Social Gatherings
Real Time information on wind speed and strength at "XC Weather" Try this quiz on the "Sailing Rules"
Did you beat that boat on handicap? Find out with the "Handicap Calculator"
Want to buy a boat or equipment? Improve your sailing technique? Find useful sites on the "Links Page"
Rules and Byelaws
Members should familiarise themselves with the Club’s Rules and its Byelaws. In particular:
• Before bringing a boat on station make sure you have had your membership and class of dinghy approved by the management committee and that current fees have been paid.
• Make arrangements with the Bosun for an allocated berthing space before leaving a boat on station. Members wishing to collect or deliver boats outside normal club hours can obtain their own boatpark key from the Bosun on payment of a £2 deposit. Members using the boatyard outside normal club hours should inform the
• Any boat brought on station must be properly insured, including at least £1,000,000 third party indemnity, regardless of whether or not that boat is sailed. Members should be aware that damage can be caused by boats being blown over or moved about within the boat park as well as when they are on the water.
• Any boat sailed must be subjected to an annual buoyancy test appropriate to the Class. This usually includes an immersion test for wooden boats and a mast-step test and visual inspection for boats of other materials. All buoyancy tests must be observed and certified by a member of the Management Committee, who will give guidance on the necessary procedures.
• All boat-owning members must sign an annual declaration that they have paid all fees and subscriptions due, have conducted a satisfactory buoyancy test and have valid insurance cover for each boat in their ownership. No racing results will be counted for members failing to satisfy this requirement. Members should also ensure that they sign the declaration of intention to race and sign off on the results sheet, otherwise their results will not be recorded.
• All road trailers on site must be marked with the name and contact details of the owner.
• Adequate personal buoyancy must be worn by all persons, including rescue personnel, when afloat. The RYA recommend that a buoyancy aid should carry the CE Mark of Approval and have a minimum rating of 50
• Make sure that the rescue boat is operational and that the Rescue Officer knows of your intentions before going on the water. Remember, any cruising boat must keep well clear of any racing boat.
Running the Club
The Club cannot operate successfully without the services of its members. Therefore, every member, except an Honorary or an Associate Member, is expected to make himself/herself available to assist in the running of the Club over two weekends each year. Normally this entails one weekend as Officer of the Day (OoD) and one weekend as Safety Officer each year. Associate Members and members of family groups are encouraged to assist.
• Members who are not capable of carrying out the duties of an OoD or Safety Officer may elect to provide some other service to the Club with a similar time commitment.
• No Member will be assigned a duty as Safety Officer without first having satisfactorily completed the Club's test of safety-boat competence. Those members not qualified to undertake the duties of a Safety Officer will be assigned extra OoD duties instead.
• No member under 18 will be assigned duties behind the bar; nor will they be the designated Safety Officer. They may however drive the safety boat if a qualified adult member is also present in the boat as Safety Officer.
• New members will be allocated to their first duty alongside more experienced members.
Every member will be given the opportunity to indicate their preferred duty dates and functions and should make their preferences known as early as possible in the year, either by signing up on a list which will be posted in the clubhouse at the AGM or by email or telephone to the Rota Secretary. Once a
If any member finds that they cannot fulfil a particular duty, then it is the responsibility of that member to arrange a mutually acceptable exchange of dates with another member. A list of members' telephone numbers and/or email addresses is circulated to all members to facilitate this. After an exchange has been agreed, you must inform the Rota Secretary of the arrangement so that it can be ensured that the requirements listed in 1 above are met.
If a member fails to carry out an allocated duty, this should be brought to the attention of the Management Committee.
The Duty Rota only covers weekends from April (or Easter if earlier) to the end of October. Duty personnel for the Wednesday evening series and the Frostbite series must be provided separately from those taking part.
The responsibilities of the Duty Officers include:
Safety on and off the water
Race Management