Windmill Newsletter - Earlswood Lakes Sailing Club

This time last year I was just setting out as Commodore,
we were going into our 50 th year, there was a full lake of water
and plenty of sailors. The first part of the year went brilliantly as
there was a great training course with 22 adults taking their first
voyage with the Earlswood trainers. It was an exciting time. We
were then told of some maintenance work and the need to drop
the water level. We all know how that story ended.... We did
have enough water for the 50 th anniversary mega pursuit race
with our hope of 50 boats taking part, it was to my relief when we
Grand Splash ~ Sun 18 March
Laser Open ~ 1st April
Easter Egg ~ 8th April
Back on the water coaching
sessions: Sat Mar 24th 10am
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1st Training Weekend ~
21st and 22nd April
Windmill
Spring 12
Up and Coming
registered the 51 st boat!
52 dinghies’ made the start on
this monumental day and I would like to
thank you to everyone who took part
and helped on the day. Despite the low
water levels and a few days lost we still
recorded fantastic sailing figures and it
fills me with confidence as I look
forward to the 2012 Grand Splash and
the Saturday sailing season. Our new
jetty is all but finished, it was made
slightly more challenging because we
had to guess where the water level was
going to be and we seem to have got
this spot on. There is a full program of
social events this year with this year’s
highlight being the Olympic flame
breakfast. On the Sunday of our
second training course the Olympic
flame will pass through Earlswood so
we will be organising bacon and
sausage sandwiches for a breakfast
party. It will be good to see as many of
you there as possible.
Darren Layton
ELSC Bingo ~ 31st March
Working Party ~ 31st March
Barn Dance Sat 19th May
Laser Training ~17th March 10-
1pm

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The AGM in brief
� Sailing figures were up on last year despite the low water levels. Low water levels arose due the draining of the
lakes to allow repairs to be carried out on Engine lake; however problems on the canal network meant that
water levels did not rise again.
� The major expense for the year was the new jetty which was paid for out of savings. New lockers & wallet lockers
had been purchased as part of a facelift for the changing rooms.
� Training courses had been very full; 12 boats plus juniors in April, good attendance in July too
� Club land is now fully held in trust by the flag officers of the club.
� Thanks were also given to Maggie & Mary for expertly cleaning the
clubhouse despite all the mud!
� Bingo on 31 st March. The Olympic Torch will be passing through Earlswood
on 1 st July, day 2 of the training course. Trainees & club members are
invited to attend a breakfast event & to watch the Olympic Torch pass..
� Training income raised more than £4000 Thanks to Alex.
� There had been a small loss on social events mostly due to subsidised 50 th
celebrations.
� Hire of club boats £100 down on previous year probably due to low water
levels.
� The bar profit had increased due to less wastage but also to due to refund
on the return of a CO2 cylinder. The galley had made a good profit.
� Increase in rates as we had under paid last year due to receiving the wrong discount.
� Water up due to washing mud off boats? Electricity reduced due to changing to a cheaper supplier
� Slight increase in expenditure on maintenance & repairs
Training Update from Alex Layton
We have arranged a day for members to get back on the water after
the long winter and loss of water the date is Saturday March 24 th
starting at 10am.
Please put this date in your diary, we will have instructors on hand so if
you feel rusty we can help, or maybe want to try a different boat out.
The advertised spring training is on: April training 21/22 nd
We have 4 places for adults and 5 for juniors. (£149 and £119)
The summer course is: June 30 th July 1 st
We are also planning to do a stage 3 for juniors in October
If you need to discuss any training please ring me on 0121-430-
7521.Also, Alan Wright will be running OD Safety Boat Coaching on
demand throughout the season. If you are interested in building your
skills and confidence please ask Alan at alanw-sailaway@ntlworld.com
Alex Layton
The club washing machine is broken
– again!

ELSC Officers 2011
Commodore
Darren Layton~01684 275512
dlayton@uk2.net
Vice Commodore
Robert Marshall~0121 705 9711
robertmarshall@stonebowave.freeser
ve.co.uk
ELSC Secretary
Sandra Boot~0121 745 5593
sshelo@tiscali.co.uk
Treasurer
Steve Perring~0121 744 8821
sgperring@aol.com
Sailing Secretary
Alan Wright~01926 773 786
alanw-sailaway@ntlworld.com
Membership Secretary
Louise Busby~07990 972998
louise.busby1@btinternet.com
It’s easier to communicate with you all via email in most cases, so don’t
miss out and join the Earlswood Lakes Sailing Club email D-List. Very
useful for OD Duty swaps, finding a crew, finding a helm… the
possibilities are endless.!
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Post message: earlswoodsc@googlegroups.com
List owner: James Patterson.
Notes to ODs:
Please write the results on the boards in the
clubhouse.
Don’t forget – selling tea and coffee and getting it
organised as early as possible helps the galley
takings and keeps Maggie happy.
Tidy results sheets are easier for Alan to read please.
The weight should be further forward in the boat!
ELSC Committee 2011
Training Principal
Alex Layton~0121 430 7521
Layton10@blueyonder.co.uk
Elected Member
Terry Bridgewater~01564 742513
terry.bridgewater@virgin.net
Social and Grounds Secretaries
Sue Stewart~01564 700 023
suestewart1@btinternet.com
Iain McDowall~01564 826486
iainmcdowall@live.co.uk
Jenny Parsons~01564 702016
jparsons957@btinternet.com
Website and Windmill
James Patterson~07710 040 556
james@jamespatterson.org
http://www.earlswoodsc.co.uk/

Edition 25 - My last 6 years as Windmill Editor
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I took over as Windmill Editor from Dave Vanes in 2006 and have
produced four Windmill newsletters a year since then. I’ve decided recently
to publish as many as I can find online on the website on a “History” page
linked from the home page. This is my 25 th Edition since taking over, and as
I’ve looked back through my time in the scribbler’s chair and read back
through the previous Windmills from the 1960’s, I’ve realised that nothing
much has changed in the life of the scribe. If anybody has any copies of the
Windmill or early “Youll Log” I’d be happy to collect and catalogue them.
Please check your drawers etc.
I think one of the things that probably is different is the amount of
people who actively take part in contributing to the Newsletter as it seems
there was a more diverse editorial selection previously, but I guess people
are busier now. However, if anyone wishes to contribute or muse on the
issues of the day then I’m happy to collect your rambles and match them to
a photo or two.
Culturally, we have moved on too, as Earlswood used to have an
active Ladies section with a healthy rotation of coffee mornings, and it was
definitely the ladies “responsibility” to staff the galley and serve the
refreshments. I guess to some extent Maggie and Mary are still doing an
amount of this in the background but clearly the responsibilites are spread
around the OD’s and AOD’s in terms of staffing the galley.
I’ve gone through a lot of styles over this time and this latest style
will probably do well for at least the next 2 years and then, who knows, it
might be time to pass the torch. Being scribbler in chief also really means
that I’m photo editor and snapper in chief too as it is hard to tell the story
with just words. I use Google’s Picasa to manage my photos and with it’s
facial recognition technology I can easily find a photo to fit a gap. It tells me
that I hold 155 pictures of Jenny Parsons (cos of prize givings) but only 51 of
Skip Dufrane. This one being my favourite!
A picture and a paragraph is the
newspaper editors maxim all over the world.
Scribbler
james@jamespatterson.org

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Spring Sailing Fixtures

Silverware Winners 2011
Hangover Handicap (NT) ** no race **
Icicle Peter Newbery
Snowflake David Lawrie
Grand Splash Terry Bridgewater
Easter Egg (NT) Neil Marshall
Junior Champion Cup Ellie Boot
Spring Saturday Mark Cuxson
Spring Saturday Pursuit Bob Lewis
Sunday Morning Points Alan Wright
Spring Class (Merlin Rocket)** no winner **
Spring Class (Laser) Robert Marshall
Spring Class (Enterprise) Graham Bentley
Spring Class (Solo) Malcolm Clark
Spring Class (Menagerie) Graham Bentley
Midweek Steve Perring
Commodore's Shield Ian Ingram
Midsummer (NT) Ian Edwards
Summer Bottle (NT) Peter Newbery
Junior Series Paisley Hall
Saturday Improvement Toby Robertson
Summer Saturday Pursuit Bob Lewis
Summer Morning Points Toby Robertson
Sunday Burgee (NT) Graham Bentley
Novice Series ** no winner **
Terry Palmer Trophy Steve Perring
Twilight Peter Nottingham
Novice Endeavour Cup Ellie Boot
King George Fund (NT) Mike Guest
Brass Monkey Mark Cuxson
Winter Class (Merlin Rocket)** no winner **
Winter Class (Laser) Steve Perring
Winter Class (Enterprise) Richard Halton
Winter Class (Solo) (NT) Iain McDowell
Winter Class (Menagerie) Mike Guest
Winter Saturday Mark Cuxson
Saturday Winter Personal James Hatton
RNLI Paisley Hall
Frostbite ** no winner **
Boxing Day Bottle (NT) Dave Fereday
Blue Sail (Enterprise) Ian Ingram
Interclass Cup Mike Guest
Interclass Vintage Cup Mike Guest
Best crew Bob Lewis
Best Improver Mark Cuxson
Laser Open Peter Newbery
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‘Haul’ of Fame 2011
New venue, new prize winners, some new attendees and a good time
was had by all. The Henley Golf and Country Club hosted this year’s
Annual Dinner Dance and Prize Giving, marking a change from
previous years where we felt the George had lost it’s edge a little. We
were rewarded with a bumper turn out, an excellent venue, with
excellent food. Even the disco seemed to work without Adrian
spinning the plates. Another triumph of organisation by Sue Stewart.
Now will the real James Hatton please stand up!

With over twenty boats the Laser fleet is the largest at Earlswood and is continuing to increase in numbers
(albeit slowly). Points that may be of interest to the Laser sailors (or to those who wish they were Laser
sailors!!) are:
Laser Open – 1st April
Our Open this year is on Sunday, 1 st April with the first
race starting at 11am. This is a fantastic opportunity
to test your skills against a complete spectrum of
skills held by visitors in a Laser-only fleet. In previous
years we have had about 20 competitors and I
hope to match that again this year. Pete Newbery
has won the last two years and it would be great if
he could make it a hat-trick this year. As well as
prizes for the top 3 (including a cup for the winner)
there are prizes for 1 st youth, 1 st junior, 1 st lady, 1 st
radial and 1 st 4.7. Earlswood’s renowned lunches are
available for a small cost.
If you’d like to race but aren’t a Laser sailor I’m sure that there are laser sailors who won’t be entering
who would be prepared to lend you their boat for the event. Please ask around.
Laser training – 17 March
Hone your skills at a training session from 1000 – 1300 on 17 March so you are in tip-top condition for the
Open with enough time for the aches and pains to disappear before the 1 April. I’ll circulate a proposed
timetable separately.
Buying bits for the Laser
As far as I can tell there are no Laser parts shops to visit anymore so it’s on-line or nothing (unless you know
better). The ones I use are:
Laser performance – they’re based at Long Buckby and may have bits if you visit. Their website is
shopeu.laserperformance.com, and phone number 01327 841600.
Sailcraft – used to be a shop in Northampton but seem to have moved to an on-line method. Website is
www.sailboats.co.uk and phone 0845 3100 300.
Purple Marine – used to be in Walsall but believe they’ve moved to Queen Mother Reservoir in Datchet.
Website is www.purplemarine.com/dinghy/ and phone 0845 643 5510.
Rooster Sailing – specialise in replica spares that are cheaper but not class legal. For some items they
supply the laser official part but not all. The UKLA is trying to discourage use of replica parts on Lasers and
you won’t be able to use a boat with obvious replica parts (like a sail!) at an official UKLA event (such as
an open). Their website is www.roostersailing .com and phone 0845 388 0330.
I find it worth shopping around as they do charge different amounts and have differing stock levels. They
seem to run out of items quite often but not all at the same time. I recently had to buy a new top section
(it was bent like a banana so there was no leech tension) – Laser Performance didn’t list it (they’d
removed it from the website because they were out of stock); Sailboats listed it but were out of stock;
Rooster only supply replica top sections and Purple Marine delivered one the next day.
UK Laser Association (UKLA)
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Laser Matters (or Lasers Matter!)

The UKLA is the class association for the Laser in the UK. Membership is £30 pa and gives you the following:
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� 10% off Laser insurance with Noble Marine.
� Quarterly magazine with handy tips on going faster (some of which push the rule boundary!)
� Access to the members section of the website (www.laser.org.uk)
The UKLA organises the national championships and regional training sessions – entry into either requires
UKLA membership.
Midlands Grand Prix series
This year there are 19 open meetings (ours on the 1 st April). They provide the opportunity to sail on big
lakes, little lakes, in big winds and in large fleets. The variety helps improve your skill level against a range
of skills – from the very good (like Pete who is normally in the top three) to the ‘could do better’ (like me).
This year’s programme is:
Day Date Location
Saturday 24 March Tamworth
Sunday 25 March Chelmarsh
Sunday 1 April Earlswood
Sunday 6 May Swarkstone
Saturday 12 May Blithfield
Saturday 19 May Carsington
Saturday 26 May Barnt Green
Sunday 3 June Ogston
Saturday TBC Olton Mere
Sunday 10 June Burton
Sunday 24 June Hollowell
Sunday 1 July Rutland
Sunday 8 July Notts County
Sunday 9 September Trimpley
Sunday 16 September Trent Valley
Sunday 23 September Shustoke
Saturday 29 September Draycote
Sunday 30 September Nottingham
Sunday 7 October Staunton Harold
If you’d like more information about any of the above (or anything else about the Laser) or have
thoughts about making our laser sailing even better please give me a call on 07831 170987.
Best wishes and happy sailing. Robert Marshall Laser fleet captain
Micro Rules Update!
An outside boat must give an inside boat room to sail TO the mark and to
sail her PROPER COURSE while at the mark.
Under the old rules, as Yellow is Starboard boat, she could have sailed on
and forced Blue to gybe before she got to the mark. She would only have
to give Blue room, while they were at the mark.
However, the new rules include a new concept of mark-room:
“Mark-Room: Room for a boat to sail to the mark, and then room to sail
her proper course while at the mark…” Therefore in this situation, even
though Yellow is Starboard Boat, when she enters the 3 hull length zone,
she must bear away to give Blue room to sail to the mark.