October 2008 Newsletter

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  1. The Commodore - Sue Wood
    2.

This autumn newsletter will be the last one I shall contribute to as Commodore, since as many of you know I will be stepping down after 3 years in the post at the next AGM. I have enjoyed many aspects of the job and its many and various challenges and I have to thank a really great team of Committee members for all their support and hard work and the laughs we have had along the way. We are looking to recruit new members to the Committee to replace those who are retiring, so please think about joining our friendly and welcoming team and contributing to the running of your Club and all the activities that are currently provided. One thing's for sure it won't be dull.

In December we have the AGM which is held at the Clubhouse. This is your opportunity to share ideas about the club and to let us hear your views. The matters under discussion will include the weed problem and how we intend to deal with it next year. This is an important date in the club calendar so please try to come along.

The summer has come and gone giving us every condition possible from rain and flat calms to strong and blustery weather, with yet more rain. Still people continue to sail and there has been a high turnout on both Saturdays and Sundays. It's good to see so many sailors and spectators enjoying themselves. Although the nights are drawing in there is still plenty of opportunity to get on the water before winter sets in and every reason to enjoy sailing at Wanlip.

Sue

 

2 - Social Scene David Read

Sat 15th November LAYING UP SUPPER

7-pm for 7-30 at BEEDLES LAKE GOLF CENTRE.

See the Clubhouse notice board for menu details and cost.

7th December Pie & Punch at the club during Sunday racing. Come on down to the club and enjoy

a social afternoon. Bring some pies, or cake, or just yourselves, you will be welcome.. 

A.G.M 9th December @7:30pm

Saturday 13th December Cake & carols. At the sailing club from 7:30 If you wish to play an instrument please contact Bob Hopkins. Otherwise just come down on the evening.

Christmas Walk. 29th December. Details to follow. Please check notice board for more details soon.

New Years Eve Dinner. Please make your interest known on the Poster in the clubhouse.If there is sufficient support then this event will proceed.

New Years day Sailing. Social sailing from about mid day & possible fun race to welcome in the New Year.

Barn Dance & Presentation evening 28th February 2009. At the Rothley Centre Rothley From 7:30pm. More details to follow.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE NOTICE BOARD TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!!!

Fellow Members,

As you know this is my last year as Vice Commodore, having done 3 years in this position I will stand down at the AGM.

It has been a mixture of fun, friendship and anxiety, not necessarily in that order! So I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all, for your support, help and encouragement, qualities that helped make the job easier and so much more rewarding.

It's not over yet though, here are a few more events above for your diaries.

Dave.   

 

3-Club AGM & Officers.

Hon Sec David Hulme

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

The Club's 2008 AGM will take place on Tuesday December 9th at 7:30pm and one of the important items on the agenda will be the election of officers and committee for the year ahead.

At our last AGM both our Commodore, Sue Wood, and Vice Commodore, Dave Read, indicated their intention to stand down at the end of 2008. The time will soon be upon us when they do so. Also some long serving members of the committee have announced that they will be standing down at the same time.

As a result we expect to have to find up to at least four persons who are prepared to serve the Club by getting involved in the vacated roles.

Nominations will be sought in early November via a sign up notice, which will be posted on the committee notice board in the Clubhouse.

PLEASE GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT, YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOUR INVOLVEMENT.

David Hulme

 

Ferry Meadows weekend (August)

Once again a contingent of Wanlipers inflicted themselves on Ferry Meadows, a sailing venue near Peterborough. The weekend consisted of a gradual gathering at the campsite over Friday evening and Saturday, with social sailing most of Saturday.

 Saturday evening was a BBQ in the Barn with a theme of the 60's, and the usual incineration of wood on the BBQ.

Sunday saw several boats taking part in the local sailing club (Lakeside Leisure) racing. By Sunday evening several groups had left for home commitments elsewhere on Monday. The remaining stragglers left Monday am.

AND Lynn went out in a Dinghy!!

The Barn was the focus of morning & evening social & food.

 

 

5- Bala Sailing club regatta (August Bank Holiday weekend)

Again a group of Wanlipers and ex Wanlipers gathered at Bala Sailing club for the regatta weekend 

We all camped at the far end of the lake and took part in the 3-day event. The winds initially were reasonable but increased through the weekend until Monday saw strengths around 30 to 35 knots.

 

There was a good mix of classes and I've tried to find pictures of Tony & Karen Vance, Alan & Ian Elkington, and Peter Davis, but to no avail.

If you've got any I'll try to get them on the website.

John

 

6 - Sailing & Racing Bob Hopkins

The racing season is drawing to a close - there's only the appropriately named Wetsuit Series still to come. As always, all members are most welcome to join in the racing, but bear in mind that the water is now getting colder, and winds are often a bit stronger in the late autumn, so dress wisely.

Congratulations to Neil Burgess for (just) winning the pursuit series. It was a close finish, with the result of the series in doubt until a minute or two before the end of the final race on the last day. Now if I'd just managed to stay ahead of him............

Congratulations too, to Luke Hardy, for winning the Novice series, and to his brother Peter for a splendid second place in one of the recent Netley races. They're obviously a pair to be watched!.

Bob

 

7 - Request from the Boson

(Allan Wood)

Club Boat I.O.U's

As we are coming to AGM time our treasurer needs to get his books sorted ready for auditing of the accounts, so any members who have IOU's outstanding for using the club boats could you please pay up and put the money in the boat money box and cross off your IOU.

Allan

 

8 - Bobs Bird Bit

It's always a bit of a quiet time for birds in mid-October: the summer migrants have left, and most of the winter visitors have yet to arrive. But there are large skeins of Canada and greylag geese about

( when they evade the wildfowlers), and a few days ago there were a considerable number of lapwings at the far end of the pool, mixing in with four cormorants ( sitting about, hanging their wings out to dry) and with a number of black-headed gulls (all now with white heads for the winter).

The grebes have all lost their summer plumage, and are far sleeker and greyer than they looked previously.

Walking round the compound, I was a bit surprised at the number of flowers there were about still. Not only nettles and ivy (which have green flowers and so hardly count), but also white deadnettles, feverfew, scentless mayweed, and various little yellow things that Dave Haswell will know the names of. Seeds too - there were a couple of goldfinches picking seeds from the teasel heads, blackberries in the hedges, and some colourful rosehips right by the gate. And soon it will be time for the overwintering flocks of wigeon to arrive - look out for them!

Bob

News flash from the local ornithologists.

We caught the first Redwings on the 4th October. Also you will have seen flocks of Lapwing (160 on the 8/10) Wigeon were up to 70 and Teal at 16 on the same date. Hobby have been seen also on several occasions.

 

9 - Sad News

 

Jack Roberts.

Sadly Jack Roberts passed away recently after a heart attack following a stroke. He also had Parkinson's for many years, which he bore with great fortitude and dignity. Jack enjoyed dinghy sailing and he was particularly pleased to gain Coastal qualifications and to sail across the Channel and in the Mediterranean. He was a stalwart member of the Club in its early days and served as Treasurer for many years. Jack always had time for people and will be remembered as a wise and kind man.

 

 

Mike Bailey.

Mike Bailey, who was a member of our Club for many years, also died recently. He was a keen yachtsman who kept his boat on the East Coast on the River Orwell. For many years he and June offered a weekend on board as a WSC raffle prize and lots of members enjoyed their hospitality both then and later when their boat acted as "mother ship" for the club's sailing holidays on the Orwell. A great character, Mike will be sincerely missed by all those who knew him.

 

Weedcutting: Bank holiday weekend

 

 

 Volunteers helping to cut and gather the weed accumulated in the lake using the professional weed cutting kit and utilising a topper to collect some of the weed from the surface.

This work is also carried out by the Thursday gang each week.

 

 

 

Call my Bluff evening

Call my bluff evening hosted by Bob Hopkins. A challenging quiz with lots of very plausible bluffs put forward.

Excellent food was provided and many thanks to everyone, who helped to organise, prepare the food, the room and clear up afterwards.

 

 

 

Photographs

Special thanks from me on behalf of the club for all the photographs provided by Mal Horton. They make our notice board a focus of attention and enhance the content of the Newsletters.

Thank you Mal.

Ed (John Wells)

The Photos will appear on the website soon!

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