28/29/30 August 2021

!!! IT’S TME TO CONFIRM & BOOK !!!

Dear members,

                            I now need to confirm with Royal Southampton Yacht Club how many of us will be attending Gins Farm over the August bank holiday.

Basic itinerary

Meet at Gins Farm Saturday morning.

Breakfast

Go sailing and/or canoeing.

Meal at Gins Farm clubhouse Saturday evening.

Meet at Gins Farm Sunday morning.

Breakfast

Morning activities

Lunch

Afternoon activities.

Evening meal

Monday is a free day; return home early or do some sightseeing

Please note: 

You will need to book your own accommodation be it B&B, hotel or campsite.

We need a least 16 people to book the evening meal but breakfast can be booked individually.

If you plan to attend I need you to confirm how many will be in your party and attending the evening meals and whether you want to borrow a dinghy or if you will bringing your own aquatic transport.

Below is the original announcement for those who have questions.

Ian

Gins weekend – 28/29/30 August 2021

It is with great pleasure I can announce the reinstatement of our much loved Gins weekend and confirm the above dates over the August bank holiday weekend.

For our members who have not been before:

Gins Farm is the clubhouse of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club (RSYC) on the Beaulieu River just outside the New Forest (Post Code: SO42 7XG). Other than in recent years this weekend has been on our calendar since the 60s. This weekend is open to all members and their guests.

There is normally a small contingent of SGSC members yachts or chartered boats which can be moored alongside or put on one of the visitor buoys down river. (payment to Beaulieu River HM)

Dinghies are towed down from Strand or can be borrowed (for a nominal fee) from RSYC. Currently available are Wanderers, Lasers, Toppers and Picos. Dinghies towed can be left on site during our rally.

Canoes can be borrowed too but these of course are easily transportable from Strand.

Camping on site is no longer allowed but local to Gins are Roundhill campsite, Lepe Meadows campsite and Lepe Beach campsite.

Dinner is available and bookable in advance for numbers over 16 (I have the menu and it is mouth-wateringly good) and various breakfast options for bookings over 12 people.

There is access to changing, lavatory and shower facilities on the Gins site.

Outline itinerary (subject to weather and tides)

Friday pm:  yacht and early arrival possible (HW Portsmouth 1544 LW 2045)

Saturday morning: Breakfast, rig and launch to explore the river with lunch perhaps at Bucklers Hard or down river overlooking the nature reserve. Venturing out on The Solent with dinghies and canoes is dependent on safety cover and conditions.

Saturday evening: Meal in the clubhouse.

Sunday morning: Breakfast then day sailing on the Solent either to Alum Bay/Keyhaven (by The Needles) with lunch in Newtown Creek or exploring the forts to the east with lunch in Osbourne Bay (by Cowes). Some people may choose to stay out and overnight at anchor.

Monday morning: Breakfast and spend the morning on the river before packing up and returning for home.

For now I only need expressions of interest but would ask they be more likely than not likely as RSYC need an idea of numbers. Also the numbers in your party and what vessels you may be taking to the water on, or would like to take to the water on.

I look forward to hearing from those of you interested.

Ian

SGSC River Picnic 16^th June

We are organising a river picnic on Wednesday 16^th June.

David Jones will be taking the safety boat and Tim Young will be taking his dinghy with an outboard.  Others will be taking their dinghies / kayaks up the river by wind/paddle power.

We will meet at the club to launch between 1800 and 1830 to get under Kew Bridge before the river gets too high, and we will sail in convoy to some suitable spot on the shore.  The London Apprentice is one option.  Return before sunset.

High water is at 19:22 and sunset is almost as late as it gets: 21:19

Bring you own food and drink.

The weather looks perfect.

Enjoy

News from Nick Floyer

I was camping and sailing with my family on the Norfolk Broads last week. Stepping ashore, I overbalanced and fell into shallow water. On the way down, I hit my side on the gunwale of the boat, broke six ribs and punctured a lung. I am just back from amazing care in Norwich hospital.

As you can imagine, I shall not be able to return to sailing at Strand for a while. I have decided in principle to sell Tonic, my Lightning 368 dinghy. She is an old boat but perfectly sound and everything works. She has two sets of spars, all recent, and two sails, one being new and unused. The Lightning is an ideal boat for a lightweight single-hander: self-draining, pivoting centreboard, sail on a halyard. She is amazingly fast in some conditions. So meanwhile, if anyone would like to use her or try her out, that can be arranged.

I hope that this will not be my last boat at Strand, but I may need to find something more sedate. I shall continue to sail elsewhere with my family in our various small boats. I learned to sail from my father in the Straits of Johore at the age of eight, seventy-two years ago; now my four children have families of their own. All four are experienced sailors, both my sons being Yachtmasters, one the volunteer skipper of the Cornish Maritime Trust’s mackerel driver “Barnabus”, the other Lt Cmdr RN. In Norfolk, a good time was had by all, except me.

Nick

28/29/30 August 2021

It is with great pleasure I can announce the reinstatement of our much loved Gins weekend and confirm the above dates over the August bank holiday weekend.

For our members who have not been before:

Gins is the clubhouse of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club (RSYC) on the Beaulieu River just outside the New Forest. Other than in recent years this weekend has been on our calendar since the 60s. This weekend is open to all members and their guests.

There is normally a small contingent of SGSC members yachts or chartered boats which can be moored alongside or put on one of the visitor buoys down river. (payment to Beaulieu River HM)

Dinghies are towed down from Strand or can be borrowed (for a nominal fee) from RSYC. Currently available are Wanderers, Lasers, Toppers and Picos. Dinghies towed can be left on site during our rally.

Canoes can be borrowed too but these of course are easily transportable from Strand.

Camping on site is no longer allowed but local to Gins are Roundhill campsite, Lepe Meadows campsite and Lepe Beach campsite.

Dinner is available and bookable in advance for numbers over 16 (I have the menu and it is mouth-wateringly good) and various breakfast options for bookings over 12 people.

There is access to changing, lavatory and shower facilities on the Gins site.

Outline itinerary (subject to weather and tides)

Friday pm:  yacht and early arrival possible (HW Portsmouth 1544 LW 2045)

Saturday morning: Breakfast, rig and launch to explore the river with lunch perhaps at Bucklers Hard or down river overlooking the nature reserve. Venturing out on The Solent with dinghies and canoes is dependent on safety cover and conditions.

Saturday evening: Meal in the clubhouse.

Sunday morning: Breakfast then day sailing on the Solent either to Alum Bay/Keyhaven (by The Needles) with lunch in Newtown Creek or exploring the forts to the east with lunch in Osbourne Bay (by Cowes). Some people may choose to stay out and overnight at anchor.

Monday morning: Breakfast and spend the morning on the river before packing up and returning for home.

For now I only need expressions of interest but would ask they be more likely than not likely as RSYC need an idea of numbers. Also the numbers in your party and what vessels you may be taking to the water on, or would like to take to the water on.

I look forward to hearing from those of you interested.

Ian

Good News and Bad News

The latest Government advice (25^th February) is good and not so good. The Good News is that from 29^th March most of the restrictions on our activities will be relaxed. Here is what it says:

Step 1: 29 March Outdoor sports facilities including sailing clubs can reopen, subject to the Rule of six/two households. The Rule of six means that (apart from a set of limited exemptions including work and education) any social gatherings of more than six people are against the law. Formally organised outdoor sports – for adults and under 18s – will also restart and where compliant with guidance issued by the national governing bodies (the RYA) will not be subject to the gatherings limits. Indoor facilities, such as changing rooms, should not be used at this time, although toilet facilities can be accessed.

The Bad News is that the four of our programmed activities will be cancelled.  They are the working party on 7^th March and the three races on 14^th March, 21^st March and 28^th March.

So the first race of the season (all being well) will be a D-course on 4^th April starting at 15:15.  See you then.

Dear Members,

Welcome to 2021!

We start with AGM. It will take place by Zoom on Wednesday 10th February at 20:30. You received details by email how to connect. If you did not please contact us so we can add you to the list.

We also updated the calendar for 2021.

Hope we can race soon.

All the best for 2021!
SGSC

Dear friends!

Season’s greetings. All of us here at SGSC want to wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Wishing you the best this coming year.

We want to give warm holiday wishes to all of our members and friends that have helped us this year. From all of us at SGSC, thank you so much for your endless support. Members like yourself are what makes our club possible. Thank you!

See you all next year for more sailing !

Lev, SGSC Commodore

Hi All

I’m afraid our last race was the last race. 

The Gov. has decreed, and the RYA has confirmed, that no organised sailing events are possible under lock-down rules. 

You can still use the ramp and go sailing on the river, but only on your own.

So let’s hope for better times and good sailing in 2021.

Best wishes

Henry

Race Report 18 October 2020

Sunday 18^th October was fair and dry but there was little wind, which may account for the fact that only three boats decided to sail an afternoon A-course, which was set appropriately short.

James Armitage was sailing his Enterprise with Ayanda, his light-weight crew.  Rob Adams and Ben Chappell were both sailing Lasers.

There was enough wind to start with for all three to sail the first lap in between 7 and 10 minutes – James in the lead.  The second and third laps were sailed by James and Rob even quicker in around five minutes each, but then the wind dropped dramatically – or perhaps, undramatically.  James’ fourth lap took 10 minutes with Rob lagging behind on 29 minutes.  But then the last lap for James lasted what must have felt like an eternity of 36 minutes, while Rob gradually caught up with a 19-minute lap.

So James won the endurance test in one hour and 43 minutes with Rob five minutes behind.  Ben had kept within striking distance of them for the first two laps but struggled for over three quarters of an hour on his third (and last).  But it was only his second race with us in his Laser, and If it’s any comfort to him, they say it can take five years of racing to master a new dinghy. And that doesn’t allow for our weird tidal waters.

Thanks to Jane Watkins for her patience as OOD, and to Lev Kolobov for manning the safety boat.

Apologies for late reporting – the M of S has been away.

HB