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By Angela Peck
On 6 March 2010 Alex Peck, Sarah Small, Jason Robbins, Rachel Heggs and Sophie Otter - all from Hollowell Sailing Club joined by Richard Kelsall from Banbury - all sailed for Northamptonshire in the NSSA Event at Oxford, Farmoor.
Teams from around the country took part and unfortunately in the knock-out round Northamptonshire were knocked out by a team they had already beaten. Praise has to be given, nevertheless, as they had never sailed together as a team – ever!
Chris Lowe reported, “Eight teams took part with entries from as far a field as Northampton, Worcestershire, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire. All of the teams raced against each other in a single round robin which took 28 races. The only team to remain undefeated was Magdalen College School A (MCS A) with Abingdon School second and Northampton third. The second stage of the competition was a knock out with the first ranked team sailing against the eight and the second sailing against the seventh. The knock out produced an upset with Northampton losing to Worcestershire 10 point to 11 points. This gave a semi final of MCS A against Cambridge B and Abingdon against Worcestershire.
MCS A and Abingdon won through to the final. The Chief Umpire Bill Brockbank who had driven over 90 miles to umpire the event noted that the sportsmanship and rule observance was the best that he had seen at a youth team racing event for many years. The Cambridgeshire team not only brought two teams but also helped to man the committee boat all day which was very busy with 36 races being started and finished at the committee boat. It is hoped that this event will run again next year at Oxford and it will continue to grow. It enables young sailors from both the state and independent sector of education to race with and against each other and prepares them for the type of sailing that they will enjoy when they go to University together.”
See full article on :Yachts and Yachting
If any younger sailors are picked for the RYA team racing or the NSSA team racing – five out the six were picked from Hollowell Sailing Club this time – then some training might well put them in a stronger position. Ideally some double-handed experience might be arranged as a group and with the Summer coming up the sailors will have time on their hands (?!). Anyone interested in sharing the costs of training? Estimated to be in the region of £35 per person (e.g. Fireflies at Farmoor – double handed boat used for team racing) then please contact Angela on email: angie_gallie@yahoo.co.uk.
27 June 2010
Solo Open
There was a disappointing entry to the Solo Open at Hollowell on Sunday 27 June, no doubt caused by the England debacle in Bloemfontain and the lovely summer weather but little breeze. In the event 5 visitors joined 6 home boats for what turned out to be a good days racing, with different winners of each of the three races, although in each race the fleet split as the wind varied over the lake. David Liddington and Neil Wilkinson ended up tied on 3 points each with Liddington winning on countback. Congratulations are due to the Race Officer, Larissa Barker, and her team for completing the racing to time to listen to the second half!!! Results
8 May 2010
Open Day
Hollowell sailing club attracted over 100 visitors despite blustery conditions at the weekend. Making the most of winds of over 15 miles per hour more than 80 guests experienced a taste of sailing or windsurfing – many for the first time - and toured the excellent club facilities.
Hollowell Sailing Club was open to the public on Saturday 8 May 2010 signing up more than 30 new members who took advantage of special Annual Open Day joining discounts. “I’ll be back and sailing tomorrow,” said one new family member from Moulton.
The club boasts over 250 members and caters for all abilities and ages with a particular focus on developing the skills of young sailors. It has also built a reputation for its friendly atmosphere and active social calendar which includes barbecues, camping and family days.
Commodore Mike Pipes said: “It’s been good to see so many people interested in joining a club that offers excellent facilities, top quality youth and adult sailing and competitive racing.”
He added, “Dinghy sailing and wind surfing are more accessible than many people imagine. All our members are involved in running the club – contributing time which not only keeps our fees within reach but is key to the unique sense of community spirit that all those who visit us remark on.”
Set in a tranquil and picturesque valley within 10 miles of Northampton and 20 miles of Leicester, Hollowell Sailing Club is especially proud of the recent national and international success of several of the younger sailors.
Young Hollowell sailor, Arran Holman came through the final selection trails earlier this month with flying colours moving him closer to representing Great Britain at the Optimist World and European Championships. Hugh Brayshaw also celebrated recent success at the 420 World Qualifiers and will be representing Great Britain together with Leicestershire helm, Mike Woods later this year.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Hollowell Sailing Club, including details on membership, please visit www.hollowellsc.org
8 March 2010
Club Dinner
Places are going rapidly for the club
dinner on Saturday March 20th, 7.30 for
8. Catering is by a club member who has
a reputation for turning out really good
food. Tickets are £15 each available
from Chris Elder 01858462607 email:
dutyman@hollowellsc.org.uk
and must be paid for before the event.
This is a pleasant evening without noisy
music and an opportunity to chat to
other members in the comfort of our
clubhouse.
Membership renewals
These went out in mid January with the
newsletter. If you haven't renewed and
can't find your reminder, please contact
Elaine Coulton 01604 780026 email:
membership@hollowell.org.uk
If you want to make use of the
increasingly popular direct debit
scheme, please make sure you renew by
March 22nd to give us time to set up the
arrangement.
Thursday work parties
Work continues on the Naseby pontoon and
this week we could do with some extra
help as two of the regulars are away. We
need someone to remove nails from a long
plank of wood required for the next
section. We also need a pressure washer
person to deal with the wooden edges of
the quay heading as someone had a nasty
slip on the algae last week. Make sure
you come warmly dressed as the east wind
is a tad chilly.
and finally
Sailing has started again. See you next
Sunday onwards (providing you have
renewed of course!)
Best Regards,
Mike
19 Feb 2010
Many thanks to those of you you who turned out last Saturday for the work party. We now have a log cabin which is not only clear of leaves but sports a new coat of creosote. Those of you who came with pressure washers (on the previous Thursday as well) enabled us to do a fantastic job on our pathways and boat covers removing algae and generally tidying the place up. The boat people worked very hard too and spruced up the rescue and club boats ready for the new season.
Thursday work parties continue, though yesterday's came to an early finish as the snow poured down on the Naseby pontoon. A further deliver of wood came during the blizzard and this is by the main slipway. However,due to snow in Germany, we are currently unable to source the very long support timbers to upgrade the rest of the pontoon. They may come next week, but more snow is forecast, so who knows. Meanwhile there is lots to do on the pontoon adding side timbers. The Wrinkly work party is doing a fantastic job on this pontoon and they have created a very good walking surface.
Snow: yesterday saw some of us struggling out of the club due to a combination of slush, ice and mud. Whilst these conditions persist I suggest people avoid using the access road until the snow goes away.
Club of the Year 2010: We put in a really good bid for this to the RYA. Unfortunately, so did several other clubs and we didn't make the top 5. We have received a very nice commendation certificate which actually looks better than the trophy we received last year. So, no free tickets to the Dinghy Show this year. Nicola £10k Wilkinson and Clive de la Fuente put in a great effort on the application. I'm not sure what else we are supposed to do as we delivered on last year's promises and more.
And speaking of £10k, the General Committee approved a further £2,000 to enable us to order 5 Picos and the Bahia. The 5 Picos join our existing Pico to create a new training fleet which will also be available for hire. Picos can be used by both adults and children so we expect them to be quite busy. The General Committee also approved the implementation of a broadband system in the clubhouse. More news on that as work progresses.
That's all for now. Enjoy your sledging!
Best Regards,
Mike
Work Party 13 Feb 2010
The following tasks remain outstanding:
Remove dead leaves from
base of log cabin and
creosote bottom layer of
logs and any dodgy bits.
Remove leaves off grassy
areas
Look for leak in roof of log cabin
Scrubbing green stuff off
Wayfarer covers is a
possibility and checking
conditions under the
covers?
Drying out floorboards etc.
Some of the rescue boats need scrubbing and bailing
The pontoon at the North end will come in a bit with water rising
Check ground tackle on buoys
and continue painting them.
Clean and lubricate curtain
rails in lounge
clean club signs at road
entrance and by our 5 bar
gate.
If pressure washer
available: complete algae
removal around club house
and Naseby Lodge. If anyone
can provide a pressure
washer please can they bring
it with them. The club one
is poorly again. Might be an
idea to bring own extension
lead and garden hose in case
the club ones are in use.
Helen will provide lunch
Trailers
The last work party did a great
job sorting out the abandoned
trailers. There are now 5 or 6
by the fuel store. These are not
scrap and can be bought via Ian
Brett. They look sound and need
new wheels.
The other abandoned trailers
will remain in the trailer area
until May when they will be sold
off via Ian Brett, giving their
owners every opportunity to
reclaim them.
Also by the fuel store is a half
drum which is free to a good BBQ
home. The scraps of wood can be
taken as well. That will pretty
well clear out this winters
rubbish.
Mike Pipes
24 Jan 10 - update on conditions
Things are getting back to normal at Hollowell. The ice has all gone and the water level has risen substantially. See pics here
Work Parties
The wrinkly work parties are reinstated from Thursday January 28th.
The work party planned for Saturday January 30th will go ahead. The list of jobs is listed at the end of this email. Lots to do!
Other events
The First Aid course on Sunday January 31st will go ahead as planned. This is now full.
The Child Protection briefing planned for February 6th will go ahead as planned. We still have 2 places for this. Please contact me if you would like to attend the event which runs from 1000 to 1300.
Programme changes
The Sailboard Open will now take place on Saturday March 20th
The Club Dinner will still take place on the same day.
The powerboat course planned for March 20th will now take pace on Saturday March 27th.
Day Skipper Course
If you are interested in a Day Skipper course,
some places at a reduced price have become
available. Details below:
Day Skipper Course in Warwick on the 13/14th 20/21st and 27/28th of February 2010
Contact: Mike
Stillingfleet
+44(0)7966 487579
www.shore-based-training.co.uk
Saturday Work Party items
Powerboats need checking after their icy experience
Two boat houses
need to come in for maintenance
The buoys need to come in for painting. Any
volunteers?
Buoy ground tackle needs checking for wear.
Visible bits of boat ground tackle need visual checking - especially after potential stressing by the ice. (Underwater bits are scheduled to be done by divers later on)
The power boat pontoon can be repositioned to suit a full reservoir.
The "bit on the end" of the power boat pontoon can be moved to slipway 5 (North end).
There is a bunch of willow branches to be burnt or moved before the water gets there.
There is creosoting to be done on end grains on the slipway 5 walkways.
Remove dead leaves from log cabin
Look for leak in roof of log cabin
Sort out new sailboard stuff in log cabin
Sort trailers
Where top soil has
been scraped in the wood it has left several
small stumps as trip hazards. Some are small
enough to be cut off with hand saws - before
being covered by trailers.
That’s all for now.
Mike Pipes
17 Jan 10 - update on conditions at Hollowell
I visited Hollowell this morning. There is no problem with road access so this is a good opportunity to remove your boat if you have somewhere nice and snug to keep it.
No Sailing or ice skating…….
However, sailing opportunities are a bit limited. The original ice is still there and is around 2 to 4 inches thick and quite difficult to break. On top of that the reservoir level has risen and the new water has formed a frozen skin of its own though that was rapidly thawing in the sunshine. One of the marker buoys near the duty slipway is standing to attention clear of the water as the ice has tried to throttle it.
Most of us missed seeing Allan Winters skating along the foreshore last week. Obviously there is still life in the old bugger!
Club facilities
I have checked the water supply to the club and in 10 days we have consumed a third of a cubic metre of water- that is with the stop cock turned off. However, some of this will be due to the kitchen tap being left open and flowing for the few minutes until I opened up the club house to turn it off. I also flushed several toilets to ensure the cisterns were not frozen. All is well in the club buildings though the effort of maintaining 10 degrees Celsius inside is costing us gas. However, it has prevented any damage to the pipe work. I think we need to maintain this temperature as there was ice in the plughole of the kitchen sink.
Work parties
On the basis of this weeks weather forecast I suggest the wrinkly work party on Thursday January 21st remains cancelled.
The next work party is planned for January 30th. We will review whether or not to go ahead with that nearer the time.
Club activities
On Sunday January 31st there is a First Aid Course at the club which needs to go ahead. I will advise participants if we have to move it to another location. There is still one place available if anyone is interested.
On Saturday February 6th from 1000 to 1300 we have an RYA Child Protection briefing. There are still 2 club places available for this. Please let me know if you would like to attend.
The Assistant Instructor course starting on March 21st is now full. Many thanks to those of you who have volunteered for this course; you are going to be a great asset to the club.
That’s all for now. Keep warm and polish your ice skates ready for the next freeze. And watch out for Mr Winters who will demonstrate ice skating on his push bike at the first opportunity…………
Best Regards,Mike Pipes
7 Jan 2010
Important Message from the Commodore
Dear
Members,
Once again access to the club and grounds is a
problem. I visited today to check everything was
alright- leaving my car by the main road. The access
road from the electric gate is a sheet of ice with
loose snow on top, though John Strowbridge got out
OK in his 4 x 4 and wished me a Happy New Year. Nice
chap!
The reservoir is completely frozen over and very
attractive. There is no way we can bring the rescue
boats in on Saturday.
Work parties at Hollowell are cancelled until
further notice.
The General Committee meeting planned for
Tuesday January 12th is postponed until
Tuesday February 2nd. I did consider an alternative
venue for Tuesday, but given the weather forecast I
don't think we should risk our lives trying to
attend.
The water supply to the club is turned off
because when I read the meter it showed water
flowing to buildings which have had no one in them
since Tuesday. I don't think we have a burst as the
average daily consumption is in line with the
average for this time of year. There are no signs of
leakage. However, something to watch.
Everything in the club buildings is functioning
correctly so there is no risk to the infrastructure.
We have plenty of gas and all the gas boilers were
serviced just before Christmas. Even the Naseby
Lodge is ticking over nicely.
I have sent some pics to Ian Hall for the website.
link
Sorry about this, fingers crossed the boats aren't
damaged by the ice.
I made an observation to Clive de la Fuente that we
could probably walk out to the powerboats. To my
astonishment someone did just that on Boxing Day and
went through the ice.
So the party line is, please stay away and off
the ice.
Best
Regards,
Mike Pipes
27 Dec - Snowflake Series Abandoned - photos
Stewart Elder
who is the Duty Officer for the snowflake series has been forced
to call the event off. The reservoir is significantly iced over
and there was no access to the safety boats on either Boxing Day
or today.
The car park is very icy though the main approach track is not
too bad.
The next event at the club will now be the wrinkly work party on
Thursday Jan 7th.
This will be followed by the Work Party on Saturday January 9th
when we hope to get the boats off the water.
Both work parties will be subject to weather and I will try to
advise you in advance if they are on or off.
Best wishes for the New Year
Best Regards,
Mike Pipes
Snowflake Series Update- 23 Dec 2009
Thank you for your response the Snowflake series will be going ahead as planned
2 races each day on Sun, Wed, and Sun with the first race each day at 11am.
The BBC are even suggesting a balmy 7 degrees C for this Sunday.
Please come prepared to help out where necessary
Merry Christmas
David Holman
0116 259 2256
Christmas Party 2009
Despite the snow and ice the Christmas Party went ahead in Guilsborough Village Hall. A lovely venue and a good time was had by all (including the participants in Ian Mackay's panto and the committee members conned into being reindeer!!!) Some photos of the event can be seen here
19 Dec 2009 - Christmas Party
Snow and ice are making access to the sailing club extremely hazardous.
As a consequence the work party and the preparation for the Christmas party on Saturday are cancelled and members are asked not to go into the club grounds at all.
The last race of the Frostbite series on Sunday is cancelled. The Christmas party is relocated to Guilsborough village hall. The hall will be open at 1000 for preparation. Prizes will be presented from around 1230 onwards. lunch will be around 1330. We need to be out by 1800. Barny is bringing drinks. Mary is bringing the grub. Steve is bringing the prizes. Guilsborough Village Hall is adjacent to the primary school in the village centre not far from the main shop and newsagent.
Please contact other members who you know are going to the Christmas party in case they don't see this email. There will be a notice by our electric gates saying where the Christmas party is relocated.
See you there. It's going to be fun!
Childrens Play Area
David Blackbourn and Derek Bunting assisted by Mike Pipes have been working hard over the last few weeks to improve the play area. soft matting has been laid under the swings, whcih will soon be back in commission, and the play engine (or lorry) - which is it in now complete and ready for use - see the photos below:
Complete The commodore's in charge!
David had to crawl in!
Well done Derek and David
OnBoard
The final OnBoard course concludes on Tuesday 7 July with a BBQ and presentations of Stage 1 certificates to youngsters in batch 3 by Jon Sweet our OnBoard Development Officer. This scheme has generated over a £1000 in grants and taster fees and has certainly raised the profile of the club in the outside community. Daventry District Scouts organisation is particularly pleased as 36 of their youngster have experienced the pleasures of sailing on the very professionally presented courses. Well done to every on who has helped to make this a success. So far two new family memberships have resulted from the experience.
Training
The RYA Inspection has been moved to Saturday July 18th when there will be a powerboat course running as well as a Ladies Day. Whilst the Ladies are welcome to scream and get dressed up it would be good if they could avoid getting stranded en masse on the dam!
Our instructors and supporters have worked extremely hard delivering courses, so much so that after a major restocking of publications we ran out of some of them and their replacements have now arrived. The last Junior start Sailing course was remarkable in that nearly every participant returned for the Sunday youth team. This combined with the OnBoard participation on Sundays has placed a great strain on club boats and a group of Instructors are meeting to discuss how to deal with this success.
Club security - 5 July
We have
agreed with John Strowbridge (he of the big house) to maintain the electric
gates closed all of Saturday 4 July and from lunchtime Sunday 5 July.
This is to avoid people from the steam fair camping on the field between the
electric gates and the club. In previous years they have caused John quite a
lot of hassle and we have a vested interest in protecting our boats and
premises.
The electric gates will work of the normal access code and the club will
operate as normal over the weekend.
Crew Register
Many thanks to Dave Holyoak who has developed a Crew Register to match up all those lonesome helms of double handers with crews without a helm - go to the members area to sign on.
RYA Club of the Year 2009
Hollowell was one of 5 UK clubs to have been chosen to receive a RYA Club of the Year Award 2009.
The Presentation took place at the Dinghy Show at 4.30pm on Saturday March 7th. At the presentation the overall winner was announced. We finished second to a very well deserved Frensham Pond This is a prestigious award and reflects the impact that our members have made in recent years, particularly on the Training front. Well done everybody! Special thanks to Ian Hall who drafted the first shot of the application form and whose initiative caused us to have a go in the first place.
We now are supported by the RYA in the CCPR Club of the Year competition open to all sports clubs.
Racing Rules - 7pm on 19 March
Come along to a session on the Racing Rules of Sailing, led by William Jeffcoate, the RYA East Midlands Regional Rules Advisor. The session will comment on the changes to the 2009 - 2012 Rules and cover the major points of the rules we all sail under and sometimes ignore!!! No charge, just turn up at the club at 7pm on 19 March.
Hollowell now an 'OnBoard Club
I am pleased to confirm that we are now formally an OnBoard
Club, with congratulations already received from Howard Nelson, Chair of the
East Midland Region of the RYA. A joining pack is on its way and presumably
loads of money. Something for Steve Willcox to look out for in the bank
account.
Keith Miller has now qualified as a Senior Instructor. Well done Keith, a
great result.
Meanwhile, the TBar upgrade is rapidly approaching completion thanks to the
great efforts of Derek Bunting, Mike Fuller and others. The units for the
kitchen are really nice and I think you will be pleased with the new work
surfaces. A great job, Mike Fuller.
The new dishwasher and water softener are both installed and working. The
dishwasher is dead easy to use. Press the left hand button and a red light
comes on. After a while a green light illuminates. At this point load the
dishwasher and press the other button. A blue light will come on during the
wash cycle and when that goes out after about 4 minutes the deed is done!
All the detergent and finish solution is fed in automatically so don't start
chucking dishwasher tablets into it! Whilst the Green light remains
illuminated you can just keep repeating the wash cycles until its all done.
Mugs are now located under the Burco in pull out drawers so everyone can get
at them easily (Good idea, Mike Fuller).
There are a couple more cabinets to be fitted and a cupboard will appear
around the kitchen combi boiler with a another work surface below.
Painting and decorating is substantially complete with some tidying up when
the kitchen is complete.
The kitchen should be tiled on Monday.
New pelmets are being provided in the lounge after which the curtains can go
back up.
The bar sink should be raised on Monday and some tiles placed behind it. A
new bar fridge will be installed next week.
We propose that the kitchen and bar equipment is returned from the changing
rooms during the work party on Saturday January 31st. Other work party
people are asked to come equipped to dismantle the redundant pontoons by the
Handicap slipway.
Best Regards,
Entry Gates
There are now security gates at the road entrance to the club, controlled by a number key lock when the club is not open. Full details are in the members area.
Hugh Brayshaw wins Junior Sportsman award
On 6 November 2008 Hugh Brayshaw was presented with the Junior Sportsman award by David Moorcroft at the Northamptonshire Sports Awards 2008. You will recollect he had previously won the equivalent award at Daventry District Sports Awards. In both cases the competition was such that the jurors had been unable to restrict the candidates to the usual 4 or 5. Hugh last night was up against 8 very talented young gentlemen so this is quite an accolade for a very unassuming young man.
Well done Hugh; Olympics 2012 or 2016 next stop!
Commodores Dinner - 2 Feb 08
Over 40 members attended Larissa's last formal function as Commodore on 2 February (not forgetting the AGM on 9 March) Photos of the evening can be seen here
Ollie Brett Wins Daventry District Sports Award
For Pictures taken on Thursday of Ollie Brett receiving his Daventry District Sports Award from the Chief Exec of Leicester City FC. click here