On a more urgent note, we note that a number of Club subscriptions are overdue. These, plus the berthing rights fee should have been paid in full by the end of February at the absolute latest. At time of writing (4 March) some 25 members have yet to pay – that is approximately 18% of the full members. In the past the treasurer has been lenient however the number of late subscriptions and berthing rights fees has increased to such an extent that we now have to consider putting the late payment charge up from £5 to £25. This is not as a penalty but as an encouragement to members to pay by the due date. Late payment incurs difficulties for the Finance Convenor and Treasurer when administering the budgeted spend and managing cash flow. It is your club and it is your responsibility pay on time. Please let Babs have your fees as early as possible so that we do not have to impose the £25 late fee. Remember these fall due to be paid immediately after the AGM which is usually the last Monday in January each year.

Well, the rain is still battering the window so I think the lid will have to stay on the antifouling tin for another wee while… time to put the kettle on and happy painting when it happens!

Doug Lamont

Commodore

COMPOUND

LIFT IN

It is the intention to have two mast stations on life in day, but the second mast station might not be available until later in the day, so could I remind everyone who wants their mast put up, to make sure the mast is ready, standing rigging is in an orderly manner, all bottle screws are freed off and pins at the ready. I would urge you to be diligent about this as there will be a high demand on station/stations, and if you boat is presented in a disorganised manner and is not ready it will be turned away.

CRADLE STORAGE

I would like to take advantage on lift day, when we have enough abled bodied members to strip and store all cradles in the compound or strip and stack for removal within two weeks of lift in. Last year this met with some opposition, members intimated they would come and strip and remove cradles at a later date. This did not happen as some lay impending parking all summer.  So unless you have a valid reason, and speak to me prior to lift in to agree an alternative I will expect this task to be completed on lift day along with the assistance of a work party.

COMPOUND TIDY

If I could call on the members may be less able to do the more arduous tasks to assist in general by grabbing a bin bag which will be available in collecting all rubbish (papers, tins, bottles, old paint brushes, etc.) so we can leave the compound as a finished article. It is unfair to expect members to come back at a later date to collect somebody else’s rubbish.  So on that note could I remind boat owners in the compound to remove any materials they require to keep prior to lift in.

COMPOUND SECURITY

Going forward to the summer months could I ask members to be vigilant about security and adhere to the times for the compound gates to be locked. Every time I check the dinghies, I am still finding oars attached or hidden beneath them. This is getting wearisome now – how many times do you have to be asked not to store oars with dinghies.

PUMP

In view of recent events it was thought that having at our disposal, a pump that members could use in an emergency if their boat was sinking, would be a great benefit, so we have been kindly loaned a pump and generator for such circumstances (hopefully this will not be required). This is for emergency use only, and can be accessed from the cage. Instructions for its use will be posted in the clubhouse.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

We are in the process of installing fire extinguishers in protective housings at two points within the compound. They are for use by the members should such an emergency exist. There will be a full complement of extinguishers to meet any needs that maybe required. Instruction for use, procedure and must point will be posted in the clubhouse shortly.

SANDERS

One last point. It is disappointing to find the fee for the sanding discs is not keeping pace with the amount of discs used. Perhaps this is an oversight, but the club supplied the originals and calculated the replacement value. The club does not make anything from this. If this continues we will no longer be able to make available a selection of discs. To put this in prospective, if you were to buy these yourself, they would cost on average about £50 per box which is why y the club has supplied the initial outlay to assist the members. There is a loyalty box located in the garage/workshop. It is a red box on the left-hand wall as you go through the side door.

I hope I can count on your support with these matters.

Kyle Stewart – Compound Convenor

MOORINGS

May I remind all boat owners to check their moorings and warps before the boat is put back on its berth, or as soon as possible after lift in.  The personal kit should include overalls, boots, gloves, and lifejacket.

Consult the tide tables in order to choose a time near low water. This makes it easier to examine the bridle chain lying on the bund and lifting the riser easier as there is less chain to lift clear of the water.

The easiest way to achieve this is to fix a pole or pipe across the bow or stern between the boats and then pull the warps over this and secure them to a winch. When the riser is clear of the water it is easier to do any repairs or replacements from the dinghy.

The top shackle and float are the clubs responsibility and replacements are stored in the garage cage. Take care to secure the riser before changing the float and shackle and use a lanyard on any of the club tools They don’t Float.

There is also black grease in the garage which should be used on shackles to prevent corrosion of the threads and where possible shackles should be secured with cable ties, black takes longer to bio-degrade.

The top shackle on the riser should be greater in diameter than ten millimetres if not replace it immediately.

The bridle chain should be 8mmto 10mm depending on size of boats, long link is favoured as it takes only one shackle and a cable tie to join it.

The bridle should extend to below the bow of the boats at low water springs, shorter Lengths pull the boats on to the bund as the tide rises.

At low water springs it should be assumed that all boats will touch bottom. Therefore, fenders all round. And tight springs and breast ropes will enable the boats to stay upright when they go aground.

Plastic eyes on warps last longer than galvanized ones and soft pipe on warps protect them from attack by barnackle encrusted riser chains.

Only black non galvanized shackles should be used on the riser chains in order to minimise corrosion this is a requirement of the marina who own the risers and ground chains.

There is a diagram of the wall mooring on the glass fronted notice board showing the clubs recommended method of securing the boats.

There is a set of tide tables in the yacht haven handbook in the clubhouse pinned to the notice board please do not remove.

Please note, winter visitors on the Island Pontoon should vacate the berths two weeks before lift-in.

Jack Gairns  Moorings Convener

RACING PROGRAMME

On 19 February we welcomed 19 Club Members to our Strictly Come Racing Evening, maybe if we had held it on the 28th would we have got 28!  This turnout was positive as was the feedback from the members on your race committee’s proposals for 2014.

We have now finalised the Weekend Racing Programme and it is attached to this newsletter. It will also be displayed on the notice boards, inserted in the members’ cards and go onto the new website once live, a big thanks to Doug and his working group for driving the website forward.

The Wednesday Wackies will run every Wednesday night from 16 April to 24 September. We have determined that a progressive club handicap be used this year that will not penalise the fastest boat as previous iterations but rather balance all the handicaps so that we finish together as is the intention. In order to do this finish times will be required each evening and at the end of every month (except April) the start times will be amended. New Standing Instructions for Wednesdays and Weekend Races will be posted shortly together with sailing instructions throughout the season.

We are determined to make the club more social again and are endeavouring to hold a Social Gathering at the last race of each month in the clubhouse (except April) and would encourage all to make a special effort to attend such, we might even get the BBQ out if the sun shines.

Finally for now, we are introducing a Fast Cruising Award for the Musters, where those that do not or cannot race for whatever reason can enter into some form of competitive spirit for an engraved tumbler based on recording your own start and finish times, more details to follow later.

Arran Cameron

Hon Racing Secretary

Troon Cruising Club operates a full schedule of racing throughout the season across three main categories:

1 – Wednesday Wackys – This is a fun pursuit style race run every Wednesday from the entrance to the harbour around a fixed short course in the bay.   Start times are based on a club progressive handicap with your initial start time being devised from CYCA rating.   The idea is we all finish together and enjoy a social gathering in the clubhouse or a pint in the Harbour Bar.

2 – Spring & Autumn Series – Run over a combination of 10 Saturdays or Sundays these races provide more opportunity for your boat to stretch her legs with races lasting a few hours around a more varied course than provided for Wednesday nights.

3 – Weekend Races – We run races to tie in with all the club’s cruising musters (except Ardrossan) and also to other destinations not on the cruiser’s list.   These races generally involve a mid-morning Saturday start and a catch up at the destination for food and drink.   Depending on the latter we have been known to also race home on the Sunday!

All our racing is open to non-members, but silverware is reserved for members only, we would however encourage membership for wider club benefits. If you would like to come and play please drop us an email info@trooncruisingclub.org   Our website is in the process of being updated and will contain standing and sailing instructions so please check back for further updates.

Arran Cameron

Hon Racing Secretary.

CRUISING 2014

Well, here we are at another cruising season.The 2014 season starts in Largs on 26/17 April for your Opening Muster. This year the berthing price at Largs is £17. The meal in Largs Sailing Club will be £13.95. My email is ewanb1@hotmail.com                                         Ewan Black – Cruising Convenor

The dates for the cruising musters as as follows:

SOCIAL REPORT

The Burns supper went down rather well, with club members doing a grand job with their interpretation of Burns.

We had two invited guests, one being David McMahon who did justice to the Immortal Memory, and we were also lucky to have young Tom Beard who is a member of the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra to get our toes tapping with his wonderful array of Scottish tunes.

I found it very difficult this year to find members who would be kind enough to participate, I would encourage you to please consider doing something as we are not professionals, just enjoying a Burns supper and being amongst like- minded people.

It would be a great shame if this was to be discontinued.

Not long until the lift-in now, and I have put a list up on the notice board for any of the ladies who would like to assist for a couple of hours on the day. Your help would be very much appreciated, and if you would like to bring along  some soup or home baking – that would be great too! Frances Pellenkoft will be manning a table of craft items on behalf of the Ayrshire Hospice, a very worthy cause – please dig deep!

I look forward to seeing at the social events, and if you have any thoughts on new ones I would delighted to hear from you, possibly a quiz night to co-ordinate with Curry Night on Friday 4 April so if any of you have aspirations to be a quizmaster, or you would like to set up a team, please let me know.   Hopefully Prestwick Sailing Club will join us.  If you have a favourite curry which you would like to share please just bring it along, I am sure it will disappear fast!  There will be an honesty box, and it will be ‘a bring your own bottle’ night too.

An early notice of the Mediterranean Night on 9 May, and again you are invited to bring along a Mediterranean dish of your choice to share – we had a brilliant spread last year – let’s see if we can beat it this year.  Cost of the tickets will be £2.50 which will include your first drink of the night. We will have a license for this evening so please don’t bring your own bottle on this night – thank you.

In June we have the Annual Race for the 50th Anniversary Cup coupled with a barbeque in the late afternoon when the racers come in.  Last year was very poorly attended, and I was embarrassed, having asked people to help who had other things to do but gave up their own events to come along. Even the crews of the two boats taking part didn’t even come in after the race.  This is a very poor showing, and hopefully you will be interested enough to come along this year. Tickets will be £3 per head and I can assure you the burgers are of the highest quality. Again we will have an occasional license, and beer and wine will be available to purchase.

I have enlisted the assistance of John Woods on my Task Force to help me with the events, and as you know he was instrumental in organising the very successful and well attended dry weekend in November at Loch Fyne Hotel and Spa.  We are currently negotiating a deal with the hotel again, but aim to make it a two night break and would appreciate it if you could indicate if you would be interested.  I know it is early on in the year, but if we have a rough number it means we can plan ahead.  If we make the arrangement we would prefer if you did not call and make arrangements to stay for further nights, as we were a bit embarrassed last year when some of you called to add on an extra night and the Manageress had no option but to offer this at the pre-arranged rate.

Another suggestion John has made is that perhaps some of you who are fly fishermen might enjoy an evening’s (or a day’s) fishing at one of the local reservoirs. Coyle Water for instance just outside Ayr, which has a rather nice restaurant too.

A final word, please support the social events of the Club, its your club and its rather discouraging when helpers give up their precious time organising events and no one makes an effort to appear at the clubhouse.

Izzy ~ Social Convenor

01292 316776

FEES

Thanks to those of you who have paid their subscriptions as requested by the end of February. However, there are still a number outstanding and if you are one of those, please take note that a £5 late payment fee (meantime) will be payable if we have not received the relevant subscription in the next few days after receipt of this letter.

Full Membership Subscription – £66

Associate Membership Subscription – £20

(Berthing Rights Fee – and if you are berth holder you should have paid this on time! Otherwise you may well forfeit  your berth – £66)

If you wish to pay this via the bank, the details are as follows:

Sort Code 82 68 21 – Account No 30531227

Otherwise, my address is 61 Marr Drive, Troon KA10 6PP. You can drop it into the clubhouse, but please ensure that you post it through the Committee Room letterbox. Cheques should be made payable to Troon Cruising Club. (TCC will do)

Mooring Fee for Wall and Trot berths for 2014-15 is £590 and is due NOT LATER THAN 31 MARCH 2014.

Again if you wish to pay via the bank, the details for this payment are as follows:

Sort Code 82 68 21 – Account No 40528098

Cheques again should be made payable to Troon Cruising Club (TCC will do)

Island Pontoon berth holders will be advised in early course of their individual payments.

If your subscription is not paid within a short period of time of receipt of this letter, your details will be removed from our database and you will receive no further communications from the club.

MEMBERSHIP CARDS AND YEARBOOK

Due to the fact that members have been very slow in producing input , the production of the Yearbook will be later this year, as will the membership cards, but meantime we note below the Council for 2014 together with contact numbers.

Commodore – Doug Lamont, 22 Bonnyton Drive, Easglesham, Glasgow G76 0LU

Vice Commodore – John Haston, 71 Patna Road, Kirkmichael, KA19 7PJ

Rear Commodore (1) – Ewan Black, 8 Southpark Avenue, Prestwick, KA9 1PY

Rear Commodore (2) – Jim Short, 9 Loudoun Avenue, Galston KA4 8BD

Honorary Racing Secretary – Arran Cameron, 67 St Ninians Road, Prestwick KA9 1SL

Secretary/Treasurer – Babs Henderson, 61 Marr Drive, Troon KA10 6PP

Retire 2015

Immediate Past Commodore – David Hutton, The Cottage, Eastersmithstone, Mauchline KA5 5TA

George Whiteside, 8 Doon Place, Troon KA10 6UN

Kyle Stewart, 57 Bridgehousehill Road, Kilmarnock KA1 4QB

Isabell McGowan, 32 Findhorn Place, Troon KA10 7DJ

Retire 2016

Jack Gairns, 10 Rowan Crescent, Ayr KA7 3LZ (Moorings)

Bill Stewart, 13a Bruce Avenue, Prestwick KA9 1SE

Don Lindsay, 13a Portland Park, Hamilton ML3 7JY – Phone 01698 427996 (Various)

Retire 2017

David Lacy, 52 London Road, Kilmarnock KA3 7AJ

Simon Eves, 71 woodside Drive, Waterfoot, Glasgow G76 0HD

John Woods, 61 Marr Drive, Troon KA10 6PP

Jonathan Dickie, 2/1 279 Holmlea Road, Glasgow G44 4BU