Christmas Ebb and Flow - 2012 - Cushendall Sailing and Boating Club

Christmas Ebb and Flow - 2012
BAR OPENING TIMES
Sat 22 Dec; 2 to close
Sun 23 Dec; 12noon—6pm
Tues 25th Dec; 12-2pm
Wed 26th Dec; 2-6pm
Thurs 27th Dec; 2-8pm
Fri 28th Dec; 2– close
Sat 29 Dec; 12-6pm
Sun 30 Dec; 6-9pm
Baby Paul
Karl
Lowry...
How long
before he
is seen @
CSBC in a
Topper?!
Dec Race Results
Saturday’s race was a cold
affair, with a gentle breeze
alw ays thre atening to
strengthen. The two fifteens
sailed best to the conditions
with Kennedy Hamilton and
Serena McIlhatton taking
first, followed by Tommy
Rowen and Roland Ritchie.
Christmas Day
Drinks & canapés
1200-1430hrs
Members and
guests welcome
COMMODORES NOTES....Can’t believe that the sailing year is almost over—seems no time since we
were putting the cruisers in the water and running the sailing school over Easter. Not a great season
(weather wise) but week after week our hardy sailors took to the Bay and more than made up for the
rain with their enthusiasm. Lots of kids sailing this year and its great to see our Juniors improving
their skills. Special mention must go to our new Irish Champions (RS400 Sprint) Paul McLaughlin and
Michael McKinley who won in Dun Laoghaire in Oct. Great performance in a strong fleet and special
mention was made of their aggressive starting techniques—no doubt learnt on our starting line in the
Bay on a Sunday! Just a final few events in December including the Bar Race, Turkey Race and Fun
Race on Fri 29th Dec—so come along and join in the fun. Hope to see you all on Christmas morning for
the usual festive cocktail and for those that have not eaten too much turkey—there is a rugby/
football match on the Club Green on Boxing day (afternoon) - bar also open. So to you and yours—have
a great Christmas and Happy Sailing for 2013. Kevin Lawrenson—Commodore
Sailing now finished for the season—watch
website for details of first race in 2013—Sat
16th March—with supper after in the bar!
Pico Challenge Friday 28th December 2012
A fun race to end the season Teams must include at least 1 person
over 35 and 1 person under 20. Prizes for winning team. Boats will be
provided by CSBC. The challenge will be a relay race around a short
course and the relay will be Grand Prix Style, i.e. boats start on the
slipway and have to come into the pits (ashore) to 'refuel' (with next
team member). Everyone must be in fancy dress! Prizes for winning
team, hot toddies available in the bar. Teams will be drawn from
a hot on slipway before sailing! WARNING SIGNAL 12.55HRS
What’s on in Dec
15th Dec
Santa arrives at 1600hrs —with a
little help from the Redbay Boats
Come along to the Club and start
Christmas in style!
Christmas Day
Christmas drinks from 1200hrs to
1430hrs. Enjoy a glass of bubbly
with friends in front of a fire
before returning home for the
turkey and plum pud!
Boxing Day
Football and rugby matches being
organised! Players needed—no
experience necessary. Bar open
in the afternoon from 2pm
Fri 28th Dec
Come and have a drink in the bar
and celebrate the end of 2012!
Function Room can be booked by
members for weddings, christenings,
parties etc. For bookings,
costs and details contact Ann
McLaughlin2@aol.com or call her
on 07802-766425
Events for Jan/Feb 2013
Sat 26th Jan
Burns Night with Haggis, neaps
and tatties—with a wee dram!
Our first event of the new year.

Sailing Review 2012—from the Sailing Secretary—Andy Hillan
My other hobby is farming. I bought a
herd of Aberdeen Angus heifers now all
heavily pregnant with their second
calves. I have spent many’s a morning at
5am in sub zero temperatures, separating
one out from the rest for artificial
insemination before I travel to the
airport or Newry. At this point, I often
think why I am I doing this? And I comfort
myself in the thought of the pleasure
I will get watching them grazing in
the fields and meadows in summer with
little calves skipping behind them. Joan
nags at me – “Have you not enough to be
doing without running after them coo’s
(she is developing a thick Ballymena
accent). I remind her of the calm summer
scene that awaits us, of shiny black
coated cows grazing lush summer pasture.
For the last 2 summers I have driven up
the lane after work and watched the
cows and calves trying to get shelter
behind the ditches as the biting easterly
wind from Slemish drives the horizontal
rain at them. The fields are
saturated and getting into a terrible
trampled mess. This is stress! At this
point I often think of the pleasure I
will get in the winter time when I am
“AI”ing cows in the early morning in sub
zero temperatures and the lovely warm
feeling on your frosted hand when it is
inserted into the bovine rectum to direct
the insemination gun.....well you
just have to keep thinking that the best
is yet to come.
It is the same with boats and sailing.
The best is yet to come...... we keep
telling ourselves that anyway, and only
one or two good sails is enough to prevent
us from visiting Apolloduck come
the Autumn. Just one good weekend is
enough to bring us back for another season.
2012 was bad, but we got those
good weekends and events and so already
we are thinking of launch dates.
This year we got lots of easterly winds –
sore on the cows and sore on the moored
boats in Redbay. Lots of late evening
dashes to the refuge of Glenarm or Ballycastle
– with the boats, not the cows.
For the first year I can remember on
one occasion, so many boats were looking
for shelter that these safe havens could
not accept any more visitors – they were
like sardines. We also got plenty of becalmed
Tuesday and Saturday evenings .
Here is how the season unfolded, and it
wasn’t all bad.
The opening race was scheduled for May
8 th (I have given up on April starts .......
but feel inclined to try it again for
2013). It didn’t take place until 2 weeks
later and the Tuesday series never really
got going until well into the month. Osprey
was, at this time, having varnish
applied externally between
the downpours – not good varnish
conditions (at this point I think of
the pleasure I will get when I have
it all scraped and sanded off
again) ; she didn’t hit the water
until June. The Tuesday series was
superbly supported as ususal by Red
Alert, Wardance and Aurora. Gunsmoke
also deserves credit for
turning up week after week – the
rest of us were intermittent attendees
on the line but big Red and
Wardance were always going to be
close at the finish – after 6 or 7
races out of a scheduled 17, Red
Alert took the honours.
Campbeltown away was scheduled
for June 16/17 – I cancelled it on
the Wednesday and just as well –
Easterly gales battered the North
Channel that weekend. The McAlister
Cup of the following weekend
was postponed as we all headed to
Ballycastle for the first Ballycastle
regatta. The weather was not good
– boats rounding Fair Head on the
Friday had big winds and big seas to
navigate and Saturday racing was a
mixture of light airs between the
squalls of 35mph winds. But it was a
great event and congratulations
and credit to Moyle DC, in particular
John Morton for having the
foresight to host it with our assistance.
Some very nice prizes were
taken back to Redbay and Red
Alert, the star of the show made a

Great sailing—lots of cruisers and dinghies on the water!
full half colour page in the Belfast Telegraph.
Gunsmoke also did very well in
the high handicap section.
The Jimmy Clerkin was next on the
agenda – on the last day of June - Marc
had a frustrating season with Saracen,
in terms of available crew and work
commitments but this was his finest
hour and he came through in first place
after a very competitive race in brisk
winds.
Into July already, and we hosted Campbeltown
on July 7/8. Light airs were
forecast, and light airs became the reality
with the race abandoned after 3
legs – the Redbay round of the North
Channel Shield is always our best performance,
so a no-race result meant
CSBC were sucking the hind tit and it
was advantage Campbeltown for the
2012 trophy. Disappointing racing, but
as always the après sail is always good
with our Kintyre cousins.
The following weekend was the scheduled
RBB Offshore to Islay. Paul Lowry
has been trying to house train me into
prompt race starts for years, so in a
cooperative spirit I stayed on board
Osprey the night before the 7am start.
Too much Lagavulin I am afraid, and as
crew arrived from as far away as Cullybackey,
I slept on oblivious to the time.
We got away at 0720, somewhat of a
record early warning signal and this was
the sail and the weekend that would
bring us all back for 2013. We sailed all
the way to the finish at Otterard Rock,
a very close race that came down to
seconds between the fast boats (only
seconds separated the slow boats also –
hint for Tom to supply a second trophy
The young bucks on Aurora seemed to
think that they had won it and popped
champagne on the deck that
night ....... they were right they did
win it and deservedly so. They carry
celebratory liquor every where they
go and win lose or draw, they know
how to enjoy themselves. Oisin
joined us from her travels further
North, and quite a few of us headed
to Gigha the next day and enjoyed a
beautiful night at anchor in Ardminish
bay.
July 21/22 was the turn of EABC to
host their regatta – Osprey did not
make it. We took a break from cows
and boats and headed to Mayo to
climb Croagh Patrick and cycle ridiculously
long journeys through the spectacular
scenery of the wild west. The
easterly on-shore winds of the east
coast obliged by backing westerly as
we hit the west coast – so our weather
beaten tan was in no danger of fading.
At home, EABC Regatta had strong
winds and the lads took a pounding on
passage around the Garron.
July 28 Sports Day – horizontal torrential
rain but we had a picnic on
Cushendun beach.... it is amazing how
much better you feel when you give
up hope!!
August 11 th was RNLI day – it was cancelled
due to no wind and the fine summer’s
day had us all kerfuffled and
discombobulated (look it up in the dictionary).
A few yachts with tenders in
tow motored to Cushendun for a few
pints in Randal’s – we sat outside along
the river supping pints - it could have
been a scene from the Riviera - this
was how it was meant to be for Sports
Day, but no matter - we always take it
when it is going. RNLI was rescheduled
for the following week – we raised
£100 for the charity and Wardance
took the pendant..
The regatta followed – another excellent
event with a strong show of EABC
boats – Bambi was fast and very expertly
skippered and crewed. A number
of home bred vessels suffered
gear failure into Sunday, leaving a reduced
field to thrash it out for the
silverware – Insider always one for the
big events eventually winning the Day,
but no matter - we always take it
when it is going. RNLI was rescheduled
for the following week – we raised
£100 for the charity and Wardance
took the pendant.
JB Wilson and the event overall in the
fast section. Wardance was a mere 3
corrected seconds behind in the JBW
– another very competitive event that
makes all the effort worthwhile. Gunsmoke
took the chequered flag in the
slow boat section, but only because
Osprey was injured. Skippy will take
issue with this unbiased opinion!!

Sailing Review 2011(cont)
Aug 25/26 saw the exodus to Kintyre –
the greyhounds of the fleet did not
travel. We missed Aurora, Wardance,
Red Alert, Saracen and Insider .........
but Oisin and Osprey stepped forward
and proudly flew the flag for CSBC. We
came a very credible and respectable
second in the North Channel Shield! Bit
like my cousin who was a great boxer –
second best boxer in Ireland at his
weight in fact ............. he had 54 fights
and came second in every one. Anyway,
Tommy and I mused over the race results
in the Mouton Noir as we opened
the second bottle of Jura whiskey and
we came to the technical conclusion
that the Clyde Handicap System is
shite. I will soon lobby the Handicap
convenor whoever he is.
An extended season – an event in September
and a great weekend to round it
all off. We all raced in brisk conditions
and had a fab social night on the Island
paradise they call Rathlin This was for
the McAlister cup and the old salty seadog,
skipper of Euforia Chris McCarthy
took the cup, if only because Osprey
had a novice crew who did not like the
boat leaning to one side....... if you get
the impression Osprey is becoming a
sore and bitter loser, then that is because
Osprey is becoming a sore and
bitter loser.
At this point, I have to remind myself
of the Annual dinner 2013 and who is
going to present me with the trophies
and cups that we soon once again be
competing for....... always the optimist.
We have a lot of very nice trophies and
recovering them is always difficult in
time for the Annual Dinner – we need a
nice display cabinet in the club very
soon.
In the meantime, a very Happy Christmas
to all and here’s hoping for some
good sailing in 2013 – no matter what
the weather gods hold in store, some
cracking weekends are guaranteed that
will keep us returning for more. And
once calved, cows also come back into
heat year after year.......... oh the joys
of sailing and farming..
Irish RS 400 Sprint Champions
Congrtulations to Paul McLaughlin and
Michael McKinley who won the Irish
RS400 Sprint Championship in Dun
Laoghaire on Oct— in the words of
Royal St George Yacht Club.... ’they
finally fulfilled their promise with a
win over a strong fleet, with consistency
combined with aggressive starting
technique, which saw them rarely
out of the top 4 in the no discard series’.
What a fantastic result...well
done lads!
Ebb and Flow—a big thank you
A big thank you to everyone who contributed
to Ebb and Flow throughout the
year—thank you to Tim, Ciaran and Paddy
for endless great sailing pictures, to Andy,
Michael, John and Paul Lowry for their
sailing updates, to the Committee for all
the news and finally to Emmet for getting
it on the website. If you have any ‘bits’ to
include we’d love to hear from you.. We’d
also love to get more photos to include—so
send thme as well—just think—in another
50yrs this will form part ouf our history!
Please send any contributions to
Annmclaughlin2@aol.com
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE AT CSBC AND HAPPY SAILING IN 2013
WHY GO SAILING?
Oh, I must go down to the sea again
To sail o’er the wind and the surf
Though I’m not all that keen
If you see what I mean
But, I must get my money’s worth.
Oh, I must go down to the sea again
Though the sky is full of snow
I’ll check the wind and the tidal state
And hum and ha and procrastinate
‘Till it’s far too late to let go.
Oh, we must go down to the sea again
Out on the bounding main
But, be in no doubt
We’ll be going flat out
To get the hell off it again.
Oh, I must go down to the sea again
To follow a guiding star
But, the sky’s clouded over
So this jolly jack rover
Is marooned in the clubhouse bar.
Oh, I must go down to the sea again
For the in-laws are coming to stay
Not just to say hi
As they pass on by
But, they’re staying all through
Christmas day.
(and they will probably stop over to
see in the new year as well, knowing
them.)
Oh I must go down to the sea again
Tho’ the winds like a whetted knife
Cause being at sea
Is less stormy you see
Than being at home with the wife!
MERRY CHRISTMAS