Troon Cruising Club Spring Newsletter 2017
Well the boats are in (most of them) and the mast are up (almost). Thanks to all who turned out to lend a hand in the compound, galley and mast stations. Those of us on the other side of the committee room door have been busy as well.
As many of you know we have been hit by the debilitating flu-like thing which was particularly severe in Babs case, so progress has been slower than we would have wished.
We had two events in the clubhouse and we had to scrounge around for extra chairs to cater for the crowd. Well done to Ewan Black for organising the food in consultation with his employer. And also thanks to Andy McRoberts, the clubhouse convenor for sorting out what stays and goes.
You may have noticed that Greg Hillier is still frequenting the clubs premises and making use of the club’s property, in spite of losing membership status last year. We are in contact with his lawyer ,although no legal challenges have been issued. We assume he will attempt to overturn our decision to revoke his membership. In the meantime he is not entitled to the freedom of our premises until that action is successful. I ask you to leave any confrontation to council members. Legal procedures related to the removal of Tempo from the TYH/TCC moorings are being investigated.
Last year we were planning to get electricity fed out to the island pontoon and prepared the ducting across the compound. This plan had to be shelved and then abandoned. The revised proposal/plan is to install a diesel generator and a small scale distribution circuit (‘’daleks’’). We need to know if that would be acceptable to those who reside on the pontoon or are on the waiting list. Funding would come from a pontoon improvement scheme, which ran for a few years after the turn of the century, augmented from club funds. When we have the final specifications and costing we want your approval before implementation.
TCC is participating in RYA ‘’push the boat out’’ week. Our day is 20th May and if conditions allow, we will be offering members of the public an introduction to yachting. The RYA focus is principally dinghy racing and youth recruiting. Our contribution will be a bit different, but the objective is the same. We like to boost our membership and demonstrate that yachting is not the elitist pastime as some people think.
The committee room is not a place to store personal equipment. Hence we have removed such items (sprayhood & oars) and placed in the vestibule.
At the opening muster it was noted that we did not specify if some members have specific diet requirements. (vegetarian, etc.) We look into this for future occasions.
Bill Stewart.
CRUISING REPORT
This season’s Cruising activities began on Wednesday 15th March when a very informative talk on Tarbert Marina & the Crinan Canal was delivered by three members of their staff to a clubhouse packed with more than 50 of our members. The formal part of the evening was followed by a beer and burgers event. Thanks again to all the members who made it such a pleasant & successful social evening and for making our visitors feel so welcome.
On Wednesday 5th April Bob Johnston entertained, amused and educated many of our members with a talk on The Theory & Practicalities of Anchoring. The talk was embellished with numerous personal accounts of what works, what doesn’t work, and what can go wrong when you least expect it! Many thanks again to Bob for his time and professional expertise on the topic and to all the members who attended and participated in making this such an enjoyable event.
A file containing various leaflets and fliers of what we hope will be useful & relevant information on Cruising in southwest Scotland has been compiled and placed near the telephone in the clubhouse for your reference. Please feel free to supplement this file with any information that you may have and wish to share with other club members.
So with the Lift-In behind us now, it’s time to think about going cruising. This season, we have organised 5 weekend Musters for our members and their guests. Here are the dates and the destinations for your diary;
- LARGS 29th/30th April Opening Muster
- ARRAN 18th/19 June
- PORT BANNATYNE 30th June /1st/2nd July
- TARBERT 2nd/3rd September
- LARGS 9th/10th September Closing Muster
Looking to the future ….. and to ensure that your club is what you want it to be ….. please be encouraged to share your ideas & suggestions with respect to talks and seminars and musters and any new cruising destinations with us, your cruising convenors.
Ewan Black and Carolyn Voisey
SOCIAL REPORT
The year got off to a great start with the Burns Supper which was already reported on in the February newsletter.
A Beer and Burger Night on 15 March recorded a record number of members attending with representatives from Tarbert Marina and the Crinan Canal with valuable information on their areas. This was followed on 5 April by a talk by Bob Johnston on The Theory and Practicalities of Anchoring, again well attended. Both these events were hosted by Ewan Black and Carolyn Voisey (see Cruising Report).
On the evening of 14th April we had a Curry Night, and the donations of curries and accompaniments were scoffed quickly and the members who attended enjoyed catching up with each other.
The next day was Lift-in day and the galley was kept going all day, especially when the gusts got up and the operation was abandoned for a short time till they died down. Our thanks go to all the ladies (and gentleman) who helped out on the day, especially Izzy McGowan and Agnes Gairns who were there or thereabouts for most of the day.
The next event is the Mediterranean Night on Friday 12th May, when we invite members to bring along a favourite Mediterranean dish of their choice for others to share and enjoy! Accompaniments of crusty bread and salad will be provided. Cost of the tickets are £2.50 with the first glass of wine free. Thereafter we have a cash bar (fully licensed) with wines and beers available at a very reasonable cost. Tickets will be available from Council Members from now on. Babs and I have arranged to go cruising that week, so we are leaving the arrangements in the capable hands of Carolyn and Ewan, with very grateful thanks to both.
Dry Weekend – We have provisionally booked a number of rooms at the Loch Fyne Hotel and Spa for two nights 3/4 November at a cost of £240 per couple fully inclusive of dinner, bed and breakfast on both days with the use of the pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and hot tub (yes even in November). One night is an option at £120 either the Friday or Saturday. There is also a Spa where treatments can be booked at reasonable prices. Inveraray is only a short walk down the road with plenty of nice shops and of course the George Hotel where everyone enjoys a drink of some kind. We already have a few rooms booked, and while we know it is early in the year to make a commitment, you can provisionally put your names forward and if something else comes up, cancel nearer the time.
As indicated in a recent email, I have arranged a cruising holiday out of Corfu in October. We have 5 names so far and if anyone is interested, we can arrange a bigger boat or two boats even. The cost including flights, end cleaning and food, usually works out about between £400 and £500. Eating out at restaurants in the various ports we will put into is not included in this price but are never very expensive.
John Woods
MOORINGS REPORT
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in the preparation for the lift-in, those who kindly moved their boats to allow mast stations to be set up, and the members who made their boats available to lift masts and everyone who assisted with the mast stations.
To create mast stations it is very important that we have the cooperation of all members. If you are requested to move your boat to a temporary berth we like you to return to your allocated berth when agreed by the mooring committee. Please refrain from making personal arrangements, as we are not able to execute the planned moves. If in any doubt please contact a member of the moorings committee, who is able to advice you what is required.
A large number of members moved to different berths on the island pontoon this year in order to accommodate several members on the pontoon waiting list..
The moorings committee likes to thank you all for your cooperation and understanding in these matters.
Kyle Stewart (mooring convenor), John Woods, Ian Gairns, John Lewis, Stuart Cockbain (members of the moorings committee)
COMPOUND REPORT
Many thanks to all those who attended and worked at the lift in. The help of members with boats not involved was much appreciated as was the support of the kitchen staff. Also thanks to David an Carolyn for the use of the RIB. Everything went well apart from our gate having a slight argument with the crane. This is now repaired with the help of my walking stick and a couple of pensioners. There was no damage to any boat, all cradles are dismantled and stored away and nearly all masts were lifted. Well done to all and thanks to the teams who made this possible.
There is be a work party planned for the 13th May from 10 am to noon (approx.) in order to tidy up the compound. I hope you can come along and once again give you support.
Identification of dinghies. During the work party the facility to put identification mark on your dinghy, i.e. your name, boat name or berth number will be available. Markers and stencils and a berthing plan with berth numbers will be available on the notice board in the club house. A proper identification of dinghies will lead to a improvement of security.
Don Lindsay
RNLI sales on lift in day
Thanks to our members who bought a few bits and pieces from the RNLI table on the lift in day resulting in a sum of £ 70 for the charity.
Club website
We like to encourage the members to visit the club’s website on http://trooncruisingclub.org The club website has details about forthcoming events, cruising programme, racing programme*) and results and social events.
The website also has information about the club, including its history, the council members, constitution and rules.
*) An update for the racing programme for 2017 will be ready as soon as possible.
John Haston