Commodore's Address

I find it difficult to believe that it’s a year since I was asked to make a few notes for inclusion in the handbook. Time really does seem to fly and this last year was certainly no exception.

Perhaps best described as non- vintage  for weather  conditions,  the long spells of stronger winds, followed by periods with next to no wind at all, certainly made for interesting sailing at times, whether your interest was cruising, racing or dinghies. Thankfully, to date at least, we have been spared the Arctic conditions we had last winter, in spite of the same being predicted by every tabloid newspaper, all of whom are well recognised for their long term weather forecasting skills.

 
The one time of the year when good conditions really did make a difference to members of the club was the summer cruise. Everyone who took part seems to have a wonderful time on the journey to Ulster  and it was a great relief not to have anything like as much’ excitement’  as experienced on the Orkney trip of the previous year . At the time of writing the destination for this year’s cruise has not yet been decided but I trust a great time will be had by everyone who takes part.
 

The club’s open day was another success this year. Dressing the yachts in the harbour created great interest and the attendance of the Buckie lifeboat proved the highlight  of the day, for young and old alike.
 

Dinghy activities at Whiteness continued apace, though the weather did make for somewhat testing conditions at times. The numbers attending are proof of how popular the Sunday events are and , hopefully, we can extend dinghy sailing to an occasional midweek  session to make it easier for those who have difficulty attending at weekends. As ever though, all of the dinghy sailing sessions depend on a band of hard working volunteers, who are always pleased to see their numbers increased by extra helpers. Even , like me , if your dinghy sailing experience doesn’t lead you to be able to do much more than help launch the boats, you will still be welcome and , if there aren’t enough volunteers, it won’t all keep  happening by magic.   
 

The club’s race series was keenly contested this year, with the final result being very close and it’s great to see new boats coming to the club to swell the numbers taking part for 2012. As has been said many times before, racing is a great way to learn and , as our Race Officer pointed out at the dinner dance, regular attendance at races can see you rise well up the championship when the results are tallied up.
 

I would like to thank all of the committee and the members of the club for their support during 2011 and, whatever your own interest in sailing, I hope that 2012 proves to be your best yet.

David Brownless

CAUTION

Whilst we have prepared the website & handbook with care, certain errors may exist. The tidal predictions and navigational information should be treated with caution.

The Sailing Club and Committee accept no responsibility for errors or omissions.

The dates of events are subject to alteration, please check at the clubhouse on a Friday night.