We have been discussing methods of getting to and from the start of the C course through Kew Bridge recently and have trialed some ideas of Andrew Ross. This has been helpful and the Committee has agreed that it would be appropriate to publish these notes about the discussions:

The first thing to remember is that each sailing dinghy has a skipper who is responsible for the safety of his crew and boat. She/he should not do anything or ask anybody else to do anything which he/she is not confident is safe and prudent. The safety boat driver is responsible for the safety boat and if she/he is not comfortable to provide requested assistance he/she should refuse, and the club will support him /her.  

For large vessels, travelling under Kew Bridge is awkward, because the current is quite strong the arch is narrow and the bridge is on a bend in the river with poor visibility. It is important therefore that the river is clear before setting up to enter the central arch.

In the old days Bermuda rigged boats set off early enough before high water so that they could get under the bridge without having to heel over. This is a good idea and should be routine!   An Enterprise can get under the central arch until the water gets up to the top of the vertical part of bridge piers.  We certainly need to get back to the habit of allowing extra time, say 30 minutes, to prepare and get to the start of a C course.

If a boat launches late and if the safety boat driver is prepared to help sailors under the bridge, it’s better if he has two competent people on board. If he has more, he can always put the surplus ashore and pick them up again later.

Heeling the dinghies over is easier if no one is aboard, so the helm and crew should transfer to the safety boat, having lifted both the centre board and rudder (this makes the dinghy much more manoeuvrable). Unless the wind is light it’s easier to take down the sails, in which case it is possible to wait for your turn for help by the ramp just downstream. If going through with the sails up the dinghy must be head to wind, so it might be taken through backwards. The safety boat driver must decide if he is happy to take the safety boat backwards or would prefer to go forwards with the dinghy facing backwards. The safety boat driver must be happy that there is enough time to get properly set up before the current takes the boats under the bridge.

After the race roughly the same applies to the return through the bridge!   Or preferably wait for the tide to fall. 

James Armitage

September 2023

Monday Bank Holiday Race, 28^th August – revised

The Bank Holiday race will now be an A or B course (depending on conditions)

Starting at 11:20

Dear members and friends,

Please note the race next Sunday, August 27th is cancelled, instead we will race on Monday, August of 28th at 10:50, C course.

All the best and happy sailing.

SGSC

OOD: Leona Shepherd

Safety boat: Tim Young and Frankie Skrzezewski

Weather: Fair, light wind F1-2 from WNW (according to the Met Office)

Course:  short ‘A’ with a Zoffany House start line.

Five boats were launched by 16:00, in good time for the 16:15 start.  The wind had been teasing us all day and was still undecided as we approached the start time.

On the water were: Rob Adams in Phoebe (Laser); Henry and Mary Brown in Big Polly (Enterprise); Ben Chappell in Envy (Laser); Nick Floyer in flo (Gull); and Lev Kolobov in Porpoise (Enterprise).

A fine afternoon sailing progressed as the wind chose at this point to pick up nicely and the sun came out to make the scene photogenic.  Although Lev was first over the start line and Rob rounded the first buoy in the lead it was Ben who led at the first lap.  On the second lap, Mary and Henry flew past Rob and Lev to complete the second lap just behind Ben.  Never-the-less Ben held the lead for the first five laps.

For 35 minutes the wind helped produce good times and some pacey down-river runs.  And then it seemed to give up!  Lap six was the slow one.  However, just as quickly, the wind picked up again and the lap times picked up accordingly.

On the 6^th lap, the Browns. Lev and Rob all overtook Ben with Lev moving into a convincing lead which he held for the rest of the race.  With the high tide lapping the footpath the race finished after 62 minutes with 10 laps completed by all but Nick, who had briefly been becalmed above the upstream mark.

Thanks to Mary Brown for the new Covid-friendly starting horn – a significant improvement for the OOD.

Leona Shepherd (OOD)

Next week it’s a B-course starting early at 10:00.

No ‘C’ race today.  No wind at all.  Only sailors Tim and Felicia.  Not quorate.  Huge volume of rain water.  Fast rising tide.  Kew Bridge un-navigable.  Long streaks of foaming yellow-brown sludge ex backside of Isleworth Ait Thames Water’s overnight discharge.  Bubbles glinting and popping in bright sunshine.  Smell obvious.  ‘A’ course jaunt unattractive.  Sam (safety boat) not unhappy.  Boat washing and site clearing.  Otherwise a nice spring day. 

Andy Ross (OOD)

Next week it’s an ‘A’ course starting at 16:15.

It was a perfect day for a B course, a NE force 2/3 wind blowing the boats down the Chiswick reach against the incoming tide and then a good beat back to the line with the tide. A late start was made because all hands tried to help Frankie rig David Jones ’s old Solo. All in vain when the rudder was mislaid. (Later found behind some other boats in the arch).

Not to worry, the fleet managed one long lap to Chiswick quay and back. Three boats set off: Chris and Felicia (Distant Thunder, Leader), Tim (Ait Knots, Wanderer) and Keith (Kaia, Laser). The first leg was all about choice of course: less tide but less wind in by the bank, or more wind but more tide in the middle of the river. Tim sailed the perfect line – not too close to the bank but not far enough out to hit the tide, to get to the Chiswick Marina mark first. Followed closely by Keith who had recovered from a luff into the tide by Chris and Felicia. On the beat back Chris was rapidly closing on the leading two and just got past them on the Railway bridge mark due to a fluffed mark rounding by Tim caused by a rush of adrenaline as he saw the line honours tantalisingly in front of him. Well sailed.

Sadly, OOD Heather was obliged to call it a day at only one lap.  This was partly due to the late start (no more time to do a second lap), partly as the river was ‘closed’ by the PLA for the Vesta Veterans Head of the River that fully occupied the river below Strand End, but also because the tide was beginning to turn.  

Well done to Club member Tom Broadhurst for competing in the Vets Head. 

Rob Adams (Safety Boat and reporter)

The good news is that the 2023 programme has been agreed at the AGM and OOD and Safety Boat duties have been allocated in the usual manner. Members could choose their slots at the AGM and others have been allocated more or less at random. If the duties you have been given don’t suit you, please make arrange a swap with another member. The programme is on the website can be found here and we’ll send paper copies and contact lists to members as soon as possible.

The less good news is that we are increasing our membership and site fees to keep pace with rents, fuel costs and other things. It’s the first time in at least 10 years.

Full family membership increases from £50 to £55

Boat park fees increase from £130 to £140

Other fees (social membership, kayak/canoe storage, trailer park) remain the same.

The increases were discussed and agreed at the AGM and come into effect immediately, for the 2023 season.

Details of payment were in the newsletter, but to remind you:

Account name: SGSC or Strand on the Green Sailing Club,

Sort Code: 60 05 30

Account number: 04110773

Our big social event of the season is on Saturday 4th March 2023

at the Royal Mid Surrey Golf Club, Old Deer Park, Twickenham Road, TW9 2SB

it starts at 7:30pm for the meal, always delicious, at 8:00pm

Dancing, often vigorous, is to the Craigievar Ceilidh Band

Tickets £55 per head (£45 for students)

Contact Marian Armitage for details and tickets: 0208 994 4527 or armitagew4@gmail.com

Not to be missed. All welcome. Dress up and let your hair down.

                 There was no Covid to contend with this season: we started on 6th March and finished, later than usual, on 13th November with our 29th and final race.   The average number of starters for the season was 5.14 which is – average for SGSC.  And there were an encouraging number of newcomers out on the water, both helming and crewing.

             James Armitage (again) was first in everything in his gleaming GRP Enterprise, Zephyr.   He reveals almost all his secrets in the latest Newsletter (soon to be delivered).  His old wooden Enterprise, Porpoise, carried Lev Kolobov to second place in the Polly Prize and third in the Class Cup (Big Boats).  Chris Greenwood, In Distant Thunder (Leader) crewed by Felicia Biekarck took second place in the Class Cup (Big Boats) and third in the Handicap Cup.  Rob Adams  (Laser, Phoebe) was second equal in the Handicap Cup and third in the Polly Prize.  Nick Floyer (flo, Gull) was first in the Class Cup (Little Boats) and second equal with Rob in the Handicap Cup.   Tim Young (Ait Knots, Wanderer) was second in the Class Cup (Little Boats) and Ian Nethersell (Backwash, Vibe) was third.

  The Ladies Plate was not formally contested this year, but informally  it should be awarded to Felicia who helmed Distant Thunder while Chris was forging his way across the Atlantic.  She was our only ‘Lady’ helm.  The Strand Senior Salver (for helms over 75) went to Nick Floyer; and Keith Clarke was awarded Paul’s Prize for Persistence, given to the helm who has sailed most races without having won any  trophy.

HB

Second time lucky. After the cancellation of last weeks race it was a relief to see that this Sunday gradually turned into a benign afternoon. Sunshine and autumn colours, the only thing missing was a consistent wind. The start, at 1200, was promising with a steady ESE at F2, gusting at F3, but it tailed off after an hour or so.

Eight boats rigged and from the start James Armitage with Felicia Bierkark (Enterprise) took the lead with Rob Adams (Laser) in attendance. It was a beat down to Chiswick Bridge amongst quite a crowd of rowers and the vigorous tacking continued around the Barnes bends and on to Corney Reach. The perfect sailing wind gradually died at this stage. James managed to keep his momentum and led by about 300m with Rob apparently becalmed on the Middlesex bank. The Browns (Enterprise) followed Rob with a pair of Lasers (Ben Chappell and Keith Clarke) and Ian Nethersell (Vibe) close behind. The tail enders – Tim Young (Wanderer) and Toby (Laser) were by then just emerging from Barnes Bridge. Forward progress was provided in the main by the ebb tide.

In consultation with James, Nick Jeffery (and family) in the safety boat dropped a buoy just at the downstream end of Chiswick Eyot. James rounded the mark and started a goose-winged return, followed at some distance by Rob. The following pack of the Browns, Ben, Keith and Ian swapped places many times as the tide brought them down to the mark, but Ben proudly rounded the mark in third place.

The wind at that point died to the extent of just being enough to master the dying ebb tide and the return upriver was much slower than the downstream leg. From the point of view of the middle of the fleet James was soon out of sight beyond Barnes Bridge and we thought that was the last we’d see of him. Gradually, as the middle pack caught up with Rob, the flooding tide brought Tim and Toby up to them and, once through Barnes Bridge we were surprised to see James almost within reach, apparently becalmed, in the approaches to Chiswick Bridge. And so as the flood tide compressed the fleet, James finished at the Railway Bridge seven minutes ahead of Rob, who was two seconds ahead of the Browns, who were one minute and 18 seconds ahead of Keith; 15 seconds ahead of Ben; 35 seconds ahead of Toby; 54 seconds ahead of Tim. The handicap sums made a significant difference to that finishing order, except for the triumph of James (see below).

At least there were plenty of bodies to haul the boats back up the muddy foreshore and into the arch. And there, miraculously, was a barbeque of sausages and a feast of other contributions: Margaret Berger’s soup, Mary B’s flapjack, Heather Adams’ chocolate cakes, Polish dumplings, Steve Newell’s excellent home brew, and much else. Andy Ross, as well as being OOD, had organised and lit the barbeque while the sailors toiled and drifted on the tranquil river, for which many thanks.

And there was plenty of good company of all ages to celebrate the end of the season, including nonagenarians Marthe Armitage (founder member) and Margaret Berger.

HB