Balustrade
I am pleased to be able to report that the work to the club balustrade is now complete, the barriers have been removed and everyone can now use the clubhouse balcony as normal. And if looks super smart, I hope you will agree!
I don’t think any of us thought we would have the project finished by now when we were made aware that the contractors had ceased trading in January. Thanks are due to Chris Meredith, who initially picked up and drove the project, and to Rueben Woodbridge and Roger Lowrey who both played a huge part in picking things up and seeing it through after Chris’s Departure
Duties Update March 2026
A reminder that it is a condition of membership that members undertake their share of duties – we are hugely dependant on this voluntary effort and grateful for the contribution members make in this respect.
The Members required to undertake duties include:
- Single members
- Young adult members (18 to 25 years old)
- “Lead” Adult of Family membership or Retired Family membership
- Any Adults who are Family members or Retired Family members (in addition to the “Lead Adult”) if that Adult member of a family grouping sails more than six times in each Club Year or notifies the Club that he/she intends to do so
- Any adults who are Group Members (in addition to the “lead official”) if that person sails more than six times in each Club Year or notifies the Club that he/she intends to do so,
If you fall into one of these categories and are not currently doing duties or on Dutyman, please let me know
If you are planning on leaving the club at the end of the current membership year (1st April 2026), please let the membership secretary (membership@chewvalleysailing.org.uk) and myself know, so that we don’t allocate you a duty after March 2026. If you are leaving, you are still obliged to undertake allocated duties in the current membership year (2025/26).
Thank you
Mark Dinwoodie
Duties Secretary
duties@chewvalleysailing.org.uk
Club Racing Start Sequences
While traditions and legacy can be a good thing, every now and again change is beneficial. The introduction of sprint racing in the afternoon has been well received and provides a different kind of challenge, however, the main drawback so far has been the relative waiting time between races due to the length of start sequences. We partially addressed this last year by going from 3 starts to 2, however, more needed to be done. Plenty of options were tabled, and questions asked in the Sailing Committee about the criteria we would like to meet if we were to make changes.
The outcome was that:
- We would like to reduce overall waiting times between races if possible;
- The format of the sequence should be aligned between AM and PM racing (and all mass-start club racing);
- Better alignment to the general start format in the Racing Rules of Sailing would be beneficial;
- Reduce the amount of overall change from the existing sequences.
After much discussion, the committee has decided on a rolling 3 minute sequence, with the warning flag raised and lowered for each start in a 3 minute block. The main changes from the existing sequence are that:
- Each start has a 3 minute sequence from class flag being raised to starting, rather than 6 minutes as we currently use.
- Each 3 minute sequence runs off the following flag and sound signal events:
- -3 min – Class flag raised with hooter;
- -2 min – Preparatory flag (e.g. P) raised with hooter;
- -1 min – Preparatory flag lowered with whistle;
- 0 min – Class flag lowered with hooter (alongside class flag being raised for the subsequent start.
This change has the benefits of
- Being relatively minor change for most club racers – particularly as the gap between starts remains at 3 minutes;
- The overall sequence will be shortened by 3 minutes, which should be noticeable for PM sprint racing in particular;
- Only 1 class flag should be visible at any time, so understanding of the exact position in the sequence should be simpler;
- Raising and lowering of the warning flag during each sequence gives more flexibility to race officers
This change will come in to effect from the start of April. Documentation in the clubhouse (e.g. diagrams of the sequence in the Registration Room) and on the website will be updated during March and there will hopefully be tannoy announcements on Sundays in the preceding couple of weeks. Race officers will be briefed by Adam Broughton in the coming weeks.
Please do come and find any of the racing members of the Sailing Committee if you are unsure or would like to know more.
Little Denny Marker
While water levels were at a low point late in 2025, John Rogers kindly attached a red / white pole and buoy to the tree stump at the Southern end of Little Denny that was causing some members some unexpected grief. Hopefully this now suitably marks the hazard in case water levels drop significantly again in the future.
Youth Racing: Calling all youth racers
We strongly encourage youth sailors, who have already learnt the basics of racing, to join in with club racing, particularly on Sunday afternoons.
This summer a youth race series – with trophy to be won – will take place on the following Sunday afternoons: 26-Apr-26, 03-May-26, 10-May-26, 17-May-26, 07-Jun-26, 14-Jun-26, 28-Jun-26 and 19-Jul-26
Competition: Name the simulator
Nick M has converted this striking pink Topper to be used as a sailing simulator on this year’s youth programme. All she needs now is a name. Please send entries to chewcrew@chewvalleysailing.org.uk by Friday 24 April. There will be a prize for the winning entry.
Rule 13 Abandoned Boats….and Trailers
The abandoned boat exercise is now nearing completion and remaining boats identified as abandoned will shortly be scrapped. The scrapped boats are located in the top boat park and clearly labelled with a tag marked ‘scrap’ (and not to be confused with other boats not so marked in the area).
Should members want any fittings etc off the scrap boats before they are removed please help yourself – we hope to move them off site in April.
Trailers
If you have a trailer on the club site that is not in your allocated boat space under your boat please, can you please ensure that the trailer is clearly labelled with details of your name and membership number.
Over the years there are many trailers that appear to have been abandoned and we are keen to identify and potentially remove those to help further tidy the club grounds and make space.
Call for “Pay and Play” helms
I hope you have heard of, or are familiar with, the club’s popular “Pay & Play” scheme:
Pay & Play Sessions – Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club (chewvalleysailing.org.uk)
It’s an informal, flexible way to offer a session to people interested in finding out more about the sport (and joining the club!) and also to offer current, but inexperienced or lapsed, sailors a way to refresh skills or try new ones.
It’s important to emphasise from the off that P&P is not RYA training. No formal instruction is offered or expected.
Demand for P&P sessions increases as the season gets underway and peaks towards summer. By the height of summer we usually have a waiting list.
As sessions are a member-to-member, or member-with-visitor/guest, activity, the General Committee has agreed that experienced members can volunteer to help deliver them. This allows us to manage the waiting list of potential sailors and potential members desperately keen to get out on the water.
Helms can claim a flat £45 fee for delivering each P&P session. This is included in the cost of the session, and is not paid by the membership.
If your own boat is suitable for these sessions you may prefer to take people out in it. Alternatively, the club Quests can be used. I can arrange a rigging/reefing familiarisation session for you if you’d like one.
If you want to know more, or feel you could and would like to help the club promote the sport and the benefits of club membership as a P&P helm, please let me know.
Dave Orme, training@chewvalleysailing.org.uk 0773 4815271
PB2 and Advanced Rescue Helm Courses
A rare opportunity, on Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 08-Apr-26 we are running a PB2 course for Bristol Water, they have given us permission for the Tuesday with 2 places for club members to join the course.
It is not on Webcollect but if you are available and want to take advantage of this opportunity please email me. The cost and conditions will be the same as for all our PB2 courses. Any questions please ask.
On Saturday we are running our in house Advanced Rescue Helm Safety Course. It is NOT an RYA course but was devised with the RYA and is run by RYA Instructors. The only prerequisite is that you are a club member, over 16 and hold the RYA PB2. We will show you how to recover a variety of craft, the 7 methods of recovering a person from the water, a recap of safety policy, location of safety equipment and emergency plans. Safety is a priority for the Club and this course is free. Any questions please ask, to book email me
RYA First Aid Course
We will be offering another RYA first aid course for Saturday the 11-Apr-26 at the Club. Run by a qualified RYA instructor you will get a full day’s training, the RYA first aid manual and a certificate valid for three years all for £30. Any questions please ask. Please book via your Webcollect account.
Dinghy Cruising by Simon Conway
Those who travelled to Farnborough’s international exhibition centre a few weeks ago to visit the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, may have recognised a CVLSC member (and his boat) tucked away in the corner not far from the mainstage. Showcasing ‘SKISMO’, a 1973 GP14, and taking the spotlight on the mainstage on both days talking firstly about his sail from Fort William to Inverness in 2024.
Secondly, to assist with the launch (re-launch) of the RYA dinghy trails with Steve White & Roger Barnes who are also members of the UK Dinghy Trails Working Group.
These trails have moved away from the original PDF format and are now web-based and therefore dynamic, offering real-time updates to trail information. Simon has built many of these trails and they can be found here
Spring trip to Windermere /Lunch on the Lake
The Spring trip to Windermere is taking place at the end of May where we will be hosted by The Royal Windermere Yacht Club and will be spending 6 days in the Lake District.
Before that, we have our first Lunch on the Lake event on Saturday 16-May-26. Come along, anchor up, have lunch afloat, go for a sail.
CVLSC will once again be spending the second week in June in Falmouth hosted by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, this event is now fully subscribed.
With Spring in the air (behind the rain) it is a good time to get those boats aired, have a shakedown sail and ready them for the season ahead. See you on the water! Simon.
Andy Jones
Commodore