Saltash seemed to be quite a strong location in the past but we don't seem to have any active forumites or Saltash boats going to any events.
Anyone know any active 12 sailors we could contact?
Thanks,
Kean
Kean,
to the best of my knowledge no-one is sailing Twelves at Saltash now.
Nathan has moved on to other clubs, Tommo has almost forgotten what his boat looks like, Kath Refson sprogged, Gill went South,Simon is reputedly sorting out O'crikey, Mad Dog's new boat is in my garage waiting for him to return to the UK and I am waiting for my refurbishment...........
However Salcombe is going the other way (again!) so far 4 boats on the water with 2 very quick people making the right noises and they have a lot of experience in the class too.
Well i was the last 12 to be sailing there on a regular basis racing pretty much every week last season. I stopped sailing there due to time restrictions and having no one to racing against! But as the fleet at salcombe is growing is it time to get an open meeting at saltash again? It was allways a good event but people from other clubs really needed to attend! i would be happy to talk to the club about having an open next year but is there enough support from the class?! If anyone want to talk about a possible open post here or my number is in the book
Tommo
N3229
Tommo - thanks for the reply - I'm working with John M and others to see what events we can schedule for 07. When was the last Saltash event - looks like 03? Any idea on how many boats attended? I fully agree we need to get enough boats to support - we need to take that into consideration when setting up the calendar for next season. Does the Club have a minimum number on what its looking for? Is a shared event with another suitable Class a possibility?
Kean
I think in 2003 there were about 8 boats that attended but 4 of those were boats from the club that are now not racing there on a weeky basis. In the past the event has always taken place at the beginning of june when the town has their regatta. This is for logistic resons for the club. For an increase in numbers i think that it important to have the event outside of college/university term time because alot of people who may attend locally are at uni or college. I think that we would need to have 6/8 boats to make it a viable event for the club to run.
tommo
This was disscussed with John Murrell at the nationals and a few mutterings suggested not going to saltash! I wouldnt attend out pf principle with their attitude to youth and the 12's in the past. This is largely to do with the fleet dieing there! University cannot be used as an excuse as we'd all left the club before uni.
nath
yes, the clubs attitude to dinghy sailing is not very high, well this is the feeling I get anyway. i agree with naths comment, most people had left before any of us thought of going to uni!
So what's the consensus on Saltash then? They seem to have both not supported the yoof and don't seem to like 12s much - time to mend bridges or just move on? No point in arranging a location if no-one wants to support it (for whatever reasons).
I've never sailed at the Club - only in Plymouth Sound (Student yoof nationals - only a couple of years ago ;) or so it seems....).
Kean
Kean,
Forget Saltash - I spoke to them this morning and apathy ruled! We could join in the Saltash Regatta (in the h/cap class) if we wanted too, however the date wasn't forthcoming despite the fact that all the PPSA clubs have a meeting soon to diary everything.
I will email the other contacts to you this evening.
J
Come on you lads - stop flogging a dead whatsit!
Concentrate your efforts on Salcombe and Starcross. Far better bets if you ask me.
Cheers!
Jim N3130 (With an N12 the World's yer oyster)
P.S. we're coming to BW and Salcoombe (August) next year...
Jimbo - need to check the patient is well and truely dead...don't worry we'll be focusing on the active stuff.
I agree with the points made by nath and it is true that the class has never been warmly recieved by saltash but jimbo there is no point just concentrating on 2 events (which are both well attended anyway) because if you do that the southwest series is dead! As there are now 2 gill events in the southwest would they be enough support to have a sea event sailed from one of the plymouth clubs. I know that a 2 years ago a couple of the clubs in plymouth were interested in running a 12 event. is this an option worth investigating? and what about looe?! another sea event. it was only last year that people were complaining there were not enough sea events and looe (my local club) was removed from the circuit!
tommo
The point I'm making is that in order to generate interest in the SW you've got to have focus. Peeps from elsewhere have got to be motivated to get down there. Starcross and Salcombe are popular, but in my opinion we still need more N12s down there.
Tommo, I'm not excluding Looe either. However, in order for Looe and others to get interested in hosting there has to be a whole set of numbbumbs and sofa potatoes (you know who you are :P ;)) to be stirred up and ready to go down to the SW to strike fear into the heart of any RS sailor who so much as contemplates setting sail that day (OOOPs - POP! Ive burst my brain :o)
So make publicity and attractiveness for a couple of events and then sell that to the potential organisers of others. The crowds follow on with the appropriate marketing angle.(Yuck, I hate that expression :B)
Jim N3130 (Burn the rest - the N12 is best)
Well all I am going to say is Penzance Sailing Club perfect venue.
But then I would say that as for once I would have to drive that far (for a drift)
As there are only Two really active member it the West would also say Mounts Bay Sailing Club but would prefer PZSC as Home club and would like to get more club members to try a Twelve am going to work on this Idea next year as will (hopefully) being one of the clubs sailing instuctors can guide people in to a AC N12
PZSC
James & Emma
3304 & 3402
Kean
There are quite a few of us at Spinnaker - we're in the rather extended Thames Area but would be happy to be considered SW too!
We're a friendly bunch and youths are encouraged!
Cheers
David
3481
David,
If my memory serves me correctly we did include Spinnaker in the SW series a few years ago. Think we should do it again?
John
Of course we should - we're happy to be bi-area. A Thames meets SW venue.
Cheers
To all you folks who say 12s are dead ( including Tommo - where have you been all season?) I have been sailing my 12 all season at Saltash, and local regattas. (I would love to travel farther afield and if anyone would like to set up creche facilities at their club....!)
Also "Aida" made it as far as the dinghy park but not into the water!
I believe I am still club rep and if anyone would like to contact me my number is in the book.
As to the 12 open, it is probably best saved for another year until there are a few more active 12s to have enough numbers for a fleet. The club will host an open if enough visitors are going to turn up.
Club apathy- I know what you mean but you have to speak to the right people.
Don't forget us!
Kath - hope to see you out on the circuit next year - what boat no have you got? The more we can get out the better.
DavidW - I always thought the Cotswolds WP should be part of Thames - after all our water goes in there! I'm all for dual Opens where the areas overlap. Can the same result be used to qualify in both or does each sailor have to nominate which series they're entering in e.g. SW vs TA???
BTW - who is the Thames area rep??
Kean
Kean,
There is plenty of precedent for open meetings being in two areas, Thorpe Bay is certainly in both the Eastern and the Thames area. One set of results, and it helps more people qualify for both areas. These things are pretty flexible and simly require agreement by the people involved.
Mike Day is your Thames man.
Keep up the good work.
Antony
Kean
No problem from my point of view if Spinnaker want to put their meeting in both Thames and SW area - let's try and encourage as many people as possible to get there. As for the Cotswolds, why not? Are you thinking of S.Cerney? I'm sure we could add it to next season's Thames Area, providing that we can take a view on whether it's a 'restricted water' event or not (this has special meanuing within the Thames area), and also that we can fix a date that doesn't clash with other Thames meetings.
In the spirit of true democracy, the Thames Area is traditionally run by a Committee of one or two - that's me and Anne at the moment - so decision made, if that's what you'd like.
Mike D
N3496
We are all for getting the SW series up and running but I hate to say this, sorry guys but I think we are starting to get a bit too far on the area. For us further south west, it is a good 5 hours and Devon is only and hour from us.
The South West is a large area to cover but people who live nearer London have more opportunity of going to N12 events as these events are not that far away!
Call me bias but the West Country (Cornwall Dev and Somerset) have some beautiful areas and good clubs as good as the rest and I feel we are going off track area wise with setting this SW series up again, Spinnaker Cotswolds etc are hardly the centre of SW and easy for all members to get to, which I feel to get more people into the 12 fleet should be taken into consideration.
Perhaps we should try clubs where there are no 12s at present.
Emma & James
N3304 n N3402
Penzance (end of the earth) Sailing Club
I agree with emma that we should be concentrating on clubs without a large 12 presence because we are try to build the numbers that are going to attend the big racing weeks (burton week, salcombe and northwest norfolk) How else is this goin to happen if we are not activley trying to promote the class to other clubs! Posters are good but they only do so much. an open meeting where people can look at our lovely boats is much more likely to attract people!
tommo
Emma,
Spinnaker was in the SW area when it was last active. We are some distance from London and many Lodoners do consider us to be in the West Country! Spinnaker is hardy in the centre of the Thames Area either and is about as distanct from the opposite extreme of that area as it is from you. We're a bit stuck in the middle - we're delighted to be in Thames Area and would love to be in the SW too. I am also a fan of the SW, particularly Salcombe, and will always try to get to the SW meetings - regrettably this hasn't always been possible for me of late due too clashes with family commitments.
Tommo
In terms of promotion in other clubs this can be tricky as most tend to stick with their own adopted classes - ideally we should aim to share an open meeting day with a suitable 2 person feeder class, turn up in numbers armed with an eyecatching display board and put on an impressive display of racing and socialising leaving time for others to try out our boats. Perhaps a Mirror event?
Cheers
(In addition to Davids comment)
Being the crew I'd be happy too as I'm from the SW, but equally I have thoroughly enjoyed doing the Thames area circuit this year for the first time, so I'd love to see Spinnaker and any other venues people wish to suggest as a bi-area meetings.
Adele
3481
(Not sure that it matters, but I've noticed that the BBC weather forecasts class Southampton and Bournemouth as being in the South/South West . . . )
As one of Kean's lurking few (at Chew Valley http://www.chewvalleysailing.org.uk) I'm planning to do as many events as possible next year.
For me the size of the South West is the issue here. The Devon & Cornwall view looking NE very different compared with the Dorset / Somerset / Gloustestershire / Wiltshire view looking further SW. It's about the same time for me (from Bath) to drive to Falmouth as it is the Lake district.
It mostly depends on how much travel time my family will take, but Spinnaker and Cotswold WP would be high on my list.
I didnt want to push Spinnaker off the list, infact would be good to meet people of the Thames circuit too :), we are looking forward to going to all the places where we have never been and getting ourselves on the circuit. I didnt realise that Spinnaker used to be SW - not been a member long.
Was just worried that we may start aiming most of the series up that end of the woods instead of spreading it a little in the south west.
We would love to get you guys down to Penzance but do appreciate that it is a vvvveerrryyyy long way and the traffic can be a nightmare we are lucky we are normally going the opposite way but we are really wanting to get ourselves out there on the circuit Gill series burton week so are prepared to travel we are very lucky as there are no kiddies to worry about.
Anyway will stop waffling now. Just had our dinghy forum too tonight so pretty dinghied out :-/
Looking forward to seeing you all again - hopfully graftham
Emma
N3304 n N3402
Penzance is a long way but we have been known to pop down to St Ives for just a day trip so its not out of the question.
Frances could bring her surfboard and we'd both be happy!
See you at Grafham - Salcombe's before that , I trust we'll see you there too?
Cheers
Hi David
Yes we are hoping to be at Salcome so will see you then :)
James thought about Rock Sailing club, which I think is not too far from Newquay, which would be good for Frances and her surfboard.
Emma and James
N3304 n N3402