Sailing events for Junior & Novice Sailors at St Mary's Loch Sailing Club During the summer season we run a series of sailing events for novice and junior sailors on SATURDAY afternoons. These will be aimed mainly at children who want to sail in Optimists and Toppers. We intend to have a mixture of instruction on the shore, fun racing, and instruction on the water. Racing / training will start at 14:00 on the following dates (please note that this start time is different from the start time published in the membership card). May 17th June 7th June 21st August 2nd August 16th September 6th September 20th

We will kick off at 14:00 on these Saturday mornings and aim to run the sessions for a couple of hours. It would be very helpful if we could have boats rigged and sailors in sailing gear ready to go by then.

If any parents or others are prepared to help out on any of these dates that would be very much appreciated. Ideally we could do with a team of volunteers, as some of the smaller sailors are likely to need boat catchers and a bit of encouragement, and possibly a cup of hot chocolate at the end of the session.

If you do think you´d be able to help in any way, please contact the appropriate committee member

SATURDAY 17 May 2008

Five Optimists and two Toppers turned up at the loch on May 17th for the first event of the junior series. We had a wide range of experience, from the more experienced sailors (Cameron Nicholls in his Topper and Duncan and Iain Willoughby in their Optimists being almost veterans by now) to new girl Louisa Watt in her Oppie.

The wind was a northerly, force 2 - 3, so very good to practise in, but unfortunately the temperature was less than balmy. Even so, all members of both fleets managed to make their way up to B mark, beating with varying degrees of confidence as they tried to recall the things they had learned at sailing camp last season. The coaching team in the rescue boat helped and encouraged the back-markers. Cameron helped Louisa by getting her to follow his Topper, and both Rebecca Moore and Angus Cunningham (a very welcome addition to the Oppie fleet) sailed very well in the conditions. What was particularly notable was that even when they were getting a bit cold and tired, the sailors still made sure they got round the mark before heading back to the de-briefing in the welcoming warmth of the clubhouse.

In the Toppers, Michael Brignall and Cameron Nicholls had a couple of short sharp races to polish up their skills. Both relished the occasional strong gusts and had their boats planing along nicely. I'm sure that both they and the Optimist sailors would appreciate even more company next time out. If you are an Optimist or Topper sailor, make sure you're there for the next event - it'll be at the loch on June 7th, starting at 2 o'clock. All standards welcome - remember, the more you practise the better you'll get!

SATURDAY 11 AUGUST 2007

Three Optimists and three Toppers took part in the junior training session on August 11th, braving the drizzle and being rewarded with steady and moderate winds. By St Mary's Loch standards, anyway.

After a quick briefing onshore, the fleet sailed down the loch for a couple of short races round a triangular course, allowing the junior helms to practise their beating, reaching and running. The Topper fleet was led by Michael Brignall who had the major advantage of starting close to the start line (there's a hint there, young sailors!), and who then sailed very smoothly to win from Cameron Nicholls and Angus Cunningham. However, both Angus and Cameron showed good speed downwind, with Angus taking a most efficient route which on occasion involved missing out one or more of the marks ...

In the Optimists, new boy Dominic Johnson joined Iain and Duncan Willoughby, and the three kept in close contact with each other throughout their races. Iain and Duncan demonstrated their usual brotherly rivalry as they passed and re-passed each other with cries of "water", "starboard", "windward boat" being freely bandied about.

After these short races, the helms from each fleet doubled up in the Toppers, and each pair took turns to helm round one lap of the course. This was very popular, and Dominic and Michael won the race from the Cameron/Duncan and Iain/Angus combination. After the session was over, it was good to see Angus and Iain taking each others' boats out for a spin.

The next session, the final session of 2007, will be on Sunday September 9th at 10.30 a.m. I hope to see plenty of Topper and Optimists there, as there's nothing like practice for building on what was learned at sailing camp. I'd also like to know if parents and juniors would find it easier to attend if these sessions were held on Saturday afternoons next season - please e-mail me on Roger.Willoughby2@btinternet.com or by following the link from the committee page. There might also be the possibility of more socialising and/or sailing after the training if we made this change.

NOVICE SAILORS IN SUNSHINE SHOCK - 30th April 2006

Eight Optimists turned up at the loch on Sunday morning for the first of the novices´ series. They were rewarded with a beautifully sunny day, and wind that could best be described as "light and variable". The sailors who turned up had a very wide range of experience, from the three Airlie brothers, who are very experienced Oppie helms, to new girl Rebecca Moore.

After a brief reminder of some of the main points of sailing, the fleet sailed out to the start area, and the race got underway. Drew, Callum and Ewan Airlie demonstrated some very smooth tacking and led the fleet to the windward mark, followed quite closely by Duncan Willoughby. The wind duly died away, and the fleet was becalmed between the first and second marks. Cailean Hope decided enough was enough, and retired from the race, and in the meantime Iain Willoughby found a private patch of wind and he and Cameron Nicholls caught up with the front runners.

As the wind filled in again (from the opposite direction, naturally), Drew made the most of it to pull away from his brothers, and although Ewan kept chasing him, Drew took first place, followed by Ewan and then Callum. Rebecca, who had a secret weapon on board in the shape of her sailing adviser, Holly Hope, put on an impressive turn of speed (though the rescue boat may have been a bit of a help too). The Airlies were followed home by Iain and then Duncan, with Cameron close behind them and then Rebecca and Holly.

The Airlies had a private battle in the second race, which ended up with Drew again taking first place, this time followed by Callum (the other sailors had headed for the shore for a bit of rest and recuperation).

If you´ve got an Optimist don´t miss the next event, which is at 10.30 on Sunday the 21st of May. You don´t have to be a superstar, everyone who needs it will get some help and advice to improve their sailing. Can we beat a turnout of eight? And will the sun shine again, or is that too much to hope for?

REPORT: NOVICES´ NO WIND SAILING EVENT - 1st May 2005

The first novice event of the season was held on Sunday 1st May. The weather was absolutely horrible: torrential rain, light and fluky wind, and thunder and lightning. So the fact that eleven boats turned out is a real credit to the enthusiasm of the youngest sailors at St. Mary´s Loch. The fact that they all struggled on through the awful conditions and managed to finish their races is even better - well done to all concerned.

The event started with a brief reminder of some basic sailing terms and rules, and then two separate races were held. The four Toppers (and a solitary Laser) raced round a figure of eight course, while the six Optimists sailed a smaller triangle-shaped course.

Calum Renz got the best start in the Toppers (going in the right direction when the starting signal sounds is always a good idea!), and he sailed really well in the shifty wind to win by quite a distance. Ailsa Redpath brought her Laser home next, though obviously could not be counted in the Topper results. Duncan Nicholls recovered well from a stationary start to finish a clear second, though he was clearly not keen on the conditions. Robert Wilson and Rachel Heaton had some close racing, with Robert coming home in third place. At least both of them got a bit of speed on as the wind picked up towards the end of the race.

In the Optimist class, the Airlie brothers Drew and Ewan got away first. Unfortunately for them the wind died away on the second leg of the course, allowing the rest of the fleet to catch up as they bobbed up and down in the rain. Cameron Nicholls found some wind first, and he, Drew and Ewan were all overlapped as they rounded the next mark. Brother Callum Airlie came past Jacob Heaton, who had managed to get caught on the mooring rope for the mark, and Duncan and Iain Willoughby were close behind Jacob. By the end, Drew won the race from Ewan, with Cameron third, followed by Callum, Jacob and Duncan and Iain.

The next novices´ event will start at 10.30 on the 22nd of May, and others will follow on July 4th, 17th and 31st. The format will be the same as the first event: a briefing onshore, followed by the race on the water, with some assistance and advice from adults in the rescue boats for those who need it. If the weather is better than first time out (and frankly it´s rather hard to see how it could be worse) then we may also do some water-based training exercises. If you have an Optimist or Topper and you missed this one, count yourself lucky but don´t miss the next event!

Roger