In this issue

Wood slick

As most of us know, the cargo ship Ice Prince ran into trouble off the coast of Devon on the 15th January, shedding its load of timber on the way down. Thousands of tonnes of wood have been washed on the Sussex shores over the last few weeks and Lancing has had its share, although not on the same scale as Worthing. Where the timber was still stacked high on Worthing beach, only a few boards were visible outside the club.

However, as Barnacle Bill mentions in the dedicated thread on the forum "I've spent the last couple of days around the beach area. the recent storms have now buried half the timber under piles of shingle, which will re-appear randomly for years to come I'm sure!"
Let's hope that the sea will have churned most of the splinters before the 30th March.

The Argus, local paper, reports on 05 Feb: "The council (...) has now confirmed wood will be put into temporary storage area near Heene Road, Worthing. (...) The long-term future of the wood remains unclear. Contractors elsewhere in Sussex including Brighton, Hove and Shoreham began chipping the wood last week. However, Worthing counsellors initially banned the practice because of environmental fears."

The article concludes: "The most likely scenario, the council said, was that a buyer would be found for the timber who would then turn it into pulp to make paper."

Just what we all thought when we were watching those boards floating about during the January Sunday lunch: "Ain't gonna be no good no more..."

New!! Boat shed doors!

Just before he went away for a well-deserved holiday, Tony White has made the most of his carpentry skills once again. He's made a brand new set of doors for one of the rescue boat sheds. When the new engines arrived last year, we realised that the 4-stroke engines were sitting higher than the old 2-stroke counterparts. With Don's invaluable help, the roof of the shed was raised but the doors didn't fit any longer. It isn't the case any more, with a sturdy structure protecting our equipement. I wonder if there's also that nifty little catch on the side that no one knows about...

 Sailing programme for 2008

The sailing committee has finalised the sailing programme for next year and the calendar is available on the Calendar page of this website. As mentioned in the most recent Anchorline, there are plenty of new things in store for this year, in both the sailing and social programmes.

 Europe National Championships
The main event of the year is surely the Europe National Championships that will take place on 26th and 27th July. We're expecting about 20 to 25 visitors and all help will be welcome.

Now, this decision might raise concern with some of us who will find it odd to hold a National event for a class not sailed at Lancing (and losing a day's racing in the process, I can hear muttering in their beard). Fair enough, but there are several positive outcomes to take into account.
First of all, the Europe is a relatively light boat, easy to launch and land on our beach; it still enjoys the reputation of having been an Olympic class and I am certain we are going to witness some high-quality sailing that weekend.
Financially, the extra income is always handy, both from entry fees and canteen / bar takings.
Finally, in the long-term view, this event will help raise the profile of the club, preventing it from becoming a tranquil backwater that serious sailors wouldn't like to join. There are many sailing clubs in the area and ours is only small, but we must do all we can to secure it a prominent place in the dinghy sailing world.

On the subject of open meetings, we are welcoming the Lasers and Toppers again this year, and we're seeing the visit of the Streakers during the A&O Regatta in August. Surely this will bring back some memories...

 Club series starting next month

The Calendar on this site also reveals a few changes in the club racing routine. The Wednesday Evening series is extended into September, the Winter series is confirmed (weather permitting) and we're going to race a new mini-series, the Whitsun Challenge Cup, at the end of May. Plenty to look forward to, with the first day on 30th March. Be there!

Sunday lunch

The next Sunday lunch cooked by Mark and Isabelle will be on 17th February. Please contact Mark or Isabelle to book your place.
Last month, 41 of us got together and enjoyed good food and good company. The word of the day was 'flotsam', of course and we were entertained throughout the meal by enterprising individuals coming to help themselves to the bounty, closely followed by various police, coast guards etc. At least, they all enjoyed a walk on the beach!

Dinghy Show, work parties, all happening in March

Plenty of dates to remember in March:

• 1st and 2nd March: the RYA Dinghy sailing Show at Alexandra Palace. On their website, you can book a ticket in advance, saving a long queue on the day.
• Sunday 9th March, Saturday 15th March and Sunday 23rd March: bosun Bob Trevis has planned 3 work parties for us and he's promised he's going to keep us busy. Please try and make it to at least one day. Not all jobs are physical or strenuous, so you don't have to be superfit to help out. It's always a cheerful atmosphere and you get tea, coffee and biscuits! On top of it all, there's the satisfaction of a job well done for the benefit of all. Don't forget: we're all volunteers and our club is what we make of it. So come along and help! Thank you.

Annual cycle ride

Before the sailing season starts we will be having our annual cycle ride to get fit for the coming season or for those a little less energetic just to have a nice ride in the country.

We are planning to do this on Good Friday, 21st March 2008. If anyone has any ideas for the route let us know. Last year we went to Southwater from Bramber Castle on the Downs link and this seemed to be popular.

If you're planning to join us, please let me know in advance so I can give the café a bit of warning. Thank you!

 Advance warning

Last month, I received a priority entry form for the London to Brighton Bike Ride 2008. Over the last two years, a small Lancing Sailing Club team got together and raised a respectable amount of money for the British Heart Foundation. Come and help us to make it bigger this year and hop on your bike on Sunday 15th June 2008. Closing date is the 1st March. Please let me know if you'd like to take part and we can put a team together. See you there!