The legend is back....... if you don't know why the quiz is legendary then you are missing out!

Pimm's Happy Hour: 6 - 7pm, Food: 7.00pm & Quiz: 7.30pm

Chicken Curry & Rice with all the trimmings (or Veg Curry) £5.00 (order from Debbie or the bar by 14th June)

Received the email from Dutyman and not quite got your head around how to confirm, swop or volunteer. Then please take a look at this video demonstration. here>>>

The 3rd Musto Skiff open was held at Stone S.C. shared with the RS K6. We were met with a easterly wind on Saturday of about 8 knots, in which we did 3 races. On Sunday there was a westerly wind of about 5 knots to start with, but only 1 race was sailed as this was a falling breeze.

For each open we always ask if it was the "Best Open Ever" and it's hard some times but as our first open at Datchet S.C. had no changing room and no showers that one was out. Then it was Stokes open where we had no toilets or showers on the Sunday. So it was all to play for going to Stone S.C. and lucky for us everything worked right from the bar pumps all the way down to the showers! So thanks Stone S.C "Best Open Ever".

The results: Stokes Bay 1st, 2nd, 7th, & 8th in the order of Dan H, Bruce, Gavin & Ed.

The Gafirs charity auction last Saturday evening was a great success. In total, we raised over £1100 for this well deserving charity. Well done to all the lot winners.

A big thank you to Alex for his fantastic insight into what it's like single handing an IMOCA 60 around the world.

As Wednesday evenings are getting busier, why not beat the queues and pre-order your food for after racing?

Come and listen to Aaron Cooper talk about his year racing on the highly competitive Figaro Circuit.

Congratulations to Chris Rashley on his third consecutive Moth European Championship title and to Kevin Ellway whose Exocet design Moths filled every one of the top five places. The event, held at Sicily, was filled with tricky conditions and interminable waiting around for the competitors. However Team Exocet came through with the top 5 places filled as follows (and Stokes Bay is home to at least three of them!):

1. Chris Rashley, Exocet - Stokes Bay
2. Michael Lennon, Exocet - HISC
3. Jason Belben, Exocet - Stokes Bay
4. Ben Paton, Exocet - Stokes Bay
5. Tom Offer, Exocet - Not sure of his home club, but he often trains at Stokes Bay!
More in the club sailing section

THE RONA SAILING PROJECT HAS VACANCIES FOR THE FOLLOWING VOYAGES:

STV3 (24 – 30 May) Females aged 14 – 15
STV3 (25 – 31 May) Males aged 14 – 15
STV4 (6 – 12 June) group – Rona II available (up to 14 places available including up to 2 staff members)
STV6 (22 – 29 June) group – Merrilyn available (up to 10 places available including up to 2 staff members)
STV9 (11 – 17 July Females 14 – 15
STV10 (18 – 24 July) Males 14 – 15
STV12 (1 – 7 August) Males 14 – 15
STV13 (8 – 14 August) Males 14 – 15
Delivery Leg 3 Szczecin – Amsterdam (5 – 16 August) Males over 18. Cost is £280 including travel.
STV14 (15 – 21 August) Males 14 – 15
Delivery Leg 4 Amsterdam – Southampton (16 – 28 August) Females over 18. Cost is £280 including travel.
STV15 (22 – 28 August) Males 16 – 19
STV15 (22 – 28 August) Females 14 – 15

Unless otherwise stated all the voyages cost £190 which includes all food, accommodation aboard the boats, wet weather gear, safety equipment and a RSP rugby shirt. We can also provide transport from Richmond train station and Southampton Parkway train station including in the cost.

If anyone is interested in sailing please contact me on either 01489 885098 or ann@ronasailingproject.com

Rally update!

Change of plan, Folly under refurbishment. Our FIRST SBSC Rally on SATURDAY 18th MAY will now be to Chichester Harbour.

See the Cruising web page for more info.

Dear Member,

  Please note that you will receive an email from the new Dutyman system if you are eligible for club duties. Dutyman is an online roster programme that we have adopted to give greater visibility and planning for you the members. You will be able to view your duties and if required swap with other members. Please check your spam folders for the last hour to check and see if you have received the Dutyman email.

  Please note that as a club that races 12 months of the year we are always requiring additional duties to be undertaken to cover all that is required. So if you would like to help out a little more and undertake additional duties then please add your name to the tba. We have no restriction on the maximum duties you would like to do! For inspiration please refer to Jerry and Cliff. Without their help we would be woefully short of coverage (our continual thanks and gratitude).

  If you are a social member or a cadet (bridge only) and would like to be more involved then please contact me and we will happily add you to the list.

  If you require further instruction on the use of Dutyman then we are holding an information evening on Friday the 26th April at 7pm in the clubhouse. Or in the meantime please refer to the help and support section the Dutyman website - http://www.stokesbay-sc.co.uk/dman.php

  Happy Sailing!

  Debbie
  On behalf of Stokes Bay Sailing Club  

So that Cadets can get off to an early start (and hopefully finish), the sailing committee has decided to move the Cadet fleet to the start of the sequence for all races. The new starting sequence will come into action on the first Wednesday evening race on the 3rd April and for all club racing thereafter. The upshot will be that some of the faster boats that start later will need to take extra care when sailing through the slower (although some not so slow!) fleets.

Thanks to Jason Belben and Paul Chatfield for the footage and Josh Belben for putting together this great video of Moth sailing at its best...

So far this year, the guys and girls to beat are:
Cat Handicap - Paul Chatfield in a Tornado Sport
Fast Asymmetric -Eddie Gatehouse in an RS700
Dinghy handicap - Jason Belben in a foiling Moth
Laser - Tim Pearse
Laser Radial - Ben Elvin .

Last Friday, Jason gave a great insight to the history of the fastest dinghy on the planet followed by Kevin showing us all how they work with a crash course in hydrodynamics! Thanks to both of them and certainly sets the bar for the next talk on how to use wind, tide and strategy to get ahead by Russ Clark on 19th April.

The overall win was taken by Ben Schooling from Datchet although all five Stokes Bay boats were in the top ten! Datchet sailing club hosted the first Musto Skiff open of the year which saw five Stokes Bay boats attend. The event was open to all, but fleet consisted of mainly Stokes Bay & Datchet S.C boats with the rest of the world represented by just 2 others. Saturday racing was cancelled due to the lack of wind. Most people went home, while a few silly people thought it would be a good idea to do some training! Sunday morning looked pretty much the same as Saturday. So once again we took to the club for a warm cup of tea and discussion lead to who was best 'Stokes' or 'Datchet'. The wind slowly filled in and eager to back up the club house banter we all decided to go sailing. Once on the water we were met with a steady 8 knots for the first race which Pelley won that made it 1-0 to Stokes. The second race saw pretty much the same conditions with Ben from Datchet taking the win '1 all'. The third race was in an increasing breeze and Bruce took the win '2-1' Stokes. The final race saw a tiring fleet capsize their way round the course in 15 knots gusting 20. Big Dave Poston won the last race making the race tally '2-2'.

The event is on the 7/8th September and is open to all CATs including Dart 18's, F18's, Shearwaters etc etc etc. The Tornado's Nationals will start on the 6th and continue through the CAT open weekend. Courses will be windward / Leeward with split fleets and committee boat starts. Free camping is available in the compound, but sorry no Camper Vans or Caravans. There will be a Friday and Saturday evening meal and entertainment. The entry is £38 for double handers and £28 for single handers for the two days. The Tornado Nationals is £95 before the 1st Aug and £110 after. See full details

Alex Thomson has finished third in the world's toughest sailing challenge – the Vendee Globe solo non-stop, around-the-world race. At 7.25am after 80 days, 19 hours and 23 minutes at sea, Alex crossed the finish line at Les Sables d'Olonne in France in his 60-ft boat Hugo Boss.  In doing so he has also become the fastest Briton ever to sail around the world in a monohull boat, breaking the previous record by nearly eight days and giving him a podium finish in the 27,000-mile circumnavigation. Thomson said before he finished that he was craving a cheeseburger after eating freeze-dried food for months.

The RYA Southern region have just updated their website with info on awards for young sailors from the South as well as giving a briefing on the latest windfarm developments off West Wight. http://www.rya.org.uk/regions/southern/news/Pages/News.aspx  

It was a close run thing with Jason leading, but the final results at the Bloody Mary was a win for Stokes Bay again, but this time by Rob Greenhalgh also sailing one of Kev's moths.