MASTHEAD # 4 – November 2011

Bank Protection
Bank protection: a big thank you must go to Rob Bell, Peter Goble, Duncan Houston and Struan MacGregor for their considerable efforts with the stabilization of the eroding car park bank.  This work is now 95% complete, and soon we’ll be able to once again enjoy the open areas under the trees and the thatched shelters at the front of the car park.

Safety Equipment
News from SAS is that we can expect to be visited from time to time by the Water Police.  This means that they will be checking all boats for compliance with the National Small Vessel Safety Regulations.  All vessels over 7m in length must note the additional safety equipment which they are required to carry.  Details of this equipment can be found in the Regulations which are available on the SAMSA website – www.samsa.org.za.

Club Secretary
If you know of anyone who would like to step into the breach and become the HMYC Club Secretary for this season, please can you contact Rob Tarboton?  The duties include taking and writing up minutes of Committee meetings – these are held once a month – and dealing with general correspondence.

Boat Parking
The large gantry which is in the car park will soon be moved to the grassed area next to the University boat shed.  This will give us some more boat parking bays for Club members, and will also mean that boats which are being worked on will all be in the same area of the car park.

Sailing
Sailing-wise we’ve had a couple of regattas at the Club recently – one was the SAS KZN Youth Provincials which had an entry of 39 boats.  It was good to see Juniors at the Club, and by all accounts the regatta was enjoyed by the participants.  We also had the Rose Bowl mini regatta recently at the Club, and the reason for mentioning this one is because there were more dinghies sailing than keelboats!!

Don’t forget the SAS KZN Provincial Championships Regatta which will be held at HMYC from the 27th to the 30th of December this year.  It will incorporate the National Champs for the Sprog and Halcat classes, and will be the KZN Provincial Champs for the Finn, Laser and Mirror classes.  If you want to camp at HMYC for this regatta you should please book with Heather as soon as possible as we can only accommodate 60 people camping at the Club, and those who book first will be assured of a campsite ….

Camping
Your Club has been granted a concession by Ezemvelo Wildlife to allow camping in the club grounds only for organized events such as regattas and organized camping weekends.  As this concession is important to the Club and its members, members are requested to abide by this and not camp in the club grounds outside of approved organized events.

It should also be noted that the Department of Water Affairs does not permit overnighting on any craft on Midmar, as this Dam is a major source of public water supply, and there are no facilities for the safe disposal of effluent at Midmar.

General
Thanks go to Hes Hamilton for organizing the repair to the Clubhouse roof – this has been fixed for leaks and should be a lot better now.

If you know of the whereabouts of the padlock for the back door of the ladies toilets, please can you either put it back on the door or advise Heather .Marshal where the padlock can be found.

One of our members – Colin Cooper – is looking for a Laser or similar type boat to buy.  If you have a Laser for sale, you can contact Colin on 083 264 6393.

This last weekend sailing

Very pleasant  days sailing .Wind blowing at about 10 knots initially east and then going SE in the afternoonThe conditions were very shifty with 20 deg shifts taking place at times..Georg and Clive were out early setting a windward leeward course of 2 laps each time.
Nice turnout of boats 7 Hunters,1 Beneteau first,1 Extra,1 Laser,and a L20.also Dynamite with Anton and Vaughn joining in the 2nd race.
The Hunters are getting more and more competitive with the interest shown from top skippers and crews in natal region.It shows by mere seconds seperating boats on the finish making hard work for bridge officers.
First race started at 11 sharp.Essex girl got away nicely at the start followed hotly by Hybrid and Bad news.An error on the run let Hybrid through and then Bad news took Essex by a mere second on the finish.
2nd race :The Ap was put up as the wind had clocked round to curry bay.The new course was set and away we went again.Essex had another great start and was nicely ahead at the top can .Followed behind by Hybrid and then Bad news.And this is how they finished up.
Last race saw Hybrid ahead at the top can ,Unfortunately Hybrid had a poor spin hoist and Essex gybed in behind them getting ahead.A great tussle continued with a reaching match down the one side of course then a slick inside gybe by Hybrid put pressure on Essex .However Essex kept their nerve and protecting the left got the inside advantage at the can.Essex just got Hybrid at the end .
Mark Patrick and Andy showing excellent pace in their new boat and well up in top half of fleet now!
So Georg Duffins shows Rob and Gregg on top with an excellent come back from last month ,leading by 2 points.2nd is shared by Paul and Tim with Luke and Byron on Bad news both on 18 points.Unfortunately Odin with Hank back did not pitch so they are now 4th.(Hope to see them back next month!!)The Hunter trophy on handicap odly is the same.
Silver Fleet is now seeing Mark Hultzer on top.
The Monthly Mug on boat and skipper handicap actually saw Pete Dommet take it on his laser ;so well done Pete.

November Senior Sailing Breeze.

A brief summary of the sailing calendar for the month of November 2011

Sunday 5th November
George Duffin Trophy Series:  Races,  (7), (8) & (9) This series is only open to the Hunter Class, but all other classes of yachts and catamarans  can compete in the Open Class Championships, this will be sailed over the same course, the start being five (5) minutes after the Hunter start. Both briefings will be at 10h15…sharp. A Monthly Mug award will be made based on the overall sailing results for the day.

Saturday 12t h / Sunday 13th November.
This is the first of the cruiser weekends organized by Marius and Caprice, there will be a briefing at 14h15 on the Saturday followed by a medium distance race ending with a braai on the foreshore. Sunday’s Long Distance Cruise around the lake, is scheduled for a 11h00 start. Cruisers you have been asking for this type of event for a number of years make the most of it, especially the fuller than normal moon. Remember all yachts may take part in this event and that this is a camping weekend.

Saturday 19th November
Partington Plate Series, Race (3). This will be the third of five (5) medium to long distance races, depending on the wind strengths and direction, which take place over a period of six months during the  sailing season. The series are open to all classes of yachts and catamarans, results being based on skipper and boat handicaps. Briefing will be at 13h15…..sharp . There will be a fleet start from between a start mark  and the jetty. The course will follow designated fixed marks.  Enjoy a social drink in the pub after the race.

Sunday 27th November
Ron Western Marathon (20 Miler), This ultra distance event is open to all classes of yachts and catamarans and results will be based on boat handicap. Briefing will take place at 10h15…sharp. Further details will be given in the Sailing Instructions available on the day. Camping will be allowed, please make sure you book ahead of time.
This is a fun event make the most of your club facilities and spend your weekend at the club.

General Information:
(1)    Club Members who wish to go cruising during any of the above events are welcome to do so, but PLEASE remember to keep clear of the racing area.       
(2)  Attendance at briefings is not compulsory, but it is advisable to attend them as 
even though course directions should be posted early by the race officer, last minute changes can be made. (This only applies to HMYC Club Events)
(3)     Camping in the club grounds is only permissible during organized events, sites 
       must be booked via the Club Administrators Office. Contact Heather Marshal
       on 0833127707 or 033 3304158 during her club administration hours.
             (or complete the camping form as per the Notice of Regatta)
(4)    Any member  prepared to give of their time to help with regattas and club sailing please do not  be afraid of stepping forward, we need your help and for the inexperienced, advice and training will be available , it can be fun and definitely better than just sitting on the bank. Please contact Rob Bell . 033 3442182

Last but not least, the warmer weather is here, make the most of the best yachting facility in the country and remember, the race officers and myself, are there to provide you with well managed sailing events, be it serious or social. Please approach us if you need help or if you are unhappy about something. We are willing to assist and will do our best to sort out your problems.

Fair winds and great sailing.,

Rob Bell      Tel: 033 3442182   Cell: 0739618006

HMYC Hunter Class 2010/2011 - Sunday 5 February

ONLY TWO CLUB CHAMPS EVENTS BEFORE HUNTER NATIONALS AT HMYC IN MARCH.
Event #6 of the HMYC Club Championship Series of 8 events gets under way this Sunday, 5 February. Forming part of the series is the popular Hunter Class category where competition for the George Duffin Trophy ( scratch) and Hunter Trophy (handicap) remains fierce.

To all Hunter sailors and crew, let’s get out on the water and make a commitment to be part of the Nationals in two months time.
The REG BEAVITT MEMORIAL TROPHY MUST STAY AT HOME!!!
The competition fleet ( Gold and Silver) promises to be of good numbers with competitive crews sharpening their skills for the Hunter Nationals at HMYC in March. Top sailing right on your doorstep!!!!!

HMYC Club Champs series events usually begin with Briefing at 10h15, followed by 3 races on each day of racing, course and marks determined by the Race Officer on duty.
DIARISE these dates and make a commitment to participate. ONE SUNDAY A MONTH.
Get other crews on the water. There are still too many Hunters at HMYC not being sailed!!!!

Dates to diarise: HMYC 9 HOUR - Saturday 25 February; Club Champs #7 – 4 March; HUNTER NATIONALS -HMYC– Saturday 17 to Wednesday 21 March(tbc); #8 – 1 April.

See you on the water on Sunday !!!!!

KZN Youth Provincial Championships

The SAS KZN Youth Provincial Championships Regatta was sailed at Henley-Midmar Yacht Club from 7 to 9 October 2011 with 40 boats taking part. A total of 7 races were sailed in generally light to moderate winds. Both the RS Tera and Optimist Classes qualified for Provincial Championships status. There were several sailors participating from Gauteng and the Cape.

All the results can be found on our results section of the www.HMYC.org.za website. Or simply click on this link: http://www.hmyc.org.za/results/2011-12/hmycresults2011_12.html

October Monthly Mug and George Duffin

A very chilly day out.An unusual westerly  of about 8knots gusting to 15 odd was the wind.Once again all the usuals out .Mark Patrick out on his new boat with son showing some good speed ;especially in the last race.Also good to see Mark Hulzer out with his son.(some possible juniors in the making for the club!!!)
Andy and Hank set a  windward leeward course from 5 to 2 initially and then shortening it to centre as the wind seemed to die but landed up settling after all.

1st race saw Essex girl on the start line without a skipper !But luckily crew managed a reasonable first beat to still be relatively close to the top boats ,then halfway down the run skipper joined up again.Odin having a great first beat got the bullet as the dying  wind forced race O 's to shorten.Bad news nearly lost her second spot as saw the shortened course too late but hung in there .Essex just ahead of Hybrid.

2nd race saw bad news get away  doing well out of the left of the course.(stuck to their guns and did well out of it where others thought they were done for!),followed by Essex girl  ,Hybrid and Odin.
3rd race Essex had a terrible start crossing the line last.  Kevin in Flirt went  right and got an excellent lift to the can but unfortunately the wind got fluky up there and this caused the rest to catch up .(But at one stage we all thought he would walk it!!)Essex had a lucky lift onto the can from the left thus getting her into second spot behind Bad news.

Unfortunately Hybrid having a bad day at the office have dropped off the 1st place to  joint second with Odin  then Essex.So Bad news 9 ;Odin and Hybrid 11 and Essex on 13.Thus things really hotting up only 2 points between each boat!!All to race for now.

Silver fleet has Mark Hulzer on the charge now if Louis misses again then Mark will lead that section.

Bad news with Supercrew Macmillan on board won the monthly mug as well so well sailed.!!(Sorry still got van as crew)

Welll done all also to the dingies that came out.Good to see!!

Results are on the website

MASTHEAD NUMBER 3 : 2011/12

Firstly, a note from your Vice President:
It is with regret that I must inform all HMYC members that Mr Richard Solomon has for
personal reasons due to business pressures, requested to be relieved of his position as
Commodore with immediate effect. As a committee we have regretfully accepted his
resignation. We do wish Richard and Mary well in the future and thank them for the
contribution they have made to the running and management of HMYC of recent past.
In order to effect immediate continuity of club management the committee has requested Mr
Rob Tarboton to act as Commodore for the remainder of the year and he has kindly agreed,
however we do need to assist wherever possible.
In the circumstances I must appeal to all to consider where possible to assist him and the
rest of the Committee in the running of the club as often the burden becomes too much for
one to shoulder and balance with personal business pressures.
Yours at Midmar
Robin McIntosh

The Opening Cruise has been and gone and this means that the 2011/2012 sailing season
has started. We’ve already had our first mini regatta – the Azalea Cup with 14 entries, and
good winds which were enjoyed by all the sailors - and there have also been some junior
sailors at the Club as we hosted a Grand Prix at the same time. The next big regatta to be
held at the Club is the SAS KZN Youth Provincials, and this will be on the 7/8/9 October.

From the Rear Commodore House:
Clarity on the camping issue in our Club grounds has been obtained from Ezemvelo Wildlife.
In a nutshell, camping is allowed for members and their families on organized Regatta
weekends and Club social weekends which are marked as such on the Sailing Calendar.
Permission is also granted for Regatta entrants to camp in the Club grounds. The full HMYC
Camping Rules and Regulations are posted on the webpage and are available in the Club
House. It is recommended that you take a little time to read them.
Booking for camping at the Club is essential and must be made well in advance. Camping
charges are in line with the Ezemvelo rates, which are in effect from 1st November to 31st
October each year. Please check the charges with Heather on booking, as you should pay
when you book.
We hope this allows everyone to enjoy our wonderful facilities to the full for the current
Sailing Season
Best wishes and fair winds for the coming year
Jenny Kilshaw

Don’t forget the Club weekend away up at Giant’s Castle on the 29th and 30th October. It
should be a fun weekend, and if you want to just chill out and do nothing you will be able to,
or if you feel energetic you can go for walks. If you want to book a campsite, you can do this
through Rob Bell – 073 961 8006 or if you want to book a chalet this must be done through
Ezemvelo wildlife at QE Park.

Here are some more ‘Frequently Asked Questions’, which should have the answers to more
of your queries:
Question: When is the galley open?
Answer: On race days, when racing starts at 10h30, the galley will be open from 09h00 to
17h00. On race days, when racing starts at 13h30, the galley will be open from 10h30 to
17h00. On regatta days, the galley will be open earlier in the morning and close later in the
evening.
Question: I’d like to hire the Club Hall, How do I do this?
Answer: Heather, the Club Administrator manages the bookings of the Club Hall. The hall
hire form is available on the HMYC web site.
Question: I want to camp at the Club. How do I go about this?
Answer: You can download a camping form from the HMYC web site. You should also
phone Heather on 083 312 7707 or e-Mail - hmyc@mweb.co.za , and she will book you a
campsite. You must pay when you book, by EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer = Internet
Banking) and Heather will give you the Club’s banking details.
Question: Where can I put my boat while I’m working on it?
Answer: For those doing repairs to their boats, there are some bays near the gantry which
have been set aside for this. If you intend to clean or spray paint your boat, please use the
grassed area at the end of the car park for this purpose.
Question: I only want to do social sailing. Does the Club have anything organized?
Answer: Contact Caprice or Marius van Vuuren – vanvuurenm@sias.co.za or 083 600 4217
– they are organizing the social sailing side of the Club.
Question: I want to go to the Club this weekend, will the Clubhouse be open?
Answer: The Clubhouse is open on Club sailing days. On non-sailing days it is normally
locked. However, you can access the toilets using a key which you can buy from Heather -
the Club Administrator.
Question: Who’s boat is that which is on my mooring?
Answer: There is a list of Club members, together with their contact details and boat
type/boat name on the front door of the Clubhouse, so you can find out the particulars of the
owner of the boat using this list.
Question: When is Heather – the Club Administrator – at the Club?
Answer: Heather is at the Club on a Tuesday and Friday morning from 09h00 to 13h00, and
she’s also there on a Saturday or Sunday if there is Club sailing on that day – again from
09h00 to 13h00. On a non-sailing weekend she’s at the Club on a Saturday.
Question: What size boat can I bring up to the Club?
Answer: The MAXIMUM length for any boat which we can accommodate at Midmar is 27
feet, and the MAXIMUM weight of any boat is 2,8tonnes. Any boats heavier than this can’t
be launched into the dam using either the Club or the Ezemvelo Wildlife slipways as these
slipways weren’t designed to take this weight. Any keelboats longer than this length will be a
hazard to other boats when they are on a mooring.