Captains Log

A lot has happened since my last Captains Log, the United States has changed Presidents and the World appears to have gone into financial meltdown. Every news story seems to be one of doom and gloom! A time to be cautious!

However, whilst not wishing to “hex” things, it appears JOG is not suffering too badly. We have now completed our first inshore and offshore races. Both events were well attended with numbers matching those of previous years – no decline at all. So, as I am not the superstitious type, I will keep my fingers crossed and scratch the backstay whilst touching wood so that it may continue!

Our first race of 2009, NAB tower, was well attended on what can only be described as a blustery day. The sun was not in a mood to come out to play and for the second year running I was “bruised” by hailstones as we approached the finish. A good days racing nonetheless!

Easter weekend was, of course, our race to Cherbourg and back. Contrary to last year, when the race was postponed due to the weather, this year’s races were in light airs both there and back. The persistent drizzle and rain all the way over on Good Friday did nothing to improve moral and virtually every competitor reported how cold the crossing was. The saving grace was the Yacht Club bar staying open late.

Our Sponsors for the race to Cherbourg, Northface Connections, were incredibly generous and kept the wine flowing during the party on Saturday. The speeches were short and the drinks long - everyone was happy. It was a pleasure to see so many people enjoying the sport and it was a reminder of exactly what JOG is about – destination racing with parties at the other end where Competitors and Club members can meet and socialise!

Those of you who competed in the Cherbourg races will have read the Sailing Instructions notice of boats possibly being Safety Checked at the destination. This theme will continue throughout the season. If any Competitors would like assistance with understanding the safety requirements of our racing then please email me and I will be happy to provide help.

Your Committee Members have been working hard over the winter months and continue to beaver away at the many tasks that ensure the Clubs success and future. One area of concern we do have is rising costs (no surprise there really!). To try and keep costs to an absolute minimum we are moving communications with Members over to email. There are some items that will still be posted, such as the JOG Yearbook, but everything else we will endeavour to send via email.

To facilitate this change I would like to ask ALL members to email our Secretary or myself with an email address to which you would like to receive your JOG correspondence. Please help us with this project. It is my intention to have a complete email mailing list by the end of the summer.

In the meantime, we have a lot of racing to do and no doubt, a bit of partying too.

See you on the water.

Paul Harding
Captain