Please see the link below for an update on the Killer Shrimp at Grafham Water.
Please make sure you read the signs that are posted on the site when you arrive.

Click here

We’ve been asked by AWA to alert all users of the water to the presence of a type of shrimp which they hope to avoid spreading to other inland waters.  If you are intending to sail elsewhere after sailing at Grafham please can you follow the instructions which are posted around the club.

Bob Gatton & John Forsdike on their way to second place overall at Poole Week, 2010

Fewer boats than usual made the annual pilgrimage to Dorset to compete in the 63rd Poole Week, but those who did (Bob & John, Les & Susie and Barry & Angela) enjoyed a superb week’s sailing, largely in sunshine and with good breezes. ‘Team Grafham’ excelled themselves this year, Bob and John placing 2nd Flying Fifteen (despite the shirts!) and Les and Susie cruising to a very consistent 4th place. Barry and Angela (a new combination) made progress throughout the week, peaking on the final day with an unheard-of 5th place!

In fact, Angela was delighted just to survive the week, given that GWSC Flag Officers collectively account for a significant proportion of the maritime disasters recorded in this corner of Dorset (see Hibbert and Jackson, 2007).

Finally, Brian Thake, whose entry was stymied by Richard Ledger’s sudden hospitalisation (did he know something that I didn’t?) muscled in on the crews’ race and roared to second place, albeit with some external assistance from Brittany Ferries.

We renewed lots of fond acquaintances – Dave and Carole Duke and Mike and Ann de St Paer, in particular, asked to be remembered to all at Grafham) and vowed to return next year in even greater numbers.

You can stop hiking now, Les – the picture’s in the can!

Photographs courtesy of Sailing Scenes (http://sailingscenes.co.uk)

GWSC wristbands are now here. Be one of the first to be wearing them. Available in Adult and Child sizes from the Office for £1.

The autumn series of youth training is scheduled to start on Saturday 11th September at 10:30.  There are four fortnightly sessions on Saturday mornings with the last one on 23rd October.

If your child or children are interested in joining in, please can you get to the wet bar for 10:00 on 11th September to register.

There is also an Improver Course available in October half term for Club youth members at Grafham Water Centre.  It runs for three full days from 26th to 28th October.  Cost £155.  Please let us know if you want to reserve a place.

GWSC welcomes Topper sailors to this event.  Please find the Notice of Race via the link on “quick links” on the right hand side of the home page.

This will take place on Sunday 12 September 2010

NOTICE OF RACE
The Organizing Authority is Grafham Water Sailing Club

1. RULES
The event will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing.

2. ELIGIBILITY & ENTRY
To be eligible for any of the Duke of Edinburgh trophies, the helm must be a Full or Junior member of Grafham Water Sailing Club.
Temporary members may enter and helm in the event but will not be eligible for any of the trophies.
Entries shall be made by signing on for either Start 1, 2 or 3 before racing at the signing on area in the Wetbar on Sunday 12 September.

3. FEES
There is no entry fee for the event.

4. SCHEDULE
Four races are scheduled. There will be three starts in each race, at three minute intervals:
Start 1 PY 960 and below
Start 2 PY 961 – 1068
Start 3 PY 1069 and above
The scheduled time of the start of the first race is 10:30 with the second race sailed “back to back”.

The scheduled time of the start of the third race is 14:00 with the fourth race sailed “back to back”.

5. SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
The sailing instructions will be available from 09:00 on Sunday 12 September.

6. THE COURSES
The courses to be sailed will be selected from the following:
Trapezoid
Windward/leeward
Reverse P
Round the buoys
All starts will sail the one course displayed on the Committee boat.

7. SCORING
Discards
If three or more races are sailed there will be one discard. If less than three races are sailed there will be no discard.

Method of scoring
Average lap times, corrected for handicap, will be used for Starts 1, 2 and 3. The average lap times for the three starts will be combined to give an overall result for each race.

Handicap numbers
A list of PY numbers for the event will be posted on the Open Meeting notice board before 09:00 on Sunday 12 September. Catamarans will use PY numbers not SCHRS numbers.

8. PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded presented according to the following schedule:
Duke of Edinburgh Trophy to the overall winner
“If only” trophy to the second boat overall
Fleet prizes for the first boat in the overall results in the following fleets:
Flying Fifteen
Laser – all rigs
“Handicap” i.e. those boats normally eligible for Start 3 in GWSC Sunday racing
Catamarans
Asymmetrics

9. BRIEFING
There will be a briefing in the Wetbar at 09:30 on Sunday 12 September.

The Asymmetric fleet will have its first ever regatta over the weekend of 11-12 September with Saturday racing for all asymmetric fleets over 3 races on a windward – leeward course, starting at 12.00 and Sunday racing in the club’s Duke of Edinburgh day. Prizes for results on both days.
More info to follow.
Ian Paterson

The Laser 2000 fleet run a series of 6 months in duration with one Sunday each month delagated as being the meeting Sunday.

The rules are that every second Sunday of every month (or maybe a different Sunday!) we will race as normally in the am and pm series, but the results will be counted towards the series. Only Laser 2000s will be counted in the series and there must be at least 2 on the start line for the results to count.

Here are the dates for the second half of the 2010:

July 25th – 3 races. Very good sailing. 5 boats out in the am race and we finished in positions 1-5 after handicap. Beating the RS400s and Laser 4000s. Great sailing.

August 15th – 3 races. Quite strong winds. 7 different boats competing during the day. But only 4 on each start. Andy takes the honours for the day with 2 first places.

September 12th – 3 races.
October 10th – 2 races.
November 14th – 2 races.
December 12th – 2 races.

Here are the results as they stand at the moment:

Here is a picture of Andy and Mark with the trophy:

and here is the results from the first 6 months of the series:

James.

There is an attitude of mind which makes comments like “Twitter is just one of those useless things to keep teenagers amused and playing with their phones”, “I never use social networking”, “what’s Twitter?”, “all this stuff is rubbish and not relevant to me”.
All of the above may or not be true but here is why you should think seriously about using Twitter to get quick updates from your sailing club. These instructions will tell you how to do it. Click here (file is PDF)
There will be a brief talk on Wednesday evening 1st September with a demo.