by Tom Whittingham

I hear it was a fabulous weekend at Bowmoor and the University Windsurfers made the most of it;  no reports of all the comfy chairs being occupied by sleeping students who partied too late into the night this time round.   I hope the early start to racing on Sunday was not a shock for our regular competitors and the wind was as good as it was at Grafham Water (where I was).    

There has been a good response for divers to search for foils, rudders and kit lost in the lake.  We are not coordinating a date where we can do this safely without impacting other activities.  Thank you to all who have responded.

This coming weekend we have the Byte and Laser Open event on Saturday and then a fun racing format on Sunday – please see the detail below and note it does not entail everyone sailing Zests, you will be using your usual boats!

The club is hosting multiple open meetings over the coming weeks. Enter online in advance via the club website to get a free lunch included within the entry fee:

ILCA and Byte Open Meeting (25th March) - Enter Here

Phantom Open Meeting (1st April) - Enter here 

The format will be standard handicap sailing in your own boat (not Zests unless you really want to).  Please sign on by 10:30am.

We will then split the fleet into 3 handicap flights of equal size based on the boat PY handicap.  Then randomly select a boat from each flight: fast, medium and slow to form a team. 

There will be 3 races, one before and two back-to-back after lunch with 3 starts and normal race rules will apply other than you can help or advise your fellow teram members.  The overall team score will be the total combined score of the team across the 3 races. There will be prizes and we hope we can rapidly work out the results on the day.      

It's meant to be fun so give it a go.  

Our Spring Work Party Day is set for Saturday 22^nd April.  Please save the day to help out.   This is the day we sort out the Club facilities, boats and grounds after the ravages of winter and make sure we are ready for what could be a fabulous summer season.     More detail is to follow but we can do with as much help as we can muster.  There will be things everyone can turn their hands too and the more support we get, the more we can do and quicker we can complete the task list.  More details to follow – watch this space.   

You may have noticed that we have laid the bases for a further 15 camping pods.  The pods already ordered will start to be installed form next month.  If anyone is interested in owning a pod and hasn’t already been in touch, please contact Mike Dyer vice-commodore@bowmoor.com for details. 

Byte Association Training - 8th April

The Byte UK Class Association are pleased to announce that their annual April training will be held this year at Bowmoor Sailing club. Book here for the event and sign up to the class association to allow you to join other Byte events across the country (at a reduced entry fee).

https://bowmoor.com/product/byte-uk-association-training-day/

Open Water Lifesaving - Training Courses

With open water swimming becoming increasing popular in the UK, Bowmoor Sailing Club would like to offer to members a two-day course which can literally help save lives. Book on the website soon, as all places were taken last time we ran these courses.

 Open Water Life Saver course. 2 Days - adults. Mon 24th & Tues 25th July 2023

Tailored to those students who want to progress in their RYA instructor qualifications, or adults who want to learn essential life skills in water based emergencies. The course provides a pathway for anyone that aspires to become an open water lifeguard. However, it is also excellent development for RYA instructors and also provides essential safety skills for our open water swimmers.

Rookie Life Saver Course.  2 Days - Under 16s. Wed 26th & Thurs 27th July 2023

Attendees will learn important life skills to recover themselves and others in water-based emergencies. This is the perfect stepping-stone for those that aspire to become RYA instructors in the future.  

Saturday 25th March
11:00 - ILCA and Byte Open Lake Closed 11:00-16:00
Sunday 26th March   
11:30 - Team Handicap Races 
13:30 - Team Handicap Races x 2

Thursday-Friday 30-31 March

10:00-16:00 - Inter-services Team Racing

Saturday 1st April
11:00 - Phantom  Open Lake Closed 11:00-16:00
Sunday 2nd April
11:30 - Handicap Races 
13:30 - Handicap Races

15:15 - Personal Handicap Race

Saturday 8th April
09:00 - Byte Training 
Sunday 9th April
11:30 - Handicap Races 
13:30 - Handicap Races

15:15 - Personal Handicap Race

Monday 10th April

11:30 - Pursuit Races

13:30 - Pursuit Races

15:15 - Pursuit Races

Monday 10th - Thursday 13th April

08:30 - RYA Dinghy Courses

Saturday 15th April

09:00  - RYA Powerboat Course

10:30 - Youth Regatta

Sunday 16th April
11:30 - Handicap Races 
13:30 - Handicap Races

15:15 - Personal Handicap Race

Saturday 15th April

09:30 - Club Work Party Day