Forfar Sailing Club Opening Regatta & Community Skiff Race

Forfar Sailing & Watersports Club

SUNDAY 21st April 2024

NOTICE OF RACE

VENUE: Racing to be held on Forfar Loch. Access to the water: Forfar Sailing Club House. Changing and refreshment facilities available in the Clubhouse.

SAIL PROGRAMME:  3 races programmed over the day (weather permitting). First race to start at 11.00 am with 2nd race to follow on.  3rd races to follow Skiff racing (see below).  Exact race program subject to change depending upon weather conditions.

CLASSES: General Handicap.                              

RACING RULES:  All races to be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024. In addition, competitors must be aware of, and comply with the Local Sailing instructions available at the club.

BRIEFING:  There will be a briefing in the clubhouse at 10.30 on Sunday 21st April.

COURSES:  Courses will be set by the Race Officer on the day dependent on prevailing weather and will be round club fixed marks (see map in the FSC Sailing Instructions and on club notice boards).

SCORING:  If 3 races are sailed, one result may be discarded. Scoring as per FSC Sailing Instructions low point. 

INSURANCE:  All boats shall have 3rd Party insurance 

SKIFF PROGRAM

All Skiffies taking part in opening races are required to be at the club for 11.30am for boat launch at university slipway.  Pre-race briefing at 12.15, with a race start anticipated for 12.45. Second race to follow on.  Skiff crews will be selected to make each boat balanced, with the aim of ensuring close racing.

Skiffies are of course welcome to come down early and cheer on the sailors who will be starting their races at 11am or stay later for their final race after the skiff racing

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Location: Forfar Sailing Club 

Enquiries: forfar.sailing@gmail.com

Great job by the radio sailors

The radio sailors took advantage of the lack of wind to start some of the maintenance.

We made a good start to replacing the steps down to the jetties, joinery work complete, old steps removed and new timbers in place.

The for tomorrow is to replace the concrete block and stones to the tread then concrete the gap which is left to hopefully reduce the weeds growing up through the steps. (Tich)

They went on to have a good, almost complete days sailing with 10 races completed in light winds from the east. The breeze did swing about from SE to E to NE making for interesting racing.

Great commitment yesterday and today from the radio sailors team as the steps have been replaced by them at the inch. 

Thanks for a splendid job.

(Tony)

Doesn’t it look good, safe steps down to the jetties for everyone!

Prize giving and social evening

Sunday 25 February at the Forfar Rugby Club.

We have our annual prize giving and social event this Sunday at the Forfar Rugby club with a buffet dinner, some drinks and banter between members of the Forfar Sailing and Watersports club. We hope that many of our sailors and rowers that attend will have a great evening and are looking forward to a great year of using the Loch.

We are always looking for short stories related to the club, if this is from a day on the water or a day away, visiting other clubs or just seen a great skiff or sailing boat while out please, send us a paragraph with or without some photo’s. We can then place them on the website, Facebook or Mail shot (if you want to restrict this to one of these, just let us know).

If you have not already let us know that you want to come along on Sunday, drop us an email or contact one of us. You are more than welcome to come along for a drink and a blether without using the buffet.

New Skiff trolley

Commodore Mark Kimber of Forfar Sailing Club accepting the new skiff launching trolley from Robert Ritchie of Ritchie Implements on behalf of Forfar Skiffies. Mary Campbell the new skiff will be launched on Saturday 19th August at 2 pm from the Inch on Forfar Loch

A word from the commodore

Did someone say it was August? What, already? Well by date it is, if not by weather. This means we are at the rough mid-point of the summer season. Although we have had sessions not run due to too little wind we have also had some unseasonably blowy days impact on sailing.

Training for the remainder of the season is by one-to-one arrangements due to the availability of our experienced training team. So if people do have the training they would like to do please contact the club and we will try to pair you up with a trainer and date.

We have taken the decision to cancel the Endurance Race we had scheduled in September so the committee can focus their efforts on the main club social on the 23rd Sept. Further details will be sent out as they are finalised but please ask any of the committee how the Reggatta/Ceilidh works – it is a really good night with a fabulous band and fun dancing. Even if you don’t sail I can highly recommend the Ceilidh – as with all socials the more folks come along the better it is so please do try to come. (Says he who will very reluctantly miss it this year due to work).

We have revised the sailing program and this revised copy should have dropped into members inboxes. Boats away have been set as 4 Nov (meet at the club at 10 am). We are yet to set the date for the general meeting in October but will advise of this once a date has been established – this is an important meeting as it is when you, the members, decide who will lead your club for the next year. We will have a particular need for a Secretary and Commodore/Vice commodore (sailing) but if you are interested in any position in the committee or simply getting more involved in guiding the club, this is the meeting to attend. If you have any questions – please ask any of the committee members and they can guide you further.

All for now

Yours – Mark

Tyr sailing and training weekend

During last weekend we had 2 boats out for a ‘try sailing’ where both enjoyed their time on the water. One was so keen that he came back the next day as a member to take part in the training.

On Sunday we had some members out for a second training day, 2 took to the water in a wanderer under instructions from Malcolm, while the other 2 braved it out solo and used the club laser. With the safety boat between them and giving instructions or support they managed to stay upright, sail up, down and from side to side on the loch. Some slight mishaps and connecting with the boom did not stop them going back out after a tea break.

Gus enjoyed it so much that he decided to join in the race, making it a firefly, a wanderer and 2 lasers. Course set to X (Z), K, C and F to port before coming back to A to starboard. 3 laps, where we had Jack in a topper joining in to get some experience sailing a course.

All in all a good weekend, Saturday the skiff was out in Montrose. Maybe we can get a few words on that with the large amount of photos that are taken on that day and place them online and in the news letter.