Dear Members, 

The Club is blessed with many Members that volunteer their time & expertise to help out around the Club whenever they have a spare minute. No more is this ethic more apparent than the Members that offer their help to Paul & Tom in the Yard/Marina.

With a view to harness this enthusiasm & generosity more effectively, the Yard/Marina Committee have nominated each Tuesday from 0930-1300 as a “Members Working Bee Day” this will give the Marina staff  a more strategic focus in what tasks can be undertaken to enhance the operation of the yard & marina & also foster camaraderie amongst volunteers & RGYC staff.

A complimentary sausage sizzle & soft drinks will conclude the day’s activities.

If this timing doesn't suit the majority of Members, please touch base with Paul to discuss an alternative & of course if you are unable to commit your time on a fixed basis, you are always welcome to contact Paul & Tom & offer your services at any time.

Regards,

Peter Stephens

Chair-Yard/Marina Committee

SAFETY AUDITS

Last Saturday, John Dearnley and I had the pleasure of conducting safety audits on Juno, Spirit of Rani, Cinquante and Redstick Revolution. The skippers and crews of all the boats were keen to show us how well maintained and safe their boats were. We were very impressed with the general standard of safety and equipment, and we focused on PFDs, lifelines, charts and the Blue Book, lifebuoys, and flares. We found a few out of date flares and charts, and plenty of Mae West style PFDs.

Members are reminded that Mae West style PFDs are acceptable under TSV rules however are not acceptable under YA rules while racing. Hence racing crews, when required to wear PFDs, need to wear "less bulky" alternatives such a "yoke" style PFDs. The "yoke" style PFDs require regular servicing as per the manufacturers specifications and it is worth checking the inflation cylinder and mechanisms for corrosion regularly. In addition the chart datum for AUS157 (Corio Bay and approaches) changed a couple of years ago, as has both the position and numbering of many channel markers. Members are advised to check that their charts are current and that charts are laminated to protect them from the weather and damp conditions..

Life line tensions were also inspected, and ironically last Saturday on Cinquante, a pulpit fitting to which a lifeline was attached failed, sending a number of crew quickly into Corio Bay. This happened on a downwind leg when Cinquante had a spinnaker flying. The spinnaker was quickly dropped, Alpha 1 was notified by radio, one designated crew member kept a close eye on the crew in the water, and the boat was tacked. All crew were recovered safely, without outside help, and Cinquante still managed to take line honours in the race. Clearly the skipper and crew had a well organised plan of action and implemented it well. Congratulations to them for a fine effort recovering the crew safely. This incident further reinforces that skippers and crews need to regularly inspect fittings and gear and have well developed and rehearsed plans, for the incidents which can occur whilst sailing.

We were also very impressed with Ian Robottom's "Grab bag" on Spirit of Rani. It included a hand held VHF radio, GPS, flares, and a host of other safety/survival equipment. We would encourage members to contact Ian and have a look at what he has in his "Grab bag" and how it is stored in the boat.

Our next lot of inspections has been scheduled to occur on Saturday 17/12/2011. 

Thanks to Brian Williamson, Iain Murray, Peter Stephens, Ian Robottom and all the crews for enthusiastically embracing the program and making these audits a great success.    

Happy and Safe Sailing

Phil Francis and John Dearnley