HMYC Class Championships and Monthly Mug #4 - Sunday 5 December

(Report by Tim Duguid)
A very pleasant day for sailing with a moderate breeze of about eight knots blowing from the East, later switching to SE. Tim Duguid did the honours as Race Officer for the day and, by his own admission, found the task of doing it single-handedly quite a challenge !!!
Unfortunately numbers were lacking on the water with five Hunters and Georg and Clive on the L26.RO Tim had the first race off at about 11h15 with the two-lap course up to No 2 (Seaport Supply) and back to the leeward can.
Rob and Jared sailed very well and seemed to outpace all the others,taking all 3 races and the Monthly Mug very comfortably.Tussles developed between Flirt and Odin with the first race going Odin's way. The second race saw Flirt pip Odin to take second on the line with a starboard/port scenario protest a close call.The final race of the day saw Odin take second from Flirt.
Tim Kerry appears to be sailing better and better and is now leading the Hunter Silver Fleet Trophy standings quite comfortably. Well done to them. Louis Legrange was also there as usual, sailing with his young son and even bravely hoisting the bag in some of the gusty runs.
Results show Odin's Eye at the top of rankings with Hybrid presently in second spot. Essex Girl is still in with a good chance at the top as average points are calculated at the end of series, when race officer duties performed are considered.

Next up........ The Big One!! Hunter Provincials!!
Come and join us.
So far we have a regatta with ten boats but this is a far cry from the usual seventeen!!!

See you all then!!

HMYC - THE MASTHEAD

THE MASTHEAD

November 2010

HENLEY MIDMAR YACHT CLUB
PO Box 1151, Howick 3290
hmyc@mweb.co.za / www.hmyc.org

OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2010 NEWS

On behalf of the club and all of our members, we wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Wagner family on the loss of their father and grandfather.

My apologies for not sending out the Masthead last month but were moving house and that is not a lot of fun. Those that have been out recently will have seen that we are extending the slipway towards the jetty while the water level is low and this has progressed to the extent that we anticipate it being in use by the Christmas regatta. Thanks to Rob Tarby and Pete Goble for all their sterling work. On the repair and replacement side, you will also notice that we have fitted a new kitchen sink, drainage boards and cupboards at the back of the kitchen to replace the ugly, old and unhealthy arrangement that existed there for so many years. The new fridge is in, the old one sold and with the lounge suites the club is starting to take on a new look.

We are arranging to repair and replace the side fence down to the water line to improve security with the low water levels and the back gate will also be replaced with a sliding one.

Our erstwhile secretary is battling away in a somewhat small office and with very little room to work so we are looking for a kind member that may have a decent size (large) desk to donate to her. Please contact Heather at the club or any of the EXCO members.

We have two regattas coming up in December. The first being the Hunter KZN Provincials and we ask all Hunter sailors to support this. The second is the big Christmas Regatta between Xmas and the New Year. Apart from the sailing, the social side promises to be a lot of fun so come on out and support the regatta. The NOR/SI are available on the website.

The Catamaran regatta was well organised by Allan Barr and although only 6 boats entered, the profile of HMYC was raised and we have been requested to make this an annual event.

We have been advised by KZN Wildlife that the camping tariffs have been increased for next year and please note that all camping must be booked with the secretary. Heather has details of the new tariff. Matt Jackson was recently transferred up to the Berg and at his farewell party, we presented him with a beautiful book from all members past and present as a small thanks for his great friendship and assistance over the years.

Please will all members note that ANY function at the club for business or larger private parties needs to be booked with the Secretary. Private use will cost R550 whether it is on the veranda or otherwise as the club still has to clear up, clean and maintain toilets etc so we ask that all members respect this rule. We love seeing people there but it does involve extra work. In addition, please note that with our liquor licence now in place, no private liquor may be brought on to the club premises for an area extending to the roadway on all sides. Furthermore, no children under the age of 18 will be allowed into the bar area. We would also like members to support Debbie who is now registered with the Liquor Board as the Club Manager.

We would like to make an appeal to all members that still have Club Subs or SAS fees outstanding to please pay these immediately. Those that have paid their SAS fees will be able to collect their membership cards from Heather at the club office and for those who have not paid, please remember that you will not be allowed to take part in any regatta sailed under the ISAF Rules of Racing.

In our attempt to improve the social side of racing, we held a potjie supper after the Ron Weston 20 Miler on Sunday and despite the drizzle that came in as the race ended, we had a very happy and successful supper on the verandah. About 16 people joined tables together and all enjoyed themselves. Please let us have ideas for any future social functions/get-togethers that you as members would like to see at the club.... we need YOUR input.

We are also still looking for members with any particular skills to please come forward and let us know.

HAPPY SAILING AND FAIR WINDS

Yacht run down by ship off SA Coast

Comment : When at sea on a yacht do not rely on the assumption that the OOW has seen you. The days of ships having an Officer of the Watch AND a lookout are gone. Ships crews rely more on electronic aids to navigation than their eyesight. If your yacht is not fitted with AIS and you are too small to be a significant radar target, chances are that the OOW will not know you are there. This is not right but is reality.Like politicians, ship owners require Porches and Johhny Walker Blue to survive. This means that they cannot afford to man ships properly and so reduce the number of crew that they employ. The politicians understand the ship owners plight and so allow legislation to be passed in support of reduced manning requirements.This is the real world. The moral of the story : MIGHT IS RIGHT ! If in doubt get the hell out .....ect ect......

The story : Yacht crew shaken after collision with cargo ship 'Damaged boat back at East London' . Three South African crew members on a yacht delivery trip between East London and Port Elizabeth had a narrow escape after their yacht was smashed from behind by a large cargo ship near Port Alfred.

The incident happened in broad daylight at around 6am yesterday as the crew were underway to deliver the vessel to its owner, Quinton Dosson, in Port Elizabeth.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) told the Dispatch Online that the ship, which belonged to Sanko Spring Corporation in Japan but was registered in Liberia, smashed into the yacht from behind about 27 nautical miles north of Port Alfred. It was on its way to Britain.

The crew, which included skipper Russell Furlong, Juanita Drewry and teenager Michael Glenister, had to battle for 90 minutes to save themselves after the impact broke their mast, which then fell into the water. They frantically tried to pull the mast from the water, fearing that its wires would wrap around the ship’s propeller and drag them under.

Skipper Furlong , speaking after they limped back into East London harbour, said he jumped from the cabin when he heard a loud bang.
'The ship didn’t stop. I had two concerns – that the mast was lying in the water banging the side of the yacht and could cause a hole that would let water in,' he told the Dispatch.

His other concern was that wiring on the mast could be caught by the ship’s propeller. He got into the water and he, Drewry and Glenister managed to get the mast back on board. They made a U-turn back to East London after assessing the damage.

'There was no doubt we were going to make it back to East London. I’ve had problems in the sea before but this was closest to dying,' said Furlong.

Drewry said she was still frightened when she arrived at shore. 'You don’t get to think about it at the time when such incidents happen, but it is really scary when you think about it when you’ve sat down.'

Glenister’s parents, John and Janine, would not allow reporters to talk to their son, saying he was still shocked.
However, they said they were ecstatic the crew had arrived back home safely. 'I am very relieved that they are safe. I’d rather have been on board than my son but I was at work. It was Michael’s maiden voyage,' his dad said.

Dosson said he tried to track down the cargo ship after he had heard about the incident. He contacted maritime authorities to get assistance and Samsa officials spotted the big ship passing Port Elizabeth.

'They contacted the ship and they (the ship crew) said they missed my boat by 10 metres. It was explained to them that they had hit the boat but (then they) lost contact.'

Samsa investigative officer Peter Kroon confirmed that the ship was registered in Liberia, but said its owners were in Japan. It was common practice for shipping companies to register in countries offering low registration fees, he added. 'We are going to conduct an investigation and contact the flag state (Liberia).'

The likelihood that a cargo ship could deviate at the last moment to avoid a yacht is remote, but the question remains as to why the ship did not make stronger efforts to establish whether a collision had taken place and whether there was any threat to life as a result.

Kroon said the process could take months before it would be finalised.
The Water Rat aka Chris Sutton