Telltales August 2017

Trainee doctor on board Air Ambulance Helicopter

Commodores Comments As I sit and compose my report I hear of the great action that took place throughout the Lymington Regatta which was held over the weekend of 15-16th July. As I was involved in other sailing activities over this weekend I will leave the full report to the organisers. Their article is available later in this edition of Telltales. My thanks go to all those who helped in the organisation of such a prestigious event. I know of all the hard work that volunteers put into the smooth running of events such as these.

I, myself, was away with 9 other boats from our yacht cruising section. Our destination over the same weekend as the Lymington Regatta was Chichester which is a firm favourite on the cruising calendar. Again a full report is available further on in this edition. The next weekend cruise is to Weymouth followed by St Vaast in the middle of August. I hope the weather stays good for both these events,

Our dinghy sailors have had some very light wind during the events over the past few weeks with some races being cancelled altogether. Let’s hope for some more lively conditions in the coming weeks. The well loved sandcastle completion takes place on Saturday 22nd July. I hope by the time you read this there might be a late posted article giving some results and photos of the event. I hope all those that take part have a great time over in Totland.

David Long has stepped down from organising the weekly Meanderers for our yacht cruising members. For 17 years David has been at the helm of the weekly event which takes place every Wednesday throughout the year. Even when he is not venturing out he has arrived at the Club to give the briefing. David, thank you so much from all of us for your dedication to this event.

I was able to report earlier this year of a great improvement in members using our galley. This has dropped off a bit of late but I hope we can see more of you in the coming months using our facilities. The July quiz night was well attended. We have the Summer Party coming up on August 12th so I hope many of you can come along to this event.

Another annual event is on the horizon. That is the Bath Race. Entry forms are available on line or from the office. Last year was great fun as can be seen from the pictures. This year you will notice that we are supporting the Oakhaven Hospice Trust who is our chosen Charity this year. Having visited the hospice earlier this year I was able see where the money is being spent and I hope you are all generous when it comes to the collection. Let’s make it a fantastic event. Like last year we are using the salt water pool for the race.

Happy Sailing

Rick Underhill

Summer Cruise 2017

The eight boats participating in the Summer Cruise were Fernweh, First Flight, Juniper, Moonstorm, Rockhopper, Ruby Tiger, Second Rebellion and Teal but Nu and Swallow also met up with us along the way. The weather caused some debate about the best day to

make the Channel crossing but in the event most boats managed to reach Cherbourg by Sunday enabling their skippers and crew to attend the planned dinner in Cherbourg Y.C.

The weather improved markedly once we were across the Channel resulting in excellent sailing conditions for the next step in our trip to St Peter Port. A lay day here enabled everyone to go sightseeing or relax however they wished. The planned meal at the Guernsey Yacht Club was much more relaxed which gave everyone a better opportunity to get to know each other. We were also joined by Phil and Julie Ball who are LTSC members and who live in Guernsey.

The next stop in our trip was St Helier, which was a convenient staging post for using the best of the tides for getting to St Malo. We experienced an unexpected pleasure as we sailed along the south Jersey coast when we were accompanied by a pod of dolphin.

The lengthy journey from Jersey to St Malo is made longer by having to go around the Minkies, a large area of rocks, which are marked by cardinal buoys which need to be taken seriously! By now we were getting used to warmer climes, short sleeves and shorts were the order of the day for comfort in the elevated temperatures we were experiencing. We were also lucky enough to have some ideal winds on the beam, some very enjoyable sailing.

We had two lay days in St Malo, which allowed time for crew changes and sightseeing. The marina we stayed in was at Bas-Sablons, which is convenient for the Portsmouth ferry and within reasonable walking distance of the walled town of St Malo.

Another place of interest is the medieval town of Dinan, which is up the river Rance. A group of us took a vedette to get there since it was not possible in our own boats unless our draught was less than 1.4 m. After we left St Malo we went to Granville and then St Helier again, which facilitated getting into Carteret, where access is very dependent on the tides.

We had another lay day relaxing in Carteret but by this time the flotilla had reduced to 5 boats and it was now possible to have a pontoon party hosted on board Ruby Tiger. Finally we returned home via Dielette and Cherbourg. On entering the Grande Rade in Cherbourg we met the new Queen Mary 2 liner, which was just leaving.

Participants duly expressed their appreciation of the cruise...... especially the weather! Barry Daniells

Summer Cruise Pictures

Pictures by Bsrry Daniells and John Bell Junior

Wine Cellar Label Language ............Burgundy

Climat...............Vineyard (Individual Field)

Commune.........Parish

Grand Cru.......One of the few elite vieyards with

its own Appelation Controlee

Mise dans nos caves......Bottled in our cellars (not always those of the grower)

Mise en Bouteilles...........Bottled at the property where it ismade

Mise par le proprietaire.....Bottled by the grower

Monopole....The whole of the vineyard named belongs to the same proprietor

Negociant-Eleveur....A merchant who buys wine in its 1st year and develops it.

Premier Cru..........The second class of Burgundy vineyards (below grand crew)

Proprietaire-Recoltant............Owner/Manager

Recolte................Vintage

-Village.............Wine with the simple ‘apellation communale’ of the commune

-Villages..........................’From the selected parishes within the region named.

Let Paris be France’s head, Champagne her soul and Burgundy her

stomach, it is the land of long meals, well supplied (Charolais beef to

the west, Bresse chickens to the east, fish in the rivers and snails on

the vines. It was the richest of the ancient duchies of France.

Burgundy is not one large vineyard but the name of a province which

contains at least three of Frances best....Chablis, Beaujolais and the

Maconnais, they owe little to their richer brothers, Cotes de Beaune

and Cotes de Nuits to the north. World Atlas of Wine

Trophy Cabinet

Can any member shed some light on the history of this trophy ?

Has it ever been used in an LTSC presentation ?

If so when and for what ?

The height of this silver trophy is just over 5 inches (130mm).

In-house Activities Knit and Natter Group We were joined for our July meeting by three charming residents from Belmore Lodge Care Home in Lymington along with their activity organiser Claire. We asked them to come along because they are hoping to break the world record for the largest hand knitted tea cosy and at the same time raise awareness for Dementia UK.

To break the record Claire has estimated they will need 3000 hand knitted squares. So far they have about 1500, so there is still a long way to go. They are being supported by family, friends and local organisations, so we thought we’d give them a hand too.

Our guests really enjoyed their visit and we managed to knit squares, have a good natter, drink coffee and eat delicious cake provided by the chef at Belmore Lodge.

If you have any spare time and wool, please support them by knitting 8 inch squares. They can be any colour, ply or pattern.

All members are welcome to join us at Knit and Natter. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 10.30 in the Martineau Room. Contact Christine Bennett on 07914 764606 for more information.

Christine Bennet

Book Club A big thank you to Elly Lanigan who has been keeping us in check since she started the group. She is now standing down so our choice of book will be included in the weekly club mail. OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON Wednesday 23rd AUGUST IN THE Martineau room at the usual time. The book we have chosen is “Birdcage Walk” by Helen Dunmore.

Christine Bennet

Bridge with a laugh Meeting every Tuesday at 10.15 am until 1.0 pm. Come along, bring your brain and join in the fun, coffee available. All are made welcome, experts and novices alike, so give it a try.

John Bell

Save the date :-

By popular demand......The ”GRUMPY MENS LUNCH”

Friday 27th October 12-30 for 1.00pm. Peter Bennet

Chichester Cruise The LTSC/KSC cruise to Chichester departed the Western Solent early on the 14 th July 2017. The wind was very lively at times increasing to Force 5 from the Northwest. A total of 9 yachts took place in the cruise this year and all reported superb sailing all the way to the entrance of Chichester Harbour. By the time they reached the Marina there was very little left in the tide and only a few inches of change of water level meant a quick transit through the lock.

Saturday the 15th July was a rather cloudy day and most crews set about enjoying the countryside the Chichester area. A report filtered back of one crew walking into Chichester! Later the crews made their way to the Chichester Yacht Club for our evening meal. The tables had been reserved in the newly decorated dining area and a pleasant evening was had by all. There was a party being held for the berth holders in the Marina and some more enthusiastic sailors amongst the cruise participants joined in the fun on the dance floors. Others retired to their boats to take in the ambiance and a few wee drams.

The return to Lymington on Sunday was again an exciting sail with the wind now in the Southwest. Departures from the marina started from just before 1300 and those early yachts experienced a lengthy passage against the tide to the exit of Chichester harbour. Once sailing the wind gathered strength to Force 5 with occasional gusts to Force 6. This gave some lively sailing conditions for the trip down the Western Solent back to home base.

The cruise to Chichester this year was once again a great success. We all look forward to next year when maybe more of the cruising fraternity might like to participate in what is one of our great destinations of the year.

Rick Underhill

Photo Quiz.............Where are we ?

Answers to jbwoodside@talktalk.net

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Last Months puzzle.....How many crew on deck ? Answer 23

No correct answers received.

How old is too old to sail ? This article appeared in a recent issue of PBO magazine and is extremely apposite to our own club in both dinghy and cruising classes:-

“When are you too old to own a yacht or take part in sailing activities ? At my sailing club, many members are over 70 years old, frail, have a life threatening illness but still want to own and sail their yachts. A lot of them seem no longer capable of sailing safely.

One fell in from his tender trying to get onto his yacht and the local lifeboat had to be called to rescue him before he was taken to hospital. He has recovered, but still wishes to sail !

Another member also fell in and it took another five members to get him into a tender and ashore: he didn’t apologise or thank anyone for their troubles....or even see what the problem was !

Elderly members can’t do regular maintenance on their boats, especially getting up a ladder, and there’s also the problem of getting rid of the boat from the club when the member passes away and their family and friends don’t want anything to do with it.

The club has already asked for guidance from the RYA on whether it can ‘ban’ members from sailing, but the question of discrimination against age and abilities means we can’t.

People over 70 have to re-apply for their driving licence, and moves are afoot to have them re-take their driving test too. The problem is that anyone can buy a boat and go sailing without any qualifications or abilities, and cause havoc – and it’s a problem that doesn’t improve with age”.

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Can I please ask for comments from our own members, that is, after you have put down your Scotch and laid down your Muskets......? Ed.

Those were the days or were they ?

Meanderers Solent Scenes

Lymington Dinghy Regatta The biggest ever Lymington Dinghy Regatta attracted over 130 boats including 60 visitors, who came for two days of exciting racing in the Solent. Jointly hosted by the Lymington Town Sailing Club and the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, the weekend was made a great success by the hard work of dozens of volunteers helping on and off the water and a great spirit of cooperation between the two clubs. The Regatta was generously sponsored by Lymington businesses Nick Cox Chandlery and Harken UK.

Racing started on Saturday afternoon in a strong force 5-6 and surprisingly big waves. Due to the conditions only one race could be completed, but that was enough for most sailors with several involuntary swims keeping all 12 safety boats busy. Everyone had plenty to talk about afterwards over tea and doughnuts and then a beer or two in the evening. Sunday brought a perfect force 4 and flat water, so all the classes had their three scheduled races; the sun came out and there were smiles all round. Of the seven classes, five were won by local sailors. Winners of the Fast Handicap were Brian and David Earl (good preparation for defending their European Championship title in their Javelin). Fenella Bennet and Emily Gent dominated the Medium Handicap in their 420, while Robbie Claridge was similarly successful in the Slow Handicap in his Lightning 368. The closely-fought RS400 class was won by a single point by Jon Heissig and Nicky Griffin. Luke and Emma McEwen won the skiff class in their RS800, while visiting Merlin Rocket sailors William Warren and Sophie Macklay won their class. The biggest turnout, with 30 boats, was the RS Aero class which finished with Peter Barton and Paul Bartlett tied on equal points, Bartlett winning the tie-break on the last race. ---------------------------------

View from the East Course

The East race course at this year’s Lymington Dinghy Regatta was where all the fast and tippy boats got sent to do battle on the water. Saturday’s rather feisty conditions caught more than a few unprepared as they left the relative tranquillity of the Lymington River in to the open Solent. The day only served to prove that fast and tippy boats do indeed go fast and then tip over… The most hardy and determined thrashed around the race course not always in the most pretty and elegant fashion but enjoyed some exhilarating downwind flying and close quarters duelling on the upwind legs. Those crews with trapezes could be smug one moment that they didn’t have to hike and then reconsider the next as they were propelled the extra distance into the water as the bow went down the mine!

After completing one race, the sensible teams decided to return to the shore to do some suddenly essential boat-bimbling while the rest bobbed about waiting for race two. But with deteriorating weather conditions and a fully pressed safety boat team, John Whyte and his LTSC race team made the prudent decision to send us all home for our well received tea and doughnuts.

With luckily only one mast casualty but a number of main halyard and jib batten failures, boats and crews were repaired and rested before a hearty paella dinner at the Royal Lymington YC. A number of beers being consumed in preparation for the next day’s racing.

------------Continued

-------------- View from the East Course Continued

Sunday dawned with an ideal breeze and flat water. This resulted in a perfect day’s racing for all the fast and tippy boats. The Merlin Rockets were the first fleet to start – stylishly jostling their way round a square course. Next off was the skiff class – RS800s, RS700s and Musto Skiffs; the fastest boats completing four windward-leeward laps each race with the Fast Handicap class. Last off were the RS400s - the largest fleet on the course with undoubtedly the closest boat on boat racing. The keen use of the U-flag by the race team and a flood tide meant all the starts got away cleanly. If racing with 60-plus dinghies was not busy enough, the competitors had the added challenge of the yachts racing in the Royal Solent YC’s Tattinger Regatta beating straight through the race course, tacking up the mainland shore just where we wanted to be too.

After three cracking races the fleets sailed back up the Lymington River to be greeted by fabulous sunshine, a welcome army of cheerful helpers delivering our trolleys on cue as we arrived at the slipway and of course, more tea and doughnuts!

The winners made off with lots of fabulous booty generously donated by Gill, Nick Cox Chandlery and Harken UK and all of us left on a bit of a high after a great weekend’s racing and hospitality by both the Royal Lymington YC and the Lymington Town SC. Thank you to everyone from both clubs for their enthusiasm and hard work in making this such a fun event once again.

Luke & Emma McEwen

Telltales Quiz Clues Answers to last month’s Quiz 20,000 L under the Sea Twenty thousand leagues under the sea

64000 D Q 64000 dollar question

1M and HD One man & his dog

3M in a B Three men in a boat

360 d in a C 360 degrees in a circle

1815 B of W 1815 Battle of Waterloo

4 LC Four Leaf Clover

88 TFL Two fat ladies

3 WM Three wise men

12 M in a Y 12 months in a year

4 WD Four wheel drive

2 H are BT1 Two heads are better than one

3 BM Three blind mice

7 D of the W Seven days of the week

12 D in a G Twelve dozen in a gross

25Y in a SW Twenty five years in a silver wedding

4 LC Four leaf clover

LB at 40 Life begins at forty

4S by V Four Seasons by Vivaldi

7B for 7B Seven brides for seven brothers

39 S Thirty nine steps

9 L of a C Nine lives of a cat

13 UFS Thirteen unlucky for some

1666 GF of L 1666 Great Fire of London

A little artistry by the young lady on the front cover..........

To Old to Sail ?

WELL DONE MARTIN

Congratulations go to one of our senior members for reaching the youthful age of 90 years !

Martin Walbank has been an active member of our club for many, many years and let us hope that he will continue with his enjoyment for many more years yet to come.......

Some forty members of the club were wined and dined by Martin and members of

his family with a very friendly and enjoyable lunch at the club.

Even Dolly the Dolphin visited Lymington to add her very own congratulations.

Memories are made of this.....Ed.

Photo by Lynda Evans

Below Decks New Members :-

Mr D & Mrs C Bradbury Mem:10263

Loudwater Bucks

Mrs P Hunt Mem: 10255

Milford on Sea

May we wish you all a very friendly welcome...............Ed.

The Sark Island Taxi !