoring reasons.
• Make sure, if you are running the race, you have at least one other person to assist you on the committee boat.
• Use the Rule 26 for Starts, which is a 5-4-1-Go and flags accordingly.
• Make sure you have everything you need for going out on the water, your Pleasure Craft Operators Card, your Harbour licence, and photo ID, along with proper clothing for the conditions.
• For results, please write clearly the sail number, class, and position in the race.

Over the course of the winter, I was asked to  look at updating the Race Course for the races on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. We have been using the same course for many years — for as long as I have been a member anyway — just six years now. After having spoken to members in various classes, and — with some compromise, I feel that this is the best possible race course for all the classes and for the Outer Harbour.

The course will be of two triangles and with a windward-leeward-windward finish; and that finish should be placed closest to the club, either windward or leeward. The same decision process applies, if the wind is light or dies, the RC has the choice to finish the race at any mark, but should conform to the Racing Rules of Sailing.

If any members have any questions about starting and so on, see me at the club or give a call.

Good Luck this season everyone! Fair Winds!

Adam Nicholson