Spring Newsletter 2019 summary

Dear Fellow Members

Welcome to the first newsletter of the 2019 season.  The sun has been shining of late and the temperature has gone up so perhaps we can hope for good weather for land and water activities over the coming months.   

This newsletter is intended to give you a taster of some of our activities over the winter months, if you missed them and a pointer towards events in the coming months.   Remember to use this site for up to date information and also the club WhatsApp group, of which more later.

RECENT EVENTS included 

• line dancing sessions, 

• a supper for the cruiser members

• two themed evenings – Italian and Chinese with excellent food and local entertainment

• our first Chess Tournament 

• a lively, though cautionary, talk on safety at sea by Steve Bockett

As always in March, there was the AGM.  This year saw the retirement of Jim Page, Commodore of four years’ standing.  Jim has done a magnificent job of leading the club and will be a difficult act to follow. We said goodbye and thanks to committee members Jill Lasenby and Sally Ross, who have come to the end of their terms. For further details, of the new committee and the  and details of forthcoming events, please see the full newsletter.

Best wishes for the coming season.

Jean Woods (Commodore)  

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Autumn2019 Newsletter                                                 

Dear Fellow Members

HCSC NEWSLETTER   AUTUMN 2019

This newsletter comes with information about forthcoming sailing and social events and a brief look back over the season so far.   Also, requests to members to join us in suggesting winter activities and perhaps considering how you could help with the running of the club in the next season.

First of all, a reminder about the Skittles eveningto be held at The Huntsman pub, Brockenhurst SO427RH on Friday September 13th.  Whether skittles is your thing or not, this is a good opportunity to get together and chat over a drink and some food.  Details of the menu options are shown in the club house and were in an email sent out last week. (Briefly, fish and chips, bacon and cheese burger or pizza.) There are still places available and extra parking has been arranged at Brockenhurst college.   If you would like to come, email  include your preferred menu option.

The very next day will see our rescheduled Open Regatta,  which replaces July 20thwhen bad weather forced us to cancel.   It will be HCSC’s 65th regatta.  Sailors with all levels of experience are encouraged to join in.  Do come and help make this a lively event.  We will need donations of cakes for the refreshments at the end of the day please.    You don’t have to be an active sailor to bring and eat the cake! At the time of writing, it looks as though the weather is going to be kind to us this time around.  Pretty much ideal conditions are forecast, so let’s try for a great turn-out on the day!  Racing is due to start at 11:00, with a briefing at the Clubhouse for competitors at 10:00.

Soon afterwards will come the Quiz night with fish and chip supperat the club house on Saturday, October 5th.  This is always a popular event.  Look out for further details on the clubhouse notice board and in your inbox shortly.

The last club competition of the season, the CDM Trophy Dinghy Handicap Racewill take place on Saturday October 26th, starting at 10.00 am.   Another fun event with plenty of chocolate, not to be missed.

Bringing together both social and sailing activities and in all our interests will come the Autumn   Working Partyon Sunday, October 27th, starting at 10.00 a.m. and ending with the usual splendid lunch of soup bread and cheese.  This is when we help the clubhouse to recover from all its use over the summer by making good with small repairs, cleaning and preparation for the winter.  Wear old clothes and enjoy a jolly morning mucking in with everyone else.  

In between these events, pottering, racing on Wednesdays and Saturdays and sail training on Thursdays are still carrying on.  Fortnightly junior sailing on Sundays re commenced on Sunday September 1st. 

LOOKING BACK OVER THE SEASON SO FAR: the good weather started early and mostly continued, although there were those days of over- strong winds and some very heavy rain. Junior sailing had to be cancelled on Tuesday because of the dreadful forecast but Ian and Mike valiantly carried on with land exercises the next day.  Given that the group had already managed a sail to the Isle of Wight on Monday, perhaps they were glad to have an enforced rest day on Tuesday! By the end of the week, there were lot of smiling young faces and competent young sailors. Look at our Facebook page for a record of the week. 

   Pottering has gone well with some good attendances, especially for sails around the local creeks, and successful longer trips e.g. to Yarmouth and Lymington.  Similarly, early and late season racing has continued.   Mike Hamilton, Rear Commodore Sailing really appreciated the response to his appeal for volunteers in order to maintain these events.   The whatsapp group for organising individual and informal pottering seems to have grown and has been helpful in linking up members who want to go out sailing but would welcome some company.  Some intrepid members of the pottering group have posted details of their adventurous sails. 

GENERAL COMMITTEE   Along with the shorter days and the cooler evenings, comes the reinstatement of regular committee meetings after our summer break.  This is the season when we take stock of progress on our plans for the club’s development, review some of our policies, and start on planning for the coming year.   As always, we need to ask you to think about whether or how you could help with running the club, on the general committee or one of the sub committees – sailing, social, or house.  Two members of the committee retire each year at the AGM so we need to replace them.  We are also in great need of a Vice Commodore and Rear Commodore Social (thanks to Den Ashton for his work this season “acting” in this position).  HCSC runs and runs well on the contributions of our members.  We have no shortage of people willing to do the various jobs day by day.  However, we also need people to keep the organisation going.  The general committee meets only once a month.  Please think about joining in one capacity or another.  Honestly, it is not difficult.  If you are interested, talk to any of the existing committee members or email commodore@hcsc.org.uk.

SAD NEWS  With sadness we have to pass on news of the death of two members, both of whom were very active in HCSC, especially on the social side.  Pat Soan and her husband David were members of the social committee some years ago.  Their very successful organisation of raffles helped to raise funds towards the building of our lovely clubhouse.  Sadly, Pat died recently  after a spell in hospital.  Nikki Osborne, wife of Martyn, who was until recently our Rear Commodore Social also passed away in July after a short illness.   Nikki and Martyn together were the leading lights of the social committee and especially took on organising our 80thbirthday celebrations  last year.  Our thoughts are with David and Martyn and we know that these two people will be missed in the wider setting of the club.

Domestics: Security: Not a month goes by without a report that someone has found the clubhouse open or unlocked.  It is easy to forget to lock up, especially if you think that other people are around but please do take a moment to check ALL the doors are locked. 

Acoustics:yes, we are onto this and investigating the most effective and cost productive way of making improvements.

Flagbox:  here is a photo of the lovely flag box, made by Nigel Sabin from wood donated by another member, Derek Verney.  This should ensure that the ensign will never go missing again!  See the real thig when you are in the clubhouse  to the left of the front door.   Many thanks to Nigel and Derek.

Lastly We will be starting work during the autumn on winter events and next year’s programme. If anyone has suggestions for talks, outings etc regarding water or social activities, please make them to , , or commodore@hcsc.org.uk.  Even better if you can hep to organise your suggested activity! 

Jean Woods, Commodore. 

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Names and Faces

Hurst Castle Sailing Club has a self-help philosophy and is run managed and operated by members. We have no permanent staff and members appoint a General Committee to oversee the running of the club premises, equipment and events drawing on volunteers from the membership. The General Committee for 2016/2017 is:-

Our History

The initiative for the formation of Hurst Castle Sailing Club must go to Mr. Roy Knight and Mr. George Andrews, who together approached Major I. M. Bellairs early in 1938 with their ideas, with the result that the inaugural General Meeting took place at the Toc H Hut in Milford-on-Sea on Wednesday, 20th April 1938.