NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2015 TROON CRUISING CLUB
COMMODORE’S NOTE
I would like to thank the club for accepting me as their Commodore for the next year. I see this as a badge of honour among friends, and taking my turn following many worthy office bearers, as listed on the club honours boards in the clubhouse.
It makes me feel a bit of a fraud, but I will try to do my best for the club during my term of office. Thank you to Doug Lamont for two years of leadership. I would also like to thank our retiring social convenor Izzy for her sterling work over recent years, and I hope you will all support John Woods who is taking over this role.. And welcome to David Hill who is now elected to the council, bringing a wealth of experience in water-sports training.
I would like to thank everyone for their support at the AGM to get the changes to the club rules and constitution approved. I believe that some of our council members would have stood down without this, especially after the recent claim against the club and individual club members.
On a positive note, the days are getting longer, the sailing season is drawing nearer, and on a personal note I now have the use of the club Dantent to help me repair my boat for the next few weeks!
I have no major projects to push through this year, or any personal axe to grind, but we hope to complete some of the projects that are ongoing such as the improvements to the slipway and installing power to the pontoon. The club has recently been successful in creating and installing a variety of equipment such as the new boat transporter, engine hoist, dinghy slipway hoist, cradle lifter, dinghy pump, safety ladders, mast rack and dinghy rack.
This year marks the club’s 60th anniversary, and you may be aware we are planning a big celebration on Saturday 6th June. We hope you will be able to take part. Volunteers will be needed to run the stalls, barbecue and teas. If you are willing to help or have any suggestions please get in touch!
An open day is planned at the club on Saturday 6th June, with entertainment, food and other stalls in the compound. The day will start with a parade through the town to the cruising club accompanied by the Boys Brigade Pipe Band, then an opening ceremony by Troon round-the-world yachtsman Gerry Hughes. During the afternoon there will be events on and off the water, hopefully including the Troon Lifeboat and the Prestwick search and rescue helicopter.
We are getting souvenir embroidered polo shirts, rugby shirts and fleeces made, and will have samples at the Lift-In if you want to place an order for you and your boat crew.
A dance is planned for the evening including a buffet meal, which will also be subsidised by the club.
The 60th Anniversary Race (for the 50th Anniversary Cup) is planned for the morning of the 6th June, with the entrance fee donation to the lifeboats.
Another positive action is the sail training and now the chart-work tuition that is being organised by the club. Please take advantage of the training initiatives on offer – we are never to old to learn something new! Please note – an email will be forwarded from Kyle in early course in this connection.
Hope to see you on the water.
Fair winds,
John Haston
Commodore
Following the AGM we are also forwarding a copy of the revised Constitution and Rules which were approved and including the proposed amendment with a minor adjustment, and confirm the Council will be as follows:
| Commodore | JohnHaston | 01655750447 |
| Vice Commodore | Ewan Black | 01292 476165 |
| Rear Commodore (1) | Jim Short | 01563820017 |
| Rear Commodore (2) | Bill Stewart | 01292 476355 |
| Honorary Racing Secretary | Arran Cameron | 01292 678373 |
| Secretary/Treasurer | Babs Henderson | 01292311908/07828586384 |
| Immediate Past Commodore | Doug Lamont | 01355 302768 |
| Council – Retire 2016 | JackGairns | 01292 269726 |
| Don Lindsay | 01698 427996 | |
| Council – Retire 2017 | David Lacy | 01563 523113 |
| Simon Eves | 0141 644 3240 | |
| John Woods | 07955853558 | |
| JonathanDickie | 0141 882 0778 | |
| Council – Retire 2018 | Kyle Stewart | 01563 529940 |
| George Whiteside | 01292 315598 | |
| David Hill | 07764392346 |
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MOORING FEES
As previous advised the subscriptions became due after the AGM, and should be in the hands of the Secretary/Treasurer by 28 February at the latest. A £5 late fee will be imposed on anyone who has not paid by this date. The details are as follows:
Full Member Subscription £66
Associate Member Subscription £20
Berthing Rights Fee (Payable annually by every mooring holder) £66
The above fees can paid through the Bank – Sort Code 826821 Account No 30531227 suitably identifiable.
Mooring Fees – Wall and Trot mooring fee for 2015/16 is £604 and is payable by 31 March 2015 and can again be paid through the Bank system – Sort Code 826821 Account No 40528098
Otherwise, cheques in favour of Troon Cruising Club, can be forwarded to Babs Henderson, 61 Marr Drive, Troon KA10 6PP. If paying by cash please phone Babs to arrange for this. Landline 01292 311908 Mobile 07828586384.
Meantime, thanks to everyone who has already paid their fees. If you have paid through the bank and wish an email acknowledgement, please just email me on helenaghenderson@gmail.com Thank you.
COMPOUND
LIFT-IN
Lift-in is schedules for Sunday 5 April, starting at 7.30 am. As usual as much help as possible will be greatly appreciated. Could I remind everyone at this juncture and especially the boat owners lifting their boats in, to make themselves familiar with TCC’s lift procedure as this greatly benefits a safe and effective lift-in Anyone unsure of what is required and/or expected of them, or any boats requiring special attention – ie engine inoperative, special requirement for mast etc, could they let me know as soon as possible.
MAST STATIONS
It is our intention to run two mast stations on lift-in day. Could I remind all boat owners to present their boats to the mast stations with their masts and rigging prepared in an orderly fashion as this greatly speeds up the operation when time is of the essence, and there is a high demand on the mast stations. Anyone not ready runs a high risk of being turned away. A brief outline of what is required will be posted in this newsletter. ***
CRADLES
The boats are sitting on their cradles, and the bolts and adjusters have had a winter to rust and seize up. Please loosen and oil them and retighten to make the dismantling easier. If the cradle is yours, it might be worthwhile investing in some stainless steel bolts and nuts. Remember! Six minutes lost per boat means more than two hours added to the day.
SANDERS
The club has provided new abrasive discs for our sanders. These are priced at 70 pence each, and are available from any committee member. Access to the sanders can also be gained through committee members. Anyone requiring access to the equipment outwith normal operating times, can do so by prior arrangement. There is a spare key which can be returned through the committee room letterbox.
General Information for Members ***
There is a description of a process for mast raising and lowering which can be found online at
http://www.bluemoment.com/downloads/mast raising and lowering.pdf
It is STRONGLY recommended that boat-owners review it before lift-in, as we need a slick operation this year – it’s a one-day weekend, just in case it slipped your mind.
MOORINGS
Tower Tools have promised to stock black self colour shackles which are the mandatory method of connecting to the Marina’s riser chains. They have galvanised shackles in stock for the chain bridles on the wall. They also carry a stock of bolts and nuts in mild and stainless steel. The large one inch galvanised bulldog clips used to secure the chains to the wall hawser are also available.
Three photographs of scrap chains which are securing boats on the wall are available in the clubhouse and the general consensus appears to be that it’s time to name and shame the owners.
Jack Gairns
Moorings Convenor
BOAT OWNERS RACING BRIEFING
This briefing has been arranged for Monday 23rd Feb at 19:30 in the clubhouse.
Come along to hear the proposed programme for 2015 and have an input into your club’s racing scene.
Arran Cameron
Hon Racing Secretary.
CRUISING NEWS
Well here we are at the start of another Cruising season which starts in Largs and finishes in Kip Marina.
The opening muster is on the 25th/26th April at Largs. Berthing this year in Largs Yacht
Haven is £20 and the price of the meal in Largs Sailing Club is the same as last year which is £13.95
The muster diary dates are as follows
Largs ~ 25/26 April ~ Opening Muster
Lamlash ~ 9/10 May
Kingscross ~ 20/21 June
Rothesay ~ 3/4/5 July
Tarbert ~ 22/23 August
Kip marina ~ 5/6 September ~ Closing Muster
My email address is ewanb1@hotmail.com
Ewan Black Cruising Convenor
SOCIAL
Izzy McGowan is a hard act to follow, but I hope that you will help me to provide a social programme that comes up to Izzy’s standards.
The first date will be the lift-in on Sunday 5 April, and I would appreciate some help from the ladies here to man the galley over the course of the day in two hour stints. I will shortly put up a list on the notice board and would be grateful if volunteers could add their names and preferred time, and if possible, if you can provide soup or home baking to augment the usual bacon/sausage etc rolls, tea and coffee.
Hopefully we might organise a curry night soon with help from our usual chefs, which will be pretty informal – just come along, bring your own bottle, and be prepared to make a donation towards the cost of making the curries and accompaniments. This will be flagged up at pretty short notice, so watch the notice board and I will have Babs send round an email.
The Mediterranean Night will be held some Friday evening in May still to be firmed up, this will be a ticketed (before or at the door) event, with a glass of wine included – Cost and date to be advised. Members are invited to bring along their favourite Mediterranean dish from the Canaries to the Aegean and all parts in between. Wine and beer will be on sale after the first free glass, and we would ask that you do not bring your own bottle for this event as happened last year. Let’s try and make a little money for the club.
I would like to organise a Whiskey Tasting Evening sometime soon, with a talk from some of the whiskey experts brought to us by the owners of the The Jar Whiskey shop in Troon. Date and cost to be advised at a later date.
For later in the year, we have booked out a number of rooms at the Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa at a cost of £170 for two nights per couple, dinner bed and breakfast, which will be offered in the first instance to those who enjoyed this ‘Dry weekend’ last year. If you are interested please contact me on either 01292 311908 or mobile 07955853558, email jwoodsjnr@aol.com
John Woods
Social Convenor
YEARBOOK
As reported at the AGM once again we have received a disappointing response from members to the request for articles for the yearbook.
The yearbook takes some 100 hours to prepare – selling advertising space, preparing advertising artwork, editing, scanning, layout and typography, liaison and print management, invoicing and financial management and distribution.
Currently the number of articles submitted does not justify the amount of work required and we would have great difficulty attracting advertisers to spend on a much less substantial document.
This requires the Council to rethink the future of the Yearbook. We will look at alternative ways of publishing the articles received – perhaps as pdf document on the website. It is greatly disappointing that we are going to lose this record of Club activities.
Doug Lamont
Yearbook Editor