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.

The first day of the season is almost there! Let's hope the 1st April is a warm spring day with a steady south-westerly force 3. With the right gear, the water isn't THAT cold at this time of year, ahem...
Last year, the weather was a bit wild and only one boat made it on the water. If the conditions are similar this year, he might not risk his Contender.

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 membership secretary is asking for the last few members who still haven't rejoined to renew their subscription or let him know they do not plan to rejoin this year.
A pre-filled renewal form was sent to you with the February AnchorLine. If you have misplaced the form, please contact Jerry (memsec@lancingsc.org.uk) and he will provide a copy. Thank you.

Dutyman is ready

The duty rota for the season 2007 is now online. Click on the Duty Rota link in the main menu at the top of the page, or visit Dutyman to check your duties. You will need to log on to confirm or swap a duty. Please note that Dutyman is a totally independent system from Lancing SC forum and your Dutyman username is NOT the same as your forum username.
Your Dutyman username was sent to you last year by the Rota Secretary. In most cases, it is your first name and surname (e.g. Isabelle Jackson - random example). The password was included in the same e-mail. If you cannot find the password, you can click on the link in the Dutyman main window and request a new password.
Should you have any other queries, please contact Di Croker, our Rota Secretary by e-mail: rota@lancingsc.org.uk.

Duties have been confirmed by a few members now. Even if you know you can attend your duty, please could you confirm on the rota? It makes it easier for people who would like to swap and, eventually, easier for the Rota secretary! Many thanks on her behalf.

The sailing programme is now available on this site. Visit the Calendar page to discover the 2007 fixtures.

A group of cycling enthusiasts met on Sunday 18th March at Bramber Castle near Steyning for a gentle bicycle ride to Southwater lake and back.
Despite a ghastly weather forecast, we decided to go ahead and try. If the weather turned too nasty, plan B was to invade Bruce and Jane's peace and descend on them for coffee and biscuits.
On Sunday morning, we all met bright and early in a lovely sunshine and fairly strong breeze. Bruce and Jane arrived in style, in their gleaming turquoise machine and waved goodbye when we cycled off, admitting they were fair weather cyclists. Fair enough...
Chris Foster arrived on his own, having an injured son at home, and Jon was pairing with Kellie, his daughter. Everyone else who had confirmed was there, except for 2 fast riders (but no early risers) who caught us up at lunchtime.
Hoping to make the most of the good weather, we kept a steady pace and we arrived at West Grinstead for a little break and for Chris to pick up Charlie, his new recruit. With Mark and Elodie and Maëlle, Jon Page and Kellie, it was very much a father-daughter outing.

We arrived at Southwater with plenty of time to warm up, relax and refuel. Even at this time of year, the lake is a lovely setting and we even admired hardened sailors handling their craft with dexterity: RC boat racing is not for the faint-hearted when the wind is strong enough to create white horses on the water! We saw a yacht stranded on the bank, only to be rescued by a pint-size rescue boat that got stuck in its turn. Photos of the mighty ship are in the dedicated GALLERY of the ride.
After lunch, the older folks (hehehe) stayed lounging in the café while others were going to the children's play area and enjoyed beautiful views of the lake.
As we were leaving Southwater, we had the only puncture of the day, and the inner tube was replaced in no time at all by one of our puncture experts. Handy to have friends like that...

The return group was rather depleted, with Jerry gone to enjoy a drive to Heathrow, Jon and Kellie off early and Chris reunited with the rest of his family. We had a steady ride back to Steyning where Mike and Di invited us for tea and cakes. Very nice...

So, despite a terrible weather forecast, we cycled almost 26 miles without getting wet, we had a great day out and realised we had to get in shape before going sailing (well, some of us did...) It was a brilliant day and I'm looking forward to going again next year. You're coming?

17 June - London to Brighton Bike Ride 2007
This yearly event will take place on 17th June this year. Last year, a small team of enthusiastic (and slightly mad) cyclists from the club were part of the 27,000 riders wheeling it from Clapham Common to Brighton Madeira Drive. Funds are raised for the British Heart Foundation and there is no minimum amount to raise. The entries are closed now but you can keep an eye here and on the BHF site for online sponsorship forms.