Help wanted....this Saturday's RVC

Each week, three volunteers forego the privilege of sailing themselves on Sydney Harbour to ensure that their fellow comrades can do so safely.  We aim that each member helps once per season, which allows us to share to load.  It follows that as we get toward the back end of the season, the available pool of people who have not done their turn this season reduces and any required reshuffling can leave a hole which is harder to fill than earlier in the season.

This week happens to be one of those weeks -- we have a PRO  and a CoCOTD, but no COTD currently signed up.

If you have not done your 'duty' this year and feel up to the task this Saturday please contact Mark Crowhurst (0439 872 305).

If you have not done your duty and do not feel up to the task this Saturday, we know who you are, and you may get a call.

Some things to consider:

• The forecast is 25+ knots and raining [tough sailing weather, comparatively good RIB'ing weather]
• You will have increased popularity at VYC for the post race feasting [colder beer]
• You will remove yourself from the available pool of people for 'duty' when less desirable conditions for RIB'ing and more desirable conditions for sailing do arise
• You will be considered instrumental in assisting DBSC's continued victory over VYC in the Rolex Vaucluse Challenge
• The more you help around the club, the more favourable you are looked upon for rack positioning!
• Mike Leigh will give you a front row seat at his lecture on Wednesday night*

*may or may not be true

Sunday 5th. Clean up the bay day, big boats and JJs

Sunday is CleanUp Australia Day and the Double Bay Sailing Club has a long record of community service in that regard. Jonathan Stone does a sterling job of arranging for the CleanUp. He will be at the Club from 8.00am to provide volunteers with gloves and bags and organise things and also contribute to the picking up.

Please come down and help, even if for just half an hour. JS wants to be able to boast to the Club that the Big Boat sailors are making their contribution!  I want the laser sailors to show them up!

JS has set 8.00am as the beginning of the clean-up because there is a low tide at 8.30am that day, which will facilitate cleaning the beaches (we clean the beaches to the west and east of the Clubhouse).

Following that, the big boats race. Start time will be 2.00pm. We had a great race last month. 

Finally, at 3pm the 18's sail the last race in the JJ's.   

...and we are a bit more safety conscious than our Master's cousins at their championships.

Rolex Vaucluse Challenge (RVC) THIS WEEK

Each season we conduct a challenge series against our friends at VYC.  In November we sailed the first leg, and as the super coach would have said, we DBSC done good, sailed well. Even if they started the race before many of is got to the event. 

Recapping... Its a scratch race and each club is scored by the position of its first 5 or so sailors in each fleet.  The key is that if we score the first 10 over the line and the next 5 are VYC , we score 1+2+3+4+5 points, and VYC would score 11+12+13+14+15 points.  Scores are added across fleets and across the home and away legs.  (Tip to new members......We don't like losing this one)

The 2nd leg of the Rolex Vaucluse Challenge will be held at 2pm on Saturday 4 February in the NEUTRAL waters with DBSC officiating,  while the après culinary extravagance with a french flair style at the newly rebuilt VYC clubhouse. 

In a new initiative, the Post Party Celebration will be held at the Horden Pavilion in conjunction with the Mardi Gras.

Due to sailor feedback, we're reverting to a stardard DBSC course and two races starting promptly at 2pm, Radials and 4.7's first.   Rest up Friday night as a strong wind is forecast and the start line will be towards Shark Island

It is extremely important that as many DBSC sailors race as possible (standards, radials and 4.7s), and that everyone is at the race briefing at 1pm for an explanation of the course and some tactical tips by some of our sailing gurus.   Splash will be at 1.20pm, sharp.

As most of you tell your children at Saturday morning sports just as they take the field, we live in a winner-take-all globalised society with no prizes for second place.

Despite the historical frostiness of Anglo-French relations, we’ve fostered so much love with our friends at the French enclave of Vaucluse that there are also two perpetual trophies at stake: Radials will be fighting for the Grahame Read Trophy and the winner of the Standards will hold the Dene Bergman Trophy.   In addition, there was a new perpetual trophy launched last year, namely "The Plate".  It is awarded to the club offering the best Après Sailing hospitality. Last year DBSC put on a top spread with fish, meat, salads and fancy beer.  It will be well worth heading over to VYC to see what they offer in return, but you can be sure it will be good. 

ISAF has lost the plot

From the Australian Laser website.....

 " Removing Rule 42 from WS & Olympic Laser Events

We have recently become aware that World Sailing WS (was ISAF) is considering a proposal to remove Rule 42 “Propulsion” from Laser sailing at World Sailing and Olympic events.

Rule 42 prevents pumping, rocking, ooching, sculling and repeated tacks and jibes to propel a boat. Already for many classes most notably Finns and RS-X and other boards these techniques are permitted and practiced to the extreme in some conditions. If you want to see what sailing without Rule 42 looks like have a look at the short video clip from the Rio Olympics HERE.

The main motivation for this change by World Sailing WS is said to be to “increase athleticism and competitiveness on downwind legs”. Others suggest that their focus is on making the sport more exciting for spectators and hence more marketable.

It is our view that this proposed change as it inevitably trickles down from international to national, state, interclub and ultimately club events will be quite negative for Laser sailing generally.

We the ALCA have written to Australian Sailing’s AS President Matt Allen expressing our concern and seeking their support to attempt prevent this change. AS at least have a seat at the WS table though we have to realistic about our place in the big wide world – just recently illustrated when the leader of the free world did not know the name of the President of Australia or in fact that we don’t have one.

If you are interested in this subject you can read our letter to AS which explains our concerns and our reasons for opposing this change HERE. "

JJ's

For the next two weekends we'll be sharing the club with our friends on the 18's. They'll be the ones rigging for most of the morning. And sailing faster than us when they eventually get on the water.  Sharing helps us develop good social habits and they eat a lot of toasties which funds the club. Please be considerate of your fellow sailors.

Also we need a volunteer RIB driver for Thursday 2 March.  Needed at the club from 2pm. If you're interested, let me know ( commodore@dbsc.com.au )

Racking

We've reviewed racking plan again, with object of getting regular sailors in better racks.

On Saturday, after the pointscore racing, let's get the boats into the new positions.

Also, there will be a marker pen on hand to label boats and gear. It's important to have your boat number on the stern so we know who is in which rack

Updated Sailing Instructions

the Sailing Committee has reviewed and updated the Sailing instructions.  They will be posted on the website shortly, but here's a summary of few important changes.  Comments in italics 

• If there are fewer than six (6) boats sailing a 4.7 sail size during any race the radial and 4.7 fleets may be combined into one fleet and start the race together. (Ie Radials need to be alert and don't assume anything because your count might be different to the PRO.)

• Where a course is shortened by removing a leg of the course, a Race Committee boat near the leeward mark (mark 3 on Annexure 1) will display Code Flag C with repetitive sounds. Boats shall then finish by sailing to the original finish line -- between the Committee Boat and blue cylinder mark.  (ie Allows us to drop one full lap and finish through usual line)

• Competitors are encouraged to not pass through the finish line during the race, except when finishing. There is no penalty for doing so, but avoiding the finishline aids the Committee in recording finishers. (Good manners.  Not so vital early in the race, but very  important if boats are finishing)

• if a boat looks unlikely to finish within 15 minutes of the first finisher, the PRO may elect to finish them on course to expedite the race. (Slower boats can be officially finished and the PRO can get on with starting the next race)

Feb Planning

Twilights every wednesday.  5.30pm splash

This week 18th...Master states for the geezers. Sprints for youngsters and non travellers

On the 25th...  point score.  JJ's are on at 3pm as well.  

Then 4th march....the JJ's are racing at 3pm, so our racecourse will be shifted north towards neutral waters. This means we have to launch no later than 1.30pm. We then feast and celebrate at the repaired and improved VYC.

Metropolitian Championships

The Metropolitan Championships are again being hosted by Double Bay on the weekend of 18 and 19 March – 5 weeks this Saturday. Racing will be Saturday afternoon and an 11am start Sunday. 3 races per fleet, per day, perhaps. 

More details here 

It's likely to be a 100-130 boat turnout so we we need the help of our members and friends to make this a great event, particularly:

• Active members are strongly encouraged to sail, so put the dates in your diary now and cancel all other engagements;
• There will be a working bee to clean up the club on the Saturday before – 11.00 am 11 March 2017, one hour.
• On the actual weekend we require volunteers for a number of tasks– driving the ribs, recording the finishes, managing the car park, the rigging area and the like.

If you are able to volunteer please let Luke or Michael know and we’ll give you a job.

There’ll be more on this topic in the coming weeks.

Rib duty can also count as family time! 

Grasshopper 2.0 avoids media cliches.