A brisk, gusty NE Force 5 welcomed Lancing sailors to their favourite patch of salty water on the 1st April. It is no surprise that only a handful of sailors took to the water, while other members only came round to say hello. A few tried to spot the elusive white whale, some even had a good look under water!
A prize should have been allocated to the most entertaining capsize that day, since the gusty conditions helped many to end up in the brine. Fortunately, the waves were minimal and we did enjoy fast reaches around the first trapezoid, 2 fleet course of the year. Jimmy Carter made the most of it!

The newest recruit to the Contender fleet provided the excitment of the day. Not wanting to follow blindly in his father's footsteps, Ben Austin went out sailing but forgot to ensure the hatch cover was in place. He who has never forgotten the bung cast the first stone...
Of course, the inevitable happened and, after a couple of capsizes, Ben realised his boat was sinking and he could not right it on his own. The rescue team came to help and he slowly drifted towards Worthing. The second RIB was soon launched and the Contender was de-rigged at sea before being beached in Worthing. The idea was to tow it back to the club but a snapped motor cord on the rescue boat left the safety team in a bit of trouble. First of all, they ensured the race was finished and all participants were back ashore, then the second rescue boat went back to Worthing and towed back both the RIB and the Contender, at reduced speed.

What should have been quick morning racing ended well after 2.30pm for the rescue team.
Great response there from Jim Powell and Trevor Barling, as well as the on-shore team with Paul Fewster as RO. Ben ends up with a snapped mast step (ouch) and a damaged centreboard, but it could have been much worse without the team's rapid intervention (not forgetting Gary, whose swimming skills came handy when he de-rigged the boat in the water).
Big well done to all of you.

While we were catching up with the news at LSC after the winter months, Tony White was playing Contenders in the second open meeting of the season at Oxford SC on Farmoor reservoir. Unfortunately, the day was cut short for him, with a broken mast and a great big tear on his new Mylar sail.

Tony writes:
"Windy and VERY gusty [35knt gusts].
Jockeying for start, 710 capsized in front of me. I crash-tacked on a huge gust, got stuck in irons and pushed backwards by gust, falling over. Chris Howe [697] reaching past had nowhere to go, bore away hard to miss me, accelerated to mega warp and smashed into my rig. He then capsized on top of me, and we both had a few worrying moments untangling each other from a wrap of rigging. Mast now in 3 pieces and Mylar sail ripped to shreds. 697 OK though [we fended off the hulls whilst in the water].

So Contender score for w/end: 3 broken masts [all collisions] of which 2 are Avant garde, 1 Wavelength: 3 sails, 1 ankle [badly damaged but not broken] various cuts and bruises. Was lying 10th overall [25 entries] until Sunday. Deep joy!!"

Image courtesy of Nigel Vick

A photo gallery of the combined Contender / RS600 event is published on OxfordSC website. The number of Contender and RS600 hulls sticking up in the air tells a lot about the weather conditions. We hope Tony's Diva will be well enough to take part in the next open meeting he has planned, as well as the Contender Worlds in July.

Work party - 25th March

The first real social gathering of the season took place on Sunday, with quite a few members escaping DIY at home to come and do a bit of work at the club. Same thing, I can hear you say? Nah, it's more fun when you're working outside on the beach, catching up with the news and seeing people you haven't seen since November.
It was a pleasant day on Sunday, not very warm but the beach party, with John, Ben, Gary, Jim, Trevor and Ian soon worked up a sweat by shovelling what seemed to be tons of shingle off the ramp, then lifting the boards and replacing them. The results are impressive.
Meanwhile, in the main compound, the most desirable item that morning was a paintbrush. Between the winch housing and the big picnic tables, Dave, Karen, Niki and others felt free to explore their artistic talents... until Foreman Trevis walked in and advised them to slop it on. I am glad they didn't, because the end result is very neat.
Jimmy, Alan, Mike, Di, Trevor, Jerry, Tony, Paul (and everyone else I have forgotten to mention) helped in any way they could with a general tidying-up.

Steve Lynch, toughened by years of being splashed in his Laser, couldn't wait to get wet again and his feet got a good soaking by the jet wash. He'd worked deck-cleaning to a fine art two weeks before and, with the help of his lovely assistant Angela, finished the job impeccably. Brilliant results.
More paintbrushes were in action indoors, where Jane and her early team were painting the kitchen. A couple of hours later, the paint was dry enough to put the shelves back up and start tidying up in view of a coming Environmental Health inspection. When we finished in the afternoon, everything was gleaming. The Adur District Council inspector was very happy with LSC, by the way.
Of course, this frenzy of activity wouldn't have happened without workers' fuel. There were no bacon sarnies this time, since the kitchen was repainted, but we had plenty of refreshments, biscuits and chocolate. Mark and Elodie took good care of everyone.

So you see, work parties are not a boring chore that can be left to the same few members. Even if you can't do anything hugely physical, you can help in lighter work, you can meet others and have a good time. Next work party, come along and make a difference.

At the end of the day, our club is what we make of it.

Shovelling shingle off the ramp	Activity on the main compound	Varnishing the winch cover
Jet washing the deck	Coffee time	Job well done

Our own Tony White is doing some good work on two wheels. Impressive...

DEATH VALLEY: It Won't Cost YOU an Arm and a Leg!

An odd and rather dramatic headline perhaps? Captain Tony White, a Gatwick-based Monarch Airlines Airbus A300-600 pilot explains:

Who can forget those iconic photographs of the late Princess Diana wearing a flack jacket whilst being briefed on the horrors of landmines/minefields and unexploded ordnance? I recall her support of MAG (Mines Advisory Group), and vowed that one day I would do my bit to help rid the world of these hideous devices. Every day, every hour, an innocent child, adult, or even a cow is blown to smithereens or severely mutilated by unseen, recently laid or even long-forgotten relics of warfare. The CBU87 cluster bomb, recently used in Lebanon, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, sews the ground with hundreds of brightly coloured, non-threatening looking devices. Children attempt to play with them. The results do not need explaining.

The devastating effects on body, mind and soul of living somewhere possibly covered in ordnance prevent some of the world’s most disadvantaged people from engaging in a normal life. Such routine tasks as tending sheep, collecting water or tilling crops pose deadly risks.

I'm not brave enough to go and disarm mines myself, but I'm hoping to raise significant funds for MAG in order that they can continue to train and support those who are. To that end, I'm asking for YOUR support in donating as much as you feel able, to sponsor me in MAG's DEATH VALLEY CYCLE CHALLENGE.

An Airbus A300 will climb 5500ft in one minute and cover 268 miles horizontally in 40 minutes. That is the mileage and vertical distance that myself and others will cover on our mountain bikes in a 5-day cycle through and up Death Valley in California; just a bit slower and with more effort than my normal transport! The fitness training and work-up to this challenge has focused my attention on MAG's work in locating and destroying landmines in countries affected by conflict across the world. THE REAL DEATH VALLEYS. Delve into this website and judge for yourself.

Please don't just "switch off" from what appears to be yet another charity appeal. You can make a real difference; it costs MAG £1.50 per square meter to make land safe. Pick a place where you feel the safest. Your bed? The kitchen? The garden?
Sponsor me by donating the square area of these places to MAG and they can make someone else’s environment safe. Click here and even better gift aid it. Do it now. Please.

It won't cost YOU an arm and a leg.