From the Commodore’s Cabin

It’s happened after several years of trying – we are now a limited company and no longer reliant on a the bank to act as trustees for us. The Articles of Association of our company will shortly be available on the Club’s website (www.carrickfergussc.org) and written copies will be available from the Hon Secretary. Categories of membership are somewhat changed and details of these will be included on the membership renewal notices, shortly to be sent out.

The Regatta was as successful as ever, with 90 boats crossing the line. The weather was great and the Club looked splendid. Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make the event such a success: the Sailing Committee, the rescue boat team, the starting hut team and all the volunteers who helped with the catering and domestic arrangements.

As the Summer Points Racing came to a close, increasing numbers of boats answered the gun. It would be good to see numbers of competitors building up for the next season. At the time of writing the autumn series has finished and the late series is about to start. On the subject of racing, a particular word of thanks is due to Rory Moore and his team who have organised junior racing on Wednesday evenings, and at weekends throughout the summer and on into the autumn. I’ll have the privilege of giving prizes to the junior competitors on 23^rd October.

On the cruising front we had a very successful treasure hunt on 27^th August. In September we had a great trip into Belfast and on up the Lagan for Lunch at Cutters Wharf. Forty four members joined the trip. Club and Sailability boats were used to for ferrying up the Lagan. I think you can see from this that the Club offers great activities in boating – both racing and cruising.

Another big development since our last Jibsheet is the appointment of a new caterer. Regrettably, Liberty Catering left us at the end of August, and Port o’ Call Catering were appointed shortly afterwards. We did some extensive renovations to the kitchen. I’d like to thank Wendy Grant and Conor Brown for the enormous effort they put in to get it ready for the new caterer.  I think all who have used the new service are greatly impressed and I’d urge everyone to give Port o’ Call their support.

Membership continues to be a priority. As I’ve said before, membership fees are our biggest single income stream and I’d urge everyone to respond promptly when membership renewal invitations arrive. It’s also important to ensure that everyone who’s using Club resources is a member: it’s up to everyone to help with this.

We’ve much to look forward to in the coming weeks. The annual dinner and prize giving will be a great evening, and the following weekend we have a naming ceremony for our Bahia dinghies. The AGM follows on 23^rd November. At Christmas we’ll have the Christmas dinner and a number of other events. In the new year look forward to a special event just before the Irish Boat Jumble. On a more sombre note, 2012 marks the 100^th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy and we will be holding a special event to mark this. Over the winter the cruising section has arranged a series of interesting talks and on Thursdays we have our popular quiz nights.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the events we have planned for the autumn and winter.

Roger Woodward

Commodore

Cruising

We had 2 events late in the summer programme.  The Family Fun Day and Cruise to Cutters Wharf, they were both well attended and enjoyable for all involved.  As the cruising season comes to a close we now look forward to our programme of speakers for the winter season. Guest speaker nights are planned for the third Wednesday evening of every month until April (Excluding December).  We plan to continue with the format of light supper afterwards.

Details of speakers will be posted on the club notice board, also on the club website and you will also receive an email reminder.  If you are not currently receiving emails from secretary please advise me of your email address and I will have it included in the database.   mcgregor836@btinternet.com.  The traditional Boxing Day Cruise will take place on 27^th December.  Berthing at the Odyssey and drinks in the City.  More details will be available closer to the time.

Photo & Log Competition

Could I remind everyone to submit photo and log entries at mcgregror836@btinternet.com  by 30^th November?  Prizes will be awarded at the Club prize-giving Dinner 2012.  Categories for photos are; Wildlife, Landscape, Action and Humorous.  All the entries from last season are featured on the club website and also on the screen in the bar.

Photos from the Glenarm barbeque are also on the Club website.

And finally a big thank you to everyone who supported the various cruising events throughout the year.

Brian McGregor

Winter Events at CSC

Mondays from  31^st October : The Picture Club (Price TBA)

Do you enjoy painting or want to give it a try?  Could you improve your Photography techniques - some tips from an expert.

Tuesdays : Line Dancing. 7.45pm                  Beginners,  8.30pm Intermediate and Improvers. Price £3 per lesson. Newcomers welcome.

Wednesdays from 26^th October (except Speakers Nights)    

Scottish Country Dancing (Price TBA).  12 classes, the final evening being a "ceilidh dance".

Thursdays : Quiz Night.  Table quiz starting at 8.30 each week. (£1 per person, maximum 6 per table)

Friday from 28^th October :The Final Friday Club

An evening of home-grown craic in the Club - bring along an instrument, a story, tale, poem or joke.  Join in on last Friday of every month at 8pm.

To participate in any of the above or for further information contact the Hon Secretary, Wendy Grant 07752 664 505 email wendy.grant@carrickfergussc.org

Speakers Nights

Wed 16th Nov Film Night with Brian McGregor - “St Kilda” and “Maxi Racing”

Wed 18th Jan Iain McAllister - “My Life with Classic Yachts”

Wed 22nd Feb Lindsay Buckley “Lifejackets and Liferafts”

Wed 21st Mar Denis and Jill Wilson “Sailing the Gobi Desert in a 1927 Rolls Royce”

Wed 18th Apr Sea Shepherds - details to follow

Other Winter Events               

Wednesday 23^rd November Annual General Meeting 7.30 pm

Saturday 17^th December Christmas Dinner Dance 7.30 for 8pm

Sunday 18^th December Carols in the Club - time to be confirmed.

The Sailing Penny’s

When Sam Penney joined C.S.C. in 1953 he could proudly boast of his two ‘willies’ already in the Trophy Cabinet. One was his great, great, great uncle Willie Penney whose name is inscribed on the Workman Rowing Cup 1884. The other was Willie Skelton, his Grandfather whose name is inscribed on the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup, 1911 for his win in ‘Factory Girl’ an 18 foot Open Boat.   With this pedigree it is hardly surprising that Sam (with the help of his brother Bill) started his nearly 60-year connection with this club with a bang, by winning the Lipton Cup in 1954 in the Snipe Mistral.

In the early 1970s the then CSC Committee decided to push for juniors in the Club and to this end they not only encouraged some dads to build or buy Mirror Dinghies, but also bought two kits to build themselves. The kits in those days cost the princely sum of £69.  Kevin McLaverty, CSC Member and competitor in the 1968 Olympic Games sailing a Finn, started the kit building, but soon after went to work for Donegal Fisheries.  Sam finished his own kit and then completed the two for CSC. The Mirror Dinghy fleet built up over the next few years and over a dozen were racing regularly.     The standard of the fleet increased too as quite a few travelled to weekend events and championships.  During his Mirror days Sam served for more years than he can recall on the C.S.C. Committee. Many a happy year was spent ensuring the old clubhouse didn’t fall into the tide and later helping with the construction of the new one. A stickler for following the rules correctly and with an engineer’s knowledge of plans and measurements, Sam put himself to good use measuring boats and sails. With a strong commitment both to encouraging younger sailors and to raising everyone’s game, when the RYA set up a Coaching & Training committee Sam served on it for six years.

The two people most in receipt of Sam’s ‘training’ are his son Stephen and daughter Samantha. When Stephen was the tender age of eight, crewing for his dad, they won the Irish Mirror Championships. In that year 1976 over fifty members from CSC travelled and camped at Greystones.  But this happy partnership was not to last. At eleven Stephen kicked his dad out of ‘Allegro’ accusing him of being too fat!  Another Mirror Dinghy had then to be built (the tenth one) for daughter Samantha, aptly named ‘Penney Black’.

From this point on Sam was relegated to assisting his wife Shirley in her role as logistics chief and trolley puller-upper! After 4 years as Northern Rep and 5 years as Chairman of the Irish Mirror Dinghy Class Sam moved into the Ruffian 23 fleet where he raced for 19 years in Cordon Bleu and then on to his present boat, the Maxi 8.4 ‘Nirvana’. He is also currently Commodore of Carrickfergus Model Boat Club. He says that this is much cheaper and you can put up a brolly when it rains!        

Son Stephen has given his Dad a run for his money in the medal stakes. Eight years after his first, Stephen won his second Irish Gold Medal when he helmed ‘Allegro’ at Sligo in 1984, he then crewed in the Flying Fifteen class and won another Irish Gold with John Miller in 1988.  Marriage to Gillian led to a new generation of  Penney’s and Stephen found himself with a 5 year old crew called Chris and  ‘Penney Black’ was bought back from a careful owner.  But by this time Toppers were more numerous and Chris discovered that little bumps or scratches didn’t show, so the long tradition of Mirror Dinghies came to an end. Chris followed in his father and grandfather’s steps by winning Gold, in the Toppers before moving into Laser Radials where he won Gold and the Irish Junior Helmsman’s Championship.   At present Chris is sailing a Laser full rig on an Irish Select Team and has been competing abroad at numerous events as far away as New Zealand. His younger brother Andrew, also racing a Topper in an Irish Select team, this year they won the RYA Junior Team Event for N.I in the English Lake District. Father, son and grandson have 6 Irish Championship Gold medals between them and believe it or not recently Sam was told, on the water,” to go away and learn to sail”!! At 73 Sam is still learning.  But perhaps we should spare a thought for the wives. Shirley reckons that she and Gillian should get Gold Medals for pulling up dinghy trolleys over the years, but like all good sailors wives, they just have to look devoted and smile!

Written by, Dr.Michael Russ, Dean of Huddersfield University

Port O’ Call Restaurant & Bistro

Proprietor - Jim Mooney      Tel:     07790 870 759

Bar Meals & Snacks on the Upper Deck 

Dining Room Service on the Lower Deck

Friday & Saturday 12 noon, last orders 9 pm

Sunday 12 noon, last orders 7.30 pm

Booking recommended.

Club Regalia!

Buy one get one free on all club regalia.

Contact Andrea Windsor with your orders. 

07775 595 884

Ruff Racing for the Ruffians!

The end of July this year saw three Carrick boats taking part in the Irish Ruffian Championships held at the National Yacht Club in Dublin.  They were Carageen helmed by Trevor Kirkpatrick, Brian Courtney’s Scorpio and Wendy Grant’s Daisy.  Wendy being a new Ruffian owner was ready for any challenge.  Her first challenge was to get the boat there and then compete with what she was told was a “take no prisoners” hard racing fleet.  Trevor took the easier option by trailer whilst Wendy and Brian sailed down in company.

With an early morning start two hours before LW to make full use of the south going tide Wendy and Brian reached Ardglass eight hours later.  Trying to get dinner in Ardglass was a bit of a problem as the recommended bar/restaurant was not selling food and the local chippy had no fish (Yes, that’s right – Ardglass without fish).  They were extremely thankful for the Chinese.

The second leg to Dun Laoghaire was uneventful and on arrival everyone was greeted by Larry Powers, local Ruffian owner and past commodore and then on to a barbecue and some excellent guinness. The racing lived up to its reputation, with twenty boats jockeying for position at the start line and interesting roundings of the leeward mark with eight or nine boats all screaming some nautical expletives.  Not language to be heard by Wendy’s all female crew Geraldine, Gillian, Kirsty and Mary.

Trevor had a hot young crew Colin, Steve, Conor and Gary and his father Alec as shore manager.  The championship was a seven race series with one discard.  The first race saw Carageen having a good start with the lead changing throughout the race.  Carageen came back at the finish to get second behind Siamsa.  With the wind dropping for the second race Carageen was thirty seconds late for the start but clawed back from sixteenth to sixth at the finish.  At the end of day one they were second overall behind Siamsa.

Little wind on day two saw Carageen having “issues” with Diana 2 on the start line.  Having to do penalty turns put Carageen at the back of the fleet but a 180 degree wind shift and new breeze benefited them and they sneaked a fourth place.  Race four saw a twenty knot sea breeze, in which Carageen was to revel, leading easily from start to finish.  Race five was sailed in a similar breeze but Carageen had to work hard to clock up another win.  Carageen now had a two point lead overall going into the final day.

Race six on the final day saw a shifty force three coming off the shore.  Although Carageen did not have a good start they were in the lead with four boats close behind on the last lap.  With a beat and a run to go three of the boats behind headed for the shore whilst Diana went on a split tack and headed for the starboard side of the beat.  Carageen failed to cover Diana, a mistake which cost them the race with Diana first and Carageen second.

Going into the last race Carageen was one point ahead of Diana overall.  Another terrible start in the last race gave them everything to do.  Despite a meteoric comeback Diana finished first two boat lengths ahead of Carageen.

The points were equal but Diana was to win the tie-break on a results count back.

Carageen won the Carman Trophy for the best non Dublin boat.  It was also the best any boat from the North has done in the history of the championships.

Brian and Wendy also had a good weekend’s racing.  Brian and the Scorpio crew, which included his wife Lorna, Fiona, Mandy and Denis were third overall in the Silver fleet and achieved seventh in the third race.

Everyone returned home by land and sea elated but exhausted.  Wendy took no chances about getting fish and chips and got her brother-in-law to bring them from Downpatrick to Ardglass.

Roll on next year!

Training News

CSC junior sailors have had a busy summer this year with topper travellers, training courses, regattas and the RYA NI Volvo Youth Championships.  A few new sailors joined us after successfully completing the YSS stage 1&2 sailing courses and our more intermediate sailors gained their stages 3&4 on our new laser Bahia’s.  See them in action on the 29^th October at the special Bahia naming day event!  A few of our junior sailors travelled to Larne for the Youth Championships and performed very well in a topper fleet of approx 60 boats and an overall fleet of 115 dinghies.  It was a great experience for them to be involved in.  We also put nine adult sailors through their RYA National Sailing Scheme Levels 1&2 in the laser Bahia’s.  This was an enjoyable couple of days for the adults and hopefully their interest will continue next year.

In July we ran an RYA club race coach course. All our students passed giving the club four qualified dinghy coaches.  In August we held a first aid course for 10 people including the club bar staff and some of Sailability’s volunteers. The course was ran by Alan Grundie who very kindly gave up his time to give all who attended, a fun, and informative day.

All in all, junior sailing and training at CSC has been full of activity, and we look forward to welcoming some new sailors to the club next year and to continue with our ongoing progress!

Slippi Jin goes to Scotland

West Highland Yachting Week is as much a holiday as it is a race.  It is a series of passage races and round the cans racing.  We have now competed in this series four times on Slippi Jin and twice on our previous boat Maximeyes.  In 2008 we won our Class but on returning in 2009 we were 4^th under much heavier wind conditions.  We decided to return this year to try to recover the trophy.

There are two fleets, a spinnaker fleet which does windward/leeward and triangle courses and a white sail fleet which races round marks which could be several miles apart.  These fleets are then divided into Classes depending on Clyde Handicaps.  We race white sail as it is less onerous on the crew, but it is just as competitive as the spinnaker classes.  One big bonus with the white sail courses is that you see magnificent scenery (when you get time to look round).   This year we had the benefit of a mothership to provide additional accommodation. Alan Grundy brought his boat “Aquarius” with its lavish accommodation.

We met up with Alan and his crew in Gigha, as he had left a day earlier. Gigha is the start of the feeder race from the south up to Craobh Haven.  Having taken on emergency rations in Gigha (the price of cases of beer in Gigha is fierce) we started the feeder race with very light winds.  Throughout the day light breezes filled and died. We baked in the sunshine and Trevor was even seen to be drinking water.  After a nine hour slog we finished 7^th in the feeder race.  This race is a combination of all Classes and spinnakers are permitted.  These results are however not included in the points series as it is regarded as a separate race.

At Craobh Haven the engine wouldn’t start so, with such an experienced crew on board, we sailed into the marina and managed to pick up a space on the fuel berth, as other sailors dashed to assist.  This was the fastest we had gone all day and it was quite spectacular being in such close quarters with other boats.  The next day the passage race from Craobh to Oban started with high winds.  Most boats were reefed for the beat to the first mark but we started with full sail and after a great start got to the weather mark first.  On the long reach and downwind sections Glenafton, a 56ft ketch and our main rival in these conditions, got away.  We finished 2^nd behind Glenafton.

The next day’s racing was very uneventful with very little wind.  Again we finished 2^nd behind Glenafton.  The next two days of races i.e. the second day’s racing round the cans in the Firth of Lorne and the Oban to Tobermory passage race were cancelled due to lack of wind.  This is virtually unheard of in this series.  Our disappointment was however well compensated for by the social scene and the spit roast pig at Dunstaffnage Marina. 

The Sound of Mull races above Tobermory were held in very light conditions.  We crept up the shore and managed to get away from the fleet and finished 1^st.  The Series was now down to the last passage race from Tobermory to Oban.  We were one point ahead of Glenafton so therefore had to finish ahead of him to win the series.  A good start was crucial so there was a lot of pushing and shoving at the start line.  Glenafton barged in and forced us over the line and we had to go back.  We protested Glenafton and managed to catch him as he executed his penalty turns in the Sound of Mull.  With the wind behind us we were able to stay ahead just covering his every move two hundred metres behind us.  Passing Loch Aline we picked up a bit more tide and opened up a bit of a gap but as we crossed over to Lismore Light the wind shifted to a reach and he came charging back.

The beat up to the finish was hectic with many boats in all classes finishing together.  We managed to keep in clear air and hung on to just long enough to get finished ahead of Glenafton.  You can imagine the rest; cheers and celebrations.  The West Highland Yachting Week Series is a good mix of racing, socialising and holidaying.  I would encourage more Carrick boats to participate.

Jim Shields

Carrickfergus Sailing Club

Rodger’s Quay, Carrickfergus

Co. Antrim.  BT38 8BE

+44 2893 351402

Fax : +44 2893 359302

info@CarrickfergusSC.org

Printing kindly sponsored by Texam Ltd

Editors : Ian McNamara (imcnamara@hotmail.co.uk) & Denise Shields (jibsheet@carrickfergussc.org)