Burghfield Sailability

Latest Newsletter

2012-01-16T08:58:00.001-08:00

You can now see the latest Burghfield Sailability Newsletter online by clicking here.

Photos of the RNLI/Sailability Charity Challenge

2011-10-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

You can see some images taken of the Sailability boats at the RNLI/Sailability Charity Challenge by a member of Burghfield Sailing Club at sportography.tv.

Tony Lawton talking about Sailability on BBC Radio Berkshire

2011-06-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Here's our own Tony Lawton being interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire about his life and Sailability. The Sailability section starts at about 27 minutes into the programme.

Tony on BBC Radio Berks by TonyLawton

Click the orange button to play.

Challenger Open: a view from the leadboat

2011-05-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Friday 6th May saw 11 Challengers out on our lake at Burghfield for the Challenger Open, to be held over 2 days. The weather was gloriously sunny and the wind, as usual, very fickle and shifty. Even the course itself seemed unpredictable as the race officers changed their minds about it as soon as everyone was on the water for the first race.( I was impressed with all the sailors who came prepared with pens and arms to write on!)

This time I was not buddying a sailor but helping in the lead boat. Having to stay ahead of everyone for at least the first lap of every race meant I had a great view of all the goings on behind us. During the first race Graham’s bright green sail was the first to follow us. Graham seemed to know where the wind was because he kept his green sail up front and the gap behind him got bigger and bigger. Who needs a lead boat? I thought. So I watched the fleet behind him. So many wind shifts meant 11 Challengers quickly spread out over the entire course and positions kept changing constantly. I noticed some tactical manoeuvres to push competitors away from marks, almost like a chess game. Graham came in first quite comfortably. The next race, after a quick lunch, had the same course and even though Graham came in first again, though only just, the race itself was very different. A lot more competition and Val making everyone at the front work very hard! Some of the manoeuvres were amazing to watch. Tactics seemed to play a big part in sailing, at least among the fast fleet.

The race officers decided to change the course for the last race and send everyone around the whole of the lake, almost from one end to the other. The wind had picked up quite a bit. Big surprise at the start line: I saw Graham stall his boat! What happened? He’ll catch up, I thought. The race was on between John Draper and Val, who seemed to do opposite things, John staying west, and Val going east , around an island. Which was the better choice? Eventually Val just managed to get ahead at the windward mark, and then caught a wonderful breeze which carried her far ahead all the way down the lake and even round the next mark. That evening, at a wonderful dinner at the clubhouse I found out that she hadn’t planned to go round the island but was forced to by Judi- it backfired!

Saturday’s weather started with heavy clouds after some strong showers during the night, but the sun came out later on. It seems to be the norm that the race officers change the course the minute everyone gets on the water after the briefing. This time I came prepared with a pen! There was more activity on the lake due to the sail training centre, but the officers managed to set a nice course using almost the entire lake. The wind seemed to be more steady at first, but there were a good few islands and shallows to negotiate. One race in the morning, a helpers’ race at lunchtime ( 4 helpers went out), and then two more races, back to back. I was amazed how the positioning changed, just by the fleet having to beat, or go round an island, or both! I couldn’t always follow all of the moves since all of the challengers were spread over the whole of the lake. One memorable move was an almost perfectly synchronized turn round a mark by Graham, Val and John, who were racing neck on neck. All three boats turned at the same time, like water ballet! A wonderful performance, and in front of the clubhouse!

The last race started with a surprise: Patrick and Judi in the lead round the first mark! Very closely followed by Graham, Val and John. Watching them as they followed us to the next mark was brilliant! All 5 so close together! But as soon as they rounded that mark they spread out, as if they wanted to flee from each other as fast as possible! The next mark was to wind, with an island in the way. Due to having to beat, negotiate an island and probably trying to outmanoeuvre one another all 5 were very much spread out as they came round that mark, and their positions had changed completely.

Watching all this made me realize just how much the unpredictable winds , islands and shallows make racing on our pond a gamble and also a kind of chess game, like when two boats are trying to outmanoeuvre each other and a third one sneaks up and has the last laugh. The only surprising consistent element in all this was John Draper. No matter how often his position throughout a race changed- he always came third across the line! So even though Val rightly said at the prize giving that you can never be an expert on our pond because no two races are ever the same, we have got an expert in coming third!

Heike

Photos thanks to Simon Smith ( who was also the Senior Race Officer for the Day). More photos of the day from Simon (and larger versions of photos here: Burghfield Challenger Open 2011 photos

If anyone wants a large, high quality version of an image for personal use, let Pat or Jay know which one, and Simon is happy to provide a non watermarked version for printing.

New online donations

2011-05-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

With help from the Berkshire Community Foundation an online donation facility has been set up for Burghfield Sailability at http://localgiving.com/charity/burghfieldsailability

Donations made via the website can benefit from GiftAid, so for every pound donated, Sailability receive £1.20. Please therefore bear the website in mind if you or anyone you know is considering making a monetary contribution, although the purpose of this is to let you know it's been set up, not a begging note!

First Sailability session of 2011 - Apr 14th

2011-04-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Picutures and videos from the first Sailability session of the year.

Forthcoming Dates for 2011

2010-12-02T04:41:00.000-08:00

New Year Social – Bring & Share

Thursday 27 January

Training Sessions

Wednesday 9 March 19.30

To cover:

Ropework

Rigging

Awareness of other water users

Wednesday 23 March 19.30

To cover:

Meteorology

Capsize Recovery Theory

More ropework/recap

Q&A

Wednesday 6 April (Autism) 19.30

Practical training – Saturday 9 April 09.30

Preseason Social – Cheese & nibbles Thursday 31st March 19.30

Start of Sailability – Thursday 14 April 18.00-20.00

Challenger Open – Friday 6 & Saturday 7 May

BSC/BSTC/Sailability Open Day – Saturday 14 May

Access Open – Wednesday 1 June

Sailability Funday & Barbecue – Saturday 6 August

Last Sailability 2010 – Thursday 1st September

RNLI/Sailability Challenge – Sunday 2 October

End of season social Bring & Share – Thursday 13 October 19.30

Sailability dinner – Saturday 12 or 26 November tbc

Latest Newsletter

2010-12-02T04:40:00.000-08:00

You can now view the latest newsletter online by clicking here. You can also see a summary of some of the news below.

Review of 2010 by Charles Benham

Thursday Evenings

It is pleasing to report that the number of members increased again this year with a total of 64 individuals going afloat. This was matched by an increase in the number of our own helpers with some welcome new faces providing much appreciated assistance. We were very pleased to welcome Ian Smith as an additional Senior Instructor to relieve the pressure on Ivor. In addition to our own helpers, members were accompanied by some 92 carers, helpers or parents many of whom also went afloat.

We have had use of the Cheverton Champ motor boat for a number of years providing a boating experience for those not wishing to sail. Sadly this is no longer available which has reduced our options although the BSC Committee boat has been available as a partial substitute. Following the attempted theft of the outboard, the Pioner powerboat was also unavailable for the last two weeks of the year forcing us to cancel sessions for our wheelchair users.

The Challengers have been much in demand this year and we are grateful to Tony Lawton for use of his boat when not needed by him.

Racing

We again hosted very successful open meetings for the Access and Challenger Associations. The number of entries for the Access meeting at 29 was apparently a record and there were some 15 wheelchair users which kept the hoisting team busy. The racing at both meetings was close and the weather good. Our thanks to all the helpers who were able to attend and our Race Officer team who do such sterling work. Tony Lawton and David Vickery have again flown the flag for Burghfield at Challenger meetings ably supported by the Burghfield Boys (and increasingly girls) who are in demand as travelling helpers.

Social Activities

Our usual range of socials were well attended giving an opportunity to mix. Jackie Clark again. organised a very successful dinner in the clubhouse.

Accommodation

The Berkshire Sail Training Centre moved into the new building last winter and the main club has agreed that we can use the main classroom and kitchen of the old school building on a shared basis. It is hoped that when the other room used by the school is vacated it may become available for the storage of buoyancy aids etc currently stored in the tin shed.

The exterior woodwork and doors were in a very poor state and our thanks go to the Club and especially Peter Colvin and Ivor for carrying out repairs. In the summer we were approached by Deloitte who offered a group of volunteers to carry out some work for us. It was decided to ask them to decorate the inside of the building which as a result is a much brighter place.

Awards

In future the Committee will be awarding an annual shield donated by Charles Benham to the most improved sailor. This year it was awarded to Dani Morris and was presented at the annual dinner. Our congratulations to Dani.

Financial support

I would like to acknowledge financial support in cash from numerous individuals and organizations. These have included club members, the RYA, Waitrose, Deloitte, Hutcheon Examination Services Ltd and Burghfield Sailing Club.

2011 – the forthcoming year

Sailing programme

We will again be running 21 sessions commencing on Thursday 14th April and finishing on Thursday 1st September.

Training programme

It is planned to hold four training sessions. Two will cover the theory aspects of the Level 1 RYA dinghy certificate Wednesday 9th March and Wednesday 23rd March (19.30 – 21.30). These are aimed at all our members and helpers. I hope as many of you as possible can attend. The theory sessions will be followed by a practical session on Saturday 9th April starting at 09.30. This will give people a change to put theory into practice and for those not attending the theory sessions time to blow away some of the winter cobwebs.

Karen Mehta from Konnections has agreed to give a talk on Understanding Autism. She will also touch on the practical aspects of epilepsy.

A note from Charles

On a personal note, I have been Chairman for 10 years and it is time to hand over the tiller. Andy Palmer-Felgate has agreed to take over and we will act jointly for this year. I am sure everyone will continue to provide him with the support and help that I have received.

Joy and I were overwhelmed by the presents we received at the dinner. The vase and clock already have pride of place. We would like to thank everyone for their generosity and good wishes.

As you may know I was recently honoured to receive an RYA Award for Volunteers. It was presented to me and 43 others on 18th November. Although this has my name on it I believe it is in recognition of what the whole Group has achieved over the last decade. We should be very proud as I know I am. Finally, although I am giving up as Chairman, Joy and I will still be helping on Thursdays (volunteers for tea duty gratefully received) and we look forward to seeing you at the New Year Social.

And a note from Ivor . .

who wishes to thank everyone for the watch which was presented to him at the Dinner Dance

More Pictures from 2010

2010-11-11T02:07:00.000-08:00

Pictures from 2010

2010-11-11T01:55:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from the 2010 Sailability sessions

The Challenges of a Challenger Buddy

2010-11-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

Last year,my second year sailing and helping with Sailability, saw me buddying a sailor in a Challenger for the first time in a race. It was the RNLI/Sailability race and we were a bit short staffed with helpers, so I was “thrown in”. It was a bit like “the half blind leading the half blind”, as my sailor had been in only one Challenger race before, with a very experienced buddy, and I had crewed an Enterprise 3 times during the Wednesday evening races.

Sitting on those buddy seats is a weird feeling. There is nothing between you and the water except the bit of plastic you sit on. There is a bit of back to lean on and a bit for your feet to rest on, though it’s not great when your legs are on the short side like mine. You are very exposed and in the open, the wind and water get to you, so warm dry clothing is essential.

We braved the elements on that very cold day for all three races, trying to communicate in the best way, and came 2^nd in our category! It wasn’t until the day after that the responsibility of it all hit me: it was up to me to keep the sailor,and me, safe! And keeping the boat safe! And getting us through the course safely ,too! Bearing in mind that Challengers can be dangerous, because they are very pointy and not easy to tack, and I’m a novice. I suppose that was a taster of what was to come this year.

Access open at the beginning of the season. Would I buddy Tony? I felt honoured to be asked, but nervous, too. A very experienced and seasoned sailor, though challenged greatly by his vision and hearing, and a total novice, though ablebodied, in one boat. I felt we were very mismatched. As one fellow competitor later asked: Did you have a domestic out there on the lake?

A great season of sailing followed, crewing an Enterprise on Wednesday evenings in the races, buddying in a Challenger and once or twice even sailing one, amongst other things.

Then came Rutland! I was very much looking forward to going with the Burghfield Boys, helping with and experiencing a Multiclass Regatta, held in mid August. Dave Vickery and Tony Lawton were competing. Shortly before the event Tony asked David Martin and me if we were willing to buddy him. Wow. Our Access experience in April hadn’t put him off and he was willing to risk it again, I thought. It wasn’t until we got there that I found out I was his official buddy for the entire week-end.

If you’ve never been to Rutland: It’s a huge lake! 14 miles long, shaped like a horseshoe. No islands, but you have other objects to avoid, like the water towers, the big day cruise ship, not to mention all those fishing boats and their long casting lines!

Six races were scheduled, 4 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. The weather on Saturday was horrible! Very windy and wet. As one commentator said: anything that the British weather can throw at you was thrown at us! The downpours were horrendous! Worst for me was the course itself. Each class of boat had its own course on the Saturday. Our course was a simple trapezoid, anticlockwise, but it was huge!! And very far away from the launching area. It took us almost half an hour to get to the start line. A strong lee shore made launching and retrieving boats difficult. When you finally got to the start line it was a case of: “Where on earth is the first mark!” The windward mark was so far away that you couldn’t see it with all that wind and rain coming at you. Trust your instincts. And added difficulty in this course was the “gate”, a short line on the starboard side of the committee boat that you had to pass through after each lap. That was the one rule that had puzzled me and I tried my best to understand it. Good thing as it later turned out. I would have struggled getting through this line had I been the sailor, guiding Tony through it was really challenging. My communication skills were being challenged ,too, by it all. Tony explained that 80% of the information a normal person receives from the surrounding are taken in by the eyes. I had to relate all that information verbally. The Saturday races were the hardest thing I have ever done. The waves alone! It was like bucket loads of water being chucked at you the whole time, while coping with the downpours and the winds, and watching for other boats, trying to locate the next mark and communicating. The “boys” had attached a bar, made of rope, to the buddy seat, to give me extra support for the legs and feet. It did help a lot. Tony and I struggled through the third race-so much wind and heavy rain- we were getting very tired. A massive black cloud appeared and I could hear thunder! We’d had enough! Time to retire. We’d already spent 6 hours on the water! 6 hours for me talking him through the race course and around other boats and obstacles. 6 hours for him concentrating on what I was saying and acting on it. And physically 6 hours battling with the elements! Boy! Did I appreciate our little “pond” at Burghfield! I was utterly exhausted!

Sunday saw lots of sunshine and somewhat calmer conditions, though still plenty of waves. All classes took part in the same course, the one we had the day before. Just before the final race, while we were “drifting” and talking to Dave Vickery, the two boys decided to have a time of “male bonding” and managed to intertwine their two boats! I had to leave the bit of safety of my seat and scramble and crawl to the front to untangle the boats and get back to my seat( not easy when there’s nothing much between you and the water).Next on the start line a small 2.4 collided with us and I had to climb out of my seat again and unhook his mainsheet from our sponson. The whole affair pushed us too fat to port and we tangled with a Challenger! Climb over to the other side and untangle us again! I was so glad when we finally got away.

The week-end was very hard and exhausting work, both physically and mentally. I take my hat off to all those other sailors! Was it all worth it? When you look at the two first prizes we got I suppose the answer is yes. I felt honoured and pleased having helped Tony to achieve that. Would I do it again? Not in a hurry!!! Famous last words and little did I know.

Only one month later and we were back at Rutland, for the Challenger National Championships, to be held over 3 days, and both Dave and Tony competing again. We arrived Friday mid morning, to the most horrendous wind I have experienced in a very very long time. You were lifted out of your boots just standing on the shore, and a lee shore at that! To everyone’s relief the two races that afternoon were cancelled. But the rescue team, and that meant our boys this time, did have a training session. Thankfully the weather conditions were a lot calmer the next day, and sunny, though still a strong force 4-5 wind. The course was much shorter this time and not so far away, but we still had a lee shore. I realized with dismay that it was up to me now to get our two boats ready, since the boys were out on the water getting the course ready. I just hoped nothing would go wrong, cause all our spare gear was locked away in the cars, and with the boys out on the water, I had no access to it. We managed to get on the water, but unfortunately I hadn’t done a final check. Our sail was hooked up wrong and therefore twisted. We kept going in circles and discovered that one side of the rudder hadn’t been attached to the tiller. Luckily we were still within reach of the launching crew and they helped us rectify at least that problem. I had no extra bar on my seat. Big lesson here: take your time, think and prepare properly!

Sailing with a twisted sail wasn’t great. A shorter course meant that the faster fleet got past us quicker, so more boats to watch out for. The wind was stronger, colder and the waves bigger than what we had in August. Quick lunchbreak, then off again, this time with a properly set sail. But we were hardly off when Tony yelled something about not being able to control the sail. The main sheet was jammed between the rudder and the hull. There was nothing for it but climb into the boat behind Tony and unjam us, with no shore crew to help. I’m getting to old for all this climbing like a monkey! The afternoon races were a lot more enjoyable, despite the waves and the wind. Dave’s boom collided with his head as he tried to come ashore after the last race. He ended up in hospital, needing glueing and stitching. We think his sail must have dropped with the strong winds, therefore the boom was a bit too low. 2 more races on Sunday. Dave didn’t compete, so only Tony’s boat to get ready. There was water in all three hulls that needed draining. The wind was a lot stronger, still lee shore. At one stage the wind lifted the boat off the trolley. We had to unthread the mainsheet to keep the sail facing downwind so we could launch stern first. That meant threading the main sheet all the way in again while on the water. Due to other races happening on the lake our course was moved further away and was more exposed. OMG!!! The waves were huge! How we managed that one race we did and how I managed to stay on the boat I do not know! Twice I nearly fell off the seat, while we were beating. There was nothing to hold on to. How I missed that rope bar! What was I doing the night before? Too busy enjoying our 30 year Challenger celebration dinner and worrying about Dave and his head injury instead of thinking about a piece of extra rope for my seat! Balancing when the boat is tipping so much you can see the centreboard above the water( according to the boys in the powerboats) is really challenging. A few times I ended up sitting on the edge of the main hull, holding on to the back of Tony’s seat. The rule about not leaving the buddyseat during the race, unless it’s an emergency, had to go. This was my emergency! Also twice we were hit by the waves so hard the seat I sat on and me came up off the boat and bumped back down again. That was soo scary!!!Why am I doing this!? The whole race was one survival exercise! ( I later overheard the race officer telling someone that he died many a deaths just watching all of us sailors from the committee boat). It was extremely difficult to tack the boat in those conditions. When you stall the boat you only get in the way of other sailors. Even rounding the windward mark and sailing away from the wind didn’t make things easier. The waves still hit us and everything got drenched. The strength of the wind and waves forced the water through every crack and stitching in my sofar trusted and warm motorbike overall. Up to then I only ever got damp lower arms and legs, and wet feet, now I was very wet all over. Added to all that was the sheer noise from the wind! Even when my voice wasn’t drowned by all that water being thrown over me Tony still couldn’t hear me clearly enough anymore. We had reached our limits! Time to retire. But we still had a bit to go. Avoid all the other races and boats. And where did that big cruise boat come from? That difficult lee shore, having to let go of your main sheet completely, without the stopper knot, just at the right time so no one gets hit by a flying sail. I was so full of tension and anxiety that the minute I got my feet on the ground, but being up to my waist in water, I burst into tears. I felt so relieved! It was over! Our wonderful beachmaster took one look at me, sent everyone off with Tony, and gave me a big hug with these words: “ On behalf of the entire Challenger fleet a big Thank You! You’re doing a great job. You’re giving Tony a chance to sail, and to compete,and you’re keeping him and everyone else in the fleet safe!” How I needed those words. I was back on solid ground in more ways than one. And that’s precisely why I’m doing it! I learnt a lot, including recognizing our limits. A race in those coditions again? NO , Thank You!

A final big Thank You to Tony and all the Burghfield Boys( including Jackie!) for all your support and help and for giving me great sailing experience, though the last race was a bit too scary.

Heike

New Website

2010-10-30T10:32:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the new Burghfield Sailability Website. Check back soon for all the latest news and events at Burghfield Sailability.