We have our annual prize giving and social event this Sunday at the Forfar Rugby club with a buffet dinner, some drinks and banter between members of the Forfar Sailing and Watersports club. We hope that many of our sailors and rowers that attend will have a great evening and are looking forward to a great year of using the Loch.
We are always looking for short stories related to the club, if this is from a day on the water or a day away, visiting other clubs or just seen a great skiff or sailing boat while out please, send us a paragraph with or without some photo’s. We can then place them on the website, Facebook or Mail shot (if you want to restrict this to one of these, just let us know).
If you have not already let us know that you want to come along on Sunday, drop us an email or contact one of us. You are more than welcome to come along for a drink and a blether without using the buffet.
Commodore Mark Kimber of Forfar Sailing Club accepting the new skiff launching trolley from Robert Ritchie of Ritchie Implements on behalf of Forfar Skiffies. Mary Campbell the new skiff will be launched on Saturday 19th August at 2 pm from the Inch on Forfar Loch
Did someone say it was August? What, already? Well by date it is, if not by weather. This means we are at the rough mid-point of the summer season. Although we have had sessions not run due to too little wind we have also had some unseasonably blowy days impact on sailing.
Training for the remainder of the season is by one-to-one arrangements due to the availability of our experienced training team. So if people do have the training they would like to do please contact the club and we will try to pair you up with a trainer and date.
We have taken the decision to cancel the Endurance Race we had scheduled in September so the committee can focus their efforts on the main club social on the 23rd Sept. Further details will be sent out as they are finalised but please ask any of the committee how the Reggatta/Ceilidh works – it is a really good night with a fabulous band and fun dancing. Even if you don’t sail I can highly recommend the Ceilidh – as with all socials the more folks come along the better it is so please do try to come. (Says he who will very reluctantly miss it this year due to work).
We have revised the sailing program and this revised copy should have dropped into members inboxes. Boats away have been set as 4 Nov (meet at the club at 10 am). We are yet to set the date for the general meeting in October but will advise of this once a date has been established – this is an important meeting as it is when you, the members, decide who will lead your club for the next year. We will have a particular need for a Secretary and Commodore/Vice commodore (sailing) but if you are interested in any position in the committee or simply getting more involved in guiding the club, this is the meeting to attend. If you have any questions – please ask any of the committee members and they can guide you further.
During last weekend we had 2 boats out for a ‘try sailing’ where both enjoyed their time on the water. One was so keen that he came back the next day as a member to take part in the training.
On Sunday we had some members out for a second training day, 2 took to the water in a wanderer under instructions from Malcolm, while the other 2 braved it out solo and used the club laser. With the safety boat between them and giving instructions or support they managed to stay upright, sail up, down and from side to side on the loch. Some slight mishaps and connecting with the boom did not stop them going back out after a tea break.
Gus enjoyed it so much that he decided to join in the race, making it a firefly, a wanderer and 2 lasers. Course set to X (Z), K, C and F to port before coming back to A to starboard. 3 laps, where we had Jack in a topper joining in to get some experience sailing a course.
All in all a good weekend, Saturday the skiff was out in Montrose. Maybe we can get a few words on that with the large amount of photos that are taken on that day and place them online and in the news letter.
Hi, know anyone that would like to try sailing? Why not come along to Forfar Loch and give it a go. Please enter the following form to put your name down. https://forms.gle/NMkfZHhazbA9eeaF7
Forfar Sailing & Watersports Club are offering the opportunity for members of the local community to try sailing on the 20th May 2023. Our experienced helms will orientate you to the boat and take you out for a unique view of the Loch while explaining how the boat and the club works. We will try and give you the chance of taking the helm (while our experienced helms support and guide you). We anticipate that the sessions will be approx 2 hours in length. Children (with a parent/guardian) are welcome and while there is no lower limit to this we would suggest children to learn to helm be approx 8 years old or above.
The forecast for the Opening Regatta on Sunday 23rd was not good, with suggestions of a strong Northerly, with gusts of force 5 increasing to force 6 in the afternoon. The wind on the inch was indeed Northerly, though on the loch itself the steadiest direction was Easterly. A course of C, E, X, A was initially set by the race officer, but after boats were on the water, and conditions observed, the course was reversed to X, E, C, A. This proved to be the correct move.
An excellent 11 boats were on the water. 5 laser radials, 4 fireflies (3 from Aberdeen University), a solo, and a Wanderer. This made the starts exciting, with much jockeying for position and cries of ‘starboard!’ as everyone tried to get the best start.
For the first race that person was Helen Brown (laser radial) followed by David Smith (firefly) and Malcolm Heron (laser radial) who rounded the first mark in that order. The first unplanned swim, by Jamie Brown (laser radial), happened before the first mark, but he quickly recovered and didn’t trouble the rescue boat (ably manned by Sebastian Kimber). The extremely variable breeze, both in direction and strength, caused much pain to the sailors, eventually being the undoing of David in his firefly. He capsized after rounding E mark and his mast stuck in the mud in the shallow water, resulting in his retiral from the race. The remainder of the fleet had a very close fought race, with only 20 seconds, on corrected time, between the first 5 boats. 1st Helen 2nd Malcolm 3rd Tony Walker and Bill Myles (Wanderer) 4th Jill Reid (firefly AUSC) 5th Becci Oosterhoorn (laser radial)
The wind abated slightly for the second race so was initially less exciting at first. The fleet was joined by Connor Hyndland and his daughter Charlotte, who quickly rigged a club Feva, just in time for the start. Mark Kimber (laser radial) was first round the first mark, followed by the Wanderer, then Helen. The down wind section to E saw several casualties, all of whom recovered without assistance. At C mark, Helen took the lead, which she later lost to Malcolm. It was another very close race, with 5 seconds, on corrected time, between the first 5 boats. 1st Malcolm 2nd Stuart Dallas (firefly AUSC) 3rd Jamie 4th Mark
As the first two races were very hard work, the third race was shorter – 2 laps of the course instead of 3. Helen made an excellent start, less than a minute after capsizing behind the line. There were more capsizes (mostly ‘dry’) as tired sailors found the conditions demanding for tired bodies, and everyone was very glad to come ashore at the end of the race. 1st Helen 2nd Malcolm 3rd Mark 4th Jamie
End result overall: 1st, and winner of the Inch Cup Helen Brown (laser radial) 2nd Malcolm Heron (Laser Radial) 3= Mark Kimber and Jamie Brown (laser radial)