A lot of maintenance being done

Key points:

• Working bee last Saturday saw many hands make light work - and things done

• The Centurions came to the rescue for Scout and the roof

• The verandah is making progress, but more help is needed on weekends until end of August

• First day of the season (14 September) will be an orientation day for members and their parent/guardians.

Working bees 22/23 June

Thank you to all the people who showed up, despite the horrid rainy weather. The verandah brainstrust (Pete H, Garry, Chris) worked out the system, while inside a large group of workers enthusiastically gave all the blue walls a fresh coat of paint. The outside tables also received a new cover and are looking refreshed. Thank you to all of those who made the effort to come down!

Scout

Throughout the same weekend and the week after a dedicated group of Centurions (Neil, Jim Sinclair and Geoff Dempsey) with the club captain applied new layers of resin and anti-foul on Scout. This was needed after 30 years of old layers of antifoul had been stripped at RSYS. She is now many kilos lighter and much faster (within Scout’s limits). Many thanks for the long days put in by the Centurions.

Roof replacement

Once again, the Centurions came to the rescue to help lift the new roof plates onto the roof. We can report that the new roof has been fitted and the clubhouse no longer leaks!

More work to be done on the verandah

We would have liked to report that all the work has been done, but we need your help. You will have already seen two e-mails about this and last weekend we had a group of 6 people that made some major progress. Many thanks to Willem, Judy, Stephen, Jacob, Garry and Peter Hill. All the main sheets have been laid. We still need to do:

• Finish the sheets around the edges

• Caulk in between and around the sheets

• Design some sort of flashing at the club wall

• Apply the water proofing product.

For all these steps we need some skilled people, but also lots of help without any need for skills. We will explain all the work.

If you can free up some time on a Saturday or Sunday, please fill in the doodle poll:

https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/bmM3QRAb 

Or you can e-mail Chris dey.christopher@gmail.com or text Chris on 0404 380 417

This is just to be on the “call list” for the different weekends as we are also dependent on Chris, Garry and Pete’s time.

This Saturday (13th July) we are suggesting a session from 10am to 2pm. One further task is to cut up the old roof sheeting for scrapping. If you have an angle grinder with a metal cutting disc, and know how to use it (safely!), then please step forward …

Sailing Committee meetings

The last sailing committee meeting on 1 July concentrated on reports on the ongoing maintenance work, the successful meeting with the Sea Scouts leadership and the proposed changes to the sailing instructions for next year.

To remind everybody, the sailing instructions are the rules by which we sail every season, so they are very important to get right. The suggested changes for next year are mostly minor, except for two changes:

• Jacob has introduced a “mixed skiff class” for skiffs with asymmetrical spinnakers that cannot sail in the 12ft skiff class.

• Peter Hill and Willem have suggested a new Cherub course for the course no 1 (NE).

The motion to change the sailing instructions will be voted on in the next meeting (5 August), so if you are passionate about any issues, you should attend.

The AGM will be on 4 August. A reminder that nominations for committee positions are now open! Please feel free to nominate yourself for a position. Judy, as current secretary, can provide information on the roles of each committee member. All positions are in principle open, although current members might renominate. 

The next sailing committee meeting will be Monday 5 August 2024 at 8:00 pm at the club, or online. This will be the first meeting of the new season after the AGM and might feature a new committee. Sailing committee meetings are open to all members, with senior members allowed to vote.

First day of the season orientation

It seems like a very long way away, but planning for the new season is underway. As is tradition, we will start the season on the second Saturday in September, which is the 14th September.

This year on the first day, rather than getting stuck into racing, we will organise an orientation day where we will focus on racing management and safety around the club. 

This is a compulsory day for everybody. We will provide information and guidance around support crews, race officials (starting and finishing), launching and retrieval of powerboars, helping in the canteen and with the social committee etc. 

For the juniors, we will discuss some more advanced topics such as the protest procedure as well as the club’s point scoring system. We will outline the different tasks and equipment and give opportunities to drive the support boats (if you have not done this before). If there is anything else you would like to learn on the day, please let myself or Judy know. 

A free lunch (sausage sizzle) will be provided!

In the afternoon, we will give you an opportunity to try out different boats. If you would like to try sailing a Laser, or want to have a go on a Cherub, now is your chance …

Finally, it will also be a good opportunity to rig and check your boat prior to racing beginning on 21st September.

FOAs (Friends of Abbotsford)

The FOAs are reconvening in August

The FOAs want to extend the group so if you are free on any 1st Tuesday of the month just come along (January excluded). No need to commit to every FOA day - just come along when you are free!

More information contact Judy at judy.evans@bigpond.com   Everyone is welcome!

First Aid course

Anyone interested in participating in a First Aid course to be held at Lane Cove Sailing Club on Sunday 11 August are more than welcome to register using the link below.

Register for the First Aid Course 

Club use for boat maintenance

As indicated before, the club is available over the winter for club maintenance. The first boat is booked in, but there is space for more. Sea Scout boats are also welcome. Contact Chris for a booking.

The space can be used for general maintenance. Please do any major sanding or dust creating work outside the club, but painting, fibreglass and carbon work etc can be done in the club, with proper use of adequate drop-sheets. Please keep your work area neat and tidy during your allocated time.

Booking periods are for 14 days, but can be renewed. 

Support roster and general volunteering

The club cannot exist without everybody helping out and volunteering. Please offer you assistance, or ask how you can help. We always have something for everybody!

We can always use sailors or their parents/supporters/carers to sign up to help with supporting the sailing. Please consider whether you can help out at the end of this season, over winter or in the next season. If you or your family would like to help out with support, canteen, bar, starting and finishing, please do not hesitate to talk to the committee or send an email to any people on the committee.

Tax deductible donations are always welcome

Now is the time to think about a tax deductible donation to the club via the Australian Sports Foundation!

Donations are always welcome! You can use our Australian Sport Foundation option to donate some money to the club and get a tax deduction.

You can donate to our general foundation. All donations over $2 are tax deductible

Working with Children Check and other information

Anyone over 18 who does not have children at the club themselves, and will work with children (for example by helping out with junior sailing or coaching juniors) needs to complete a working with children check at the service.nsw.gov.au website

Once you have your WWCC number, please send this to our secretary Judy Evans (secretary@abbotsfordsailingclub.org.au).

To add items to the newsletter, please contact willemvervoort@gmail.com

Boats and gear for sale 

(Contact Willem for listings)

CLUB CLOTHING

Stay tuned….. We will have new shirts available for purchase at the beginning of the season!

Coming up