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Santa Irene Club de Vela Newsletter - 8th March 2007
What have you been up to the last couple of Sundays? I’ve had the “Pastinaca” our teaching boat on the water. The last Sunday of February brought much more wind than forecast. I was out with Roger, a very experienced dinghy sailor so all was well. However, being prudent we decided to put a reef in the sail and ran the Pastinaca onto Garrucha playa in the shelter of the breakwaters. It’s the first time I’ve been on that playa and it was a joy that day to find some sheltered water. The reef went in and we made Garrucha slipway with no problems. The Cat sailors were not out that day but enjoyed going out from Playa del Cantal last Sunday the 4th in the two Hobie 16’s that was George, Jim and Vic etc. Oh, and had an impromptu BBQ afterwards! Back in Garrucha, Terry took out the Drascombe with Alan – new to sailing and Sue who is with us for a month to see if she likes the sport. Later that day I saw her helming the boat back into port and she looked to have the lads under control. Jim was in the Solo, Nick on the Phantom, Paul on the Laser 4000 and Morris and me in the Pastinaca. It was a breezy day and at one time with Nick on the helm of the Laser 4000 and Paul on the Trapeze the boat took off and I’m sure broke all the sailing speed records, it was out of the water most of the time! If you want an adrenaline rush then sail a skiff with an asymmetric spinnaker and you’ll be happy – you should have seen Paul.
I’ve just mentioned Nick, a new member this year; he is Nick Berridge who in his spare time works at the Pembrokeshire Activity Centre. His office is on the water, he teaches sailing to an advanced level in dinghies, cats, plus power boating and chart work to Day Skipper standard etc. Don’t expect him to do that here – he is here to relax. For my money, he is the most “up to date” and experienced sailor we have and is willing when he can to help us on our way. As an RYA Club Racing Coach and RYA Racing Instructor, he is helping to coach the Welsh Regional squad. It’s where many Welsh Olympic hopefuls will be coached and I’m sure Nick will have a hand in it.
The Pembrokeshire Activity Centre is on the Cleddau river part of the Milford Haven estuary. There are 17 miles of navigable waterway and is located in Britain’s only coastal National Park. Last year it merged with the “Princes Trust” making it one of the largest trust teams in the UK. The activities include sailing, canoeing, powerboating, surfing etc. At the peak of the season they have 30 fully qualified instructors. Remember, if you are in South Wales, pay them a visit. There is a lot more to be said about the Pembroke Activity Centre, it deserves a separate article – so look out for it! Thanks to Nick, we now have a link with a very important sailing centre.
This Saturday I will visit the Club de Mar in Almeria to talk to them and see what is going on. I wonder how many of you visit other Spanish sailing clubs. To see the racing, check out the classes, see how they operate etc. I’ve been to at least 16, you should try it, and you may make some good friends as I have.
We are still looking for Powerboat drivers for our safety boats. If you have any interest in sailing or just messing around in boats, give me a call.
See you on Garrucha slipway 11am Sunday morning or look in on Playa del Cantal.
Take care
John Talliss
Tel : 950 475 157
Movil: 658 548 790
E-mail John@Sailrway.com
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