Annual Dinner & Dance
and Prizegiving
Another Dinner and Dance came and went. There were almost 80 of us at the Beach Hotel, Worthing, on Saturday night.
The evening was piloted in the most professional manner by the Toastmaster Tony White, whose commentaries kept us entertained throughout the evening.
The happy winners received the trophies from Andy Carter, our Sailing Secretary. Those who couldn't attend the Dinner and Dance will get their award at the AGM on the 26th. Don't miss it!
We were very happy to welcome as guests Chris and June Bunby, from the RNLI. Chris is the Lifeboat Operations Manager from Shoreham Station. He was presented with a cheque totalling the proceeds of the Summer Regatta. Lancing SC supports the RNLI and many of our club members are also members of the association.
From all accounts, the Dance part was much more enjoyable this year, with a DJ clued up to the age range of the crowd - he dusted off his old 70s LPs and everyone sang along to Abba, jumped up and down on Bee Gees tunes and got a bit closer during the slow.
The gallery of the evening shows many familiar faces in their best outfits, from smart dinner jackets to glamorous evening dresses, and even the odd Winnie the Pooh accessory! Very fetching, Stu...

• November Series

  The first three Sundays of the November Series have been particularly well attended, with no fewer than 25 boats on the 12th November, and a respectable 13 boats on the 19th.
  The battle was fierce at the top, with Paul and David trying their best to keep their Lasers ahead of the pack. The results are available on the Results page. Sunday 26th didn't get to be decision time since the weather had other ideas. The final results saw Paul Fewster 1st in his Laser, David Trout 2nd in his Laser ("pesky Lasers", to quote one of the RS200 helms). Third place was Jerry Hone, who is getting to grips with sailing his Contender. Well done to all winners, and all participants. See you all next year on the water on the 1st April - no joking!

• Grapevine...

  Bit of sailing gossip: the November series has been scrapped for next year!
  It is going to be replaced with a brand-new Winter series, racing 16 races from the beginning of November until Boxing Day.
  It will be run on the same principle as the current November series: 2 races back-to-back, cut it short if it's too cold. Duties will be filled by the competitors.
  More details at some point next year!

• Annual General Meeting

  That's it! The AGM is over for another year and boy, did we make the most of it! Long discussions and debates as lively as the weather outside kept us entertained until almost 6pm (yeah, you read it correctly, 6pm!). It is encouraging for the club as a whole to see this type of meeting so well attended, by many people who clearly express their opinion. Their interest and contribution are the backbone of a club such as ours. Thank you to everyone who turned up double thanks to those who stayed until the end! (Even if it was only to pick up the trophies...)

• Coming dates

  Even though the boats will be tucked in for the winter after the 26th November, the social life continues!
  
  We have a few more dates to write in the calendar: first of all, the 3rd December is the first Sunday Lunch, prepared as usual by Mark and Isabelle. Book a place by e-mail, by phone on 01273 703512, or when you see them!
  
  A work party is scheduled on the 10th December and our bosun is dead keen on getting the club tidied up before the winter. Precise time for that morning and tasks allocation will be posted at a later date.
  
  What is certain though, is that on the 10th December from 2pm to 4pm, we'll have the Christmas Party for the little - and not so little - ones. Everyone's welcome, with one condition: you must believe in Santa.
  Santa's schedule is getting rather tight these days, so he'd like to know how many small persons would attend the party, to bring the presents with him. Please let me know on 01273 703 512, many thanks.

• New Year's Eve

  
  Since no one had come forward to organise a formal New Year's Eve party, Jan Hone and Di Croker are organising an informal event at the club, with a buffet where everyone brings a dish.
  For more details, have a look at the posting on the forum.

Percy Price, one of our youngest members, made the headlines in the local papers this week after being awarded the prestigious Arctic Cross in recognition of his service during the Second World War. You might have seen a copy of the Lancing Herald in the foyer. He was in the Worthing edition and in the Brighton Argus too!
Click on the photo to read more about him.