Winter Laser Sprints

The official (laser; see below) season is now done and dusted, but DBSCers are hardy souls needing regular sailing.  And we want to be in tip top form before we host the state titles in November.

Luckily, Winter provides regular morning westerlies that constantly delivers fantastic, traffic free sailing in the area north of Clarke island. Typically the breeze is strongest at dawn and dies off by about 9.30 (as the land warms up), so the early birds get the worms. Sure it's a little cool, but it's great sailing. The cooler it is, the better the westerly blows.

This year we're trying to organise regular informal sprint racing.

Plan is we get to club at 7am. Launch at 7.30.  First races from 8, or just before.  Return by 9.45, club locked up by 10.30.  Home to cook the loved one brunch.  The suggestion is that we run sprint races, we launch a RIB each week to set a course and provide rescue support.  We'll each take a turn in the RIB, and hopefully, we'll each only do a half shift (swap RIB for a laser).

We're juggling the desire of some to sail Saturdays and others who have kids sports on Saturday or who are looking for an excuse to drop church for a bit of spiritually enlightening wet hiking, so we have proposed a compromise schedule: 1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday of the month.

Peter Collie will manage a doodle account to give us a sense of who is showing up.  If you are interested in joining us, Please email him on social@dbsc.com.au as he will build a seperate email list to keep people in the loop.  He promises not to send the list to Nigerian scammers.

Final Big Boat Race of Season this Sunday

apparently the big boaters are more committed than the laser sailors, and their season lasts longer.  They race this week.  Jonathon writes......

Dear fellow sailors

  We race again next Sunday. Seabreeze promises a light south-easterly and a sunny afternoon. It should be very pleasant.

  Our last race of the regular season

A 1.00pm start.

  Could you let me know who will be there …….?

  And remember, keep your radios on VHF 72. And turn them on!

Not enough subscriptions paid

If you haven't paid your fee yet, please do so.  More than ever, DBSC needs the fees more than you need a visit from our short necked friends, Rocco and Moose.

DBSC's subscription collection officers

But, we're not heartless.  If there is a problem with paying fees (e.g. you are buying a house, you lost your job, you are thinking of getting a divorce, have drank the Kool-Aid supplied by a "financial advisor" or "wealth management" advisor, etc), please chat to the People's Prince, Troublemaker or Madame Secretary and we'll make arrangements. 

For the members yet to pay their invoice, please ensure you PUT YOUR NAME BOX when you do the electronic funds transfer, please?  Madame Secretary and Troublemaker don't need more work doing reconciliations. 

61st People's Congress ie Presentation and AGM. (Friday, May 26, 7pm)

Unlike our Korean or Soviet cousins, DBSC has a more ordered transfer of power.  It has been so tremendous and beautiful, that the Chinese have adopted it.  (If only we could have 10 minutes to explain the model in Trumpistan).

Speaking at the podium last year, our very own Dear Leader, remarked:

"The might of DBSC is not in the quality of our leading sailors, who are excellent, but in the efforts to ensure the administrative state is maintained.  The Canteen Crew, The Wise Master and the other volunteers not in official club positions, help support those on the Politburo who enable racing to occur.

While sailing is definitely a discretionary activity for its participants, the work necessary to allow for sailing and racing is certainly non-discretionary.  This work must be done by volunteers for small worker-clubs like DBSC.  The only reason for members not to volunteer is if they have a loved-one, or least hostile acquaintance, who is volunteered on their behalf." 

DBSC's formalities will be a little shorter, but no less spectacular, than those of the Korean peninsular. In short order we host our AGM, make annual presentations,  then share food and drinks that Koreans can only fantasise about. 

All sailors, partners, parents and friends are welcome to attend.  

Copy wanted

If you would like to contribute to the weekly newsletter, please send your copy to newsletter@dbsc.com.au before COB Monday.  This will give time for the editor to look at it and upload sometime on Tuesday, ready for worldwide publication on the InterWeb on Wednesday morning and distribution via electronic-mail.

If you become a regular contributor, newsletter@dbsc.com or administrator@dbsc.com.au will be able to set you up with your own login username and password to squarespace.com , who hosts our InterWeb page.

Please pay your fees ASAP!

Subscription notices are out, we need the money in!

When you are next at the club, please pay attention to the lovely new piles we have had installed.  The 5 dodgiest piles have been replaced and the club isn’t going to fall down. Then have a good look underneath and admire the new headstock bolts that hold the club to the piles, and be happy that the club isn’t going to float away.  Finally stroll to the deck and be satisfied that the davits have been improved and won't collapse anytime soon.  The club is in tip top physical shape, but it has cost us a bomb.  We need your subs money to pay for it.

About 22% of you have paid, and we thank those.  As for the rest of you, its time to pay up, please.  EFT and add your name to the reference.  If you need time to rustle up the money, please let us know and we’ll make arrangements.

Don’t forget to make a tax deductible donation to the Australian Sports foundation… you’ll feel better knowing Malcolm and the ATO are subsidising your sailing club!

5th edition of ESSSS

Easter Saturday Super Sprints Series (“ESSSS) at Double Bay

There is no formal racing scheduled for Easter Saturday.  However, since 2013 we have conducted club racing sprints on Easter Saturday to improve boat handling skills while addressing the calorific chocolate overload in advance.

This Easter tradition now rivals the Bells surfing contest, and will only be bettered by the eventual agreement by western and Orthodox christian churches on the date for Easter itself. (NB: the Easters coincide this year, as they do every four years) 

Format will be very similar to last year: very quick turnarounds between numerous races. Three (3) minute sequences.  Remember, parking is easy because there is no school sport.

Although stragglers are encouraged to cut corners on the last lap so they don't miss the next race (There's more to be learned in the first 200m of a race compared to the last 200m), we want perfect starts and compliance with the rules, and turns when required.

AGM / 2017-18 Committees

The AGM and Presentation is scheduled for 26 May

Its always great night with minimal formality and maximum frivolity. Regarding formality, I will be standing down as Commodore at the AGM.  We have identified a fantastic replacement who will have far greater time and energy to throw at the job than I have recently, so I'm happy that the club will be in better hands than ever.

But, we DBSC could always do with more help.  If you're not sure how you can help out, simply ask myself, Clare, Michael, Andrew or Geoff.  Or anyone else.  We're not big on formalities and titles; we'll give you a role as big or as small as you want. 

Editor's Note:  Originally, known as Grasshopper (1.0) when he was Vice Commodore to Dear Leader, Luke later was given the honorary title of the People's Prince once he snatched the pebbles from Dear Leader and became Commodore, and because of his superb people skills (i.e. he wasn't an engineer).  A fine contributor to the club, and good example to all the kiddies and millennials who have recently joined the club!

Get well (again) Peter.

Our mate Peter Redmond has recovered well from his previous illness and made a good recovery. So good that he was recently surfing when he was run over by a 130 kg kook.  Peter now has a badly broken arm requiring surgery. 

Get well Peter. And when you do get well, remember laser sailing is less dangerous.  

Race Planning for rest of season.

15 April. Super Easter Saturday Sprints.   

22 April. Final Pointscore of season. 2pm start. we have less daylight SO STAY BEHIND THE START LINE!!!!!

29 April. Final Club Championship races. Après racing end of season BBQ