06/02/2007
We have a good selection of events in the calendar this year, Burns Night was not well attended but those that did had a magnificent time and the first aid course is already oversubscribed which is great news.
I believe the Quiz night is also close to being a sell-out so if you want to join in you'd better ring Marilyn immediately.
I have organised a trip to Dover Coastguard Station on the 9th of March and I am hoping to organise a trip to the Medway Ports control room at Sheerness on a date yet to be agreed, so give me a ring (01732 851309) if you are interested in either.
The Rudham trot has been lifted and inspected and the ground chains need replacing which should happen soon.
The boatyards are getting busier with people readying their craft for the oncoming season.
Don't forget to polish acrylic windows and sprayhoods to prolong their useful life. If windows are leaking do not put sealant on the inside - it just traps the moisture and causes further problems, especially with aluminium frames which start to get eaten away. Give me a ring or visit my website yachtwindows.co.uk if you want more advice.
Oh, and don't forget to rub some Vaseline petroleum jelly into the rubber seals on your forehatch. It keeps the seal supple and also stops them freezing to the frame in icy weather - you may already have regretted not doing this sooner to your car doors!
Lady Olivia will be lifted out soon for a quick overhaul, so if you see a blur near her in the yard it will be me, working faster than the speed of light.
Jean-Pierre
14/06/2006
Unfortunately Jackie Smith has chosen to stand down as Social Secretary. Personally and on behalf of the Committee I would like to thank her and Paul for their supreme work organising the Club's social events for the last two and a half (almost three) years. We have certainly enjoyed the flair and style (and of course, the excellent food) that they brought to events.
They now have the opportunity to relax during functions whilst someone else steers the ship.
And before I start ringing round, would anyone like to volunteer?
- first to run a Barbecue at the Regatta Party on Wednesday 12th of July,
- and looking further, to organise the Laying-up Supper and the Commodore's Dinner.
Please ring me on 01732 851309 if you feel able.
I am very pleased to hear from Vee Howell (Vice Commodore to those of you who haven't being paying attention) that she is very pleased with the response she has received to help with the Clubhouse redecoration which is now almost complete.
We have a new lock on the front door (still uses the old key) which you have to double lock from the INSIDE before closing the door behind you if you are the last person to leave the building. It is very important that you don't forget this as it could affect our insurance should the clubhouse be broken into.
Murray Marchant (Rear Commodore) has had an excellent response for the security patrols and there is only one date unfilled. If you think you are able to do it put your name up on the sheet in the Clubhouse. If you are not sure of procedures for your patrol there are printed sheets pinned to the notice board in the Clubhouse next to the reflective 'Security Patrol' boards (so that other river users know what you are doing) and a powerful torch.
I hope to see you all at the Commodore's Cruise to Queenborough this weekend where we are having a barbecue on the concrete barge. Bring your own booze and grub. Phone Mike Prescott if you are not sure of the procedures for mooring etc.
Happy sailing
Jean-Pierre
Commodore
09/05/2006
I knew it was too good to last, the launch of Lady Olivia went perfectly, we even had time for a short shakedown sail before returning to the moorings.
However, last weekend I was not able to get away until late on Sunday afternoon so I missed the Club cruise to Faversham. I did however have an enjoyable sail down to Stangate where I anchored for the night in order to test our new oven well away from other boats. You will be pleased to hear it works very well and the shop bought lasagna (the limit of my culinary skills) was done to a turn.
Sailing back on the Bank Holiday Monday started well, the rain had stopped and the sun was out but there was a boisterous south westerly blowing which was one breeze too many for my aging mainsail. Despite already having a reef in, it split right the way across and before I could take any action - I had just decided that the best thing would be to put the second reef in - it split again higher up. After clearing up the mess I put the motor on and donked disconsolately back to Upnor.
I have ordered a new main but it will not be ready till the end of June so until then I will have to tread carefully, using my spare mainsail which is now thirty years old!
Now, a bit of a complaint, somebody has been using pliers to open the taps on the causeway. There is a key available to everyone in the Clubhouse which will fit both taps (the tap on the hammerhead has just been changed because it was not the correct size). It is probable that we will now have to change the scrubbing post tap which means that the Club is out of pocket and one of the members will have to give up some time to complete the repair. If you are guilty, why not volunteer to do the repair? Contact the pontoon master Ian Campbell on 01634 735489, he will be very glad to hear from you.
See the notices in the Mainsheet, on the Website and in the Clubhouse about the use of the hoses during the current water shortages. Basically it is OK to use the hoses but DON'T BE WASTEFUL.
Happy Sailing
Jean-Pierre
Commodore
03/12/2005
For those of you who weren't able to attend the AGM, you missed a great example of democracy in action. The proposed changes to the regulations that the Rules Committee had worked so hard to prepare were voted out so you can throw away your shiny white copy of the rules now and revert to the old blue book. The cost of printing the new version was only twenty seven pence a copy in case you are worried about the expense of the exercise.
The new subscription fees were set and it may appear at first glance that there has been a hefty increase. Well there has, but mainly because it was decided that the costs of maintaining the new causeway should be paid by all members rather than just the mooring holders. This is because it is an asset that will benefit everyone and it would not be fair to put the burden of expense just on the mooring holders when it can be used by members who keep their boats on other moorings. If you are a mooring holder you will benefit from this in that your mooring fees will not increase as much as they would have. I will warn you though that we now have to pay VAT on certain items related to moorings so unfortunately the costs are going to be higher. Hopefully your new mooring master Ken Smith will explain it better than I can.
Your new general committee members are:
Commodore Jean-Pierre
Declémy
Vice Commodore Vee Howell
Rear Commodore Murray Marchant
Hon Secretary Jean Andrews
Hon Treasurer Suzy Wilkinson
Mooring Master Ken Smith
Race Captain Hubba Haniel
Cruise Captain post vacant
Social Secretary Jackie Smith
This year in a reversal of roles from last year the Membership Secretary is Christine Smith.
As you can see we are lacking a Cruise Captain despite many efforts to co-opt people. This is very worrying because we have a great cruising tradition in the Club. If you would like to consider taking on the duty please phone me for more details, Ian Winder has agreed to do the hard work and organise the cruising programme so it will just need someone to manage the events. I'm sure Jerry will be able to give lots of useful tips about restaurants etc. Cruise Captain was my first Committee position and I enjoyed it immensely, My boat (Lady Olivia) was out of the water for some of the time, thanks to my winning an RNLI competition (I'll tell you about it another time), but Margaret and I enjoyed being the guests of other members on several cruises so you do not necessarily need a craft capable of offshore sailing, in fact it would be a great opportunity for someone with a smaller yacht to promote the benefits of cruising in company amongst the other Estuary boats in the Club.
Brian Blakeley advised us all that the Clubhouse is in need of some work to the exterior so there will be work parties organised by Vee Howell in the new year. I'm sure that there will be no shortage of volunteers as these events are an excellent, non-technical way of supporting the Club.
The Mainsheet is now in the hands of Sue Lucas and Kaye Moore. I'm sure they will make an excellent job of it but they can't do it without your help, so send them articles, pictures, cartoons or whatever. Whilst on the subject of photos, we need a picture for the front cover of next year's Yearbook. If you have taken a picture you would like to see there, email or post it to me and I will choose the one I like best.
If you are interested in the New Years Day cruise to Queenborough let me know now as I need to let the restaurant know how many people to expect.
Please
note that my email address is jpd@v21.me.uk
Unfortunately the "v" was omitted in last years mailing
lists.
Happy Sailing
Jean-Pierre
Declémy
Your new Commodore
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