Dave Clark

Dave Clark, who was a long standing member of FYC, a keen and successful racer in his series of boats called "Eauvation", and a key person in the setting up of Largs Yacht Haven, passed away last week. His funeral service was on Wednesday, 23rd December in Fairlie Parish Church. Our thoughts are with Dave's family at this difficult time. Personal memories of Dave are welcomed on the forum.

Helensburgh SC Winter

pic Charles Milton

Helensburgh Sailing Club will once again be running our very successful winter series early in 2010. There will be two races each day, run back to back, off the club with starts for Fast and Slow handicap plus Toppers. We have a new club house, under floor heating in the changing rooms, great kitchen, a bar and an experienced race team who are very keen to get you on the water and racing.

Dates : Sunday 7th & 21st February, 7th and 21st March . 1st Race will start at 12:30 each day
Entry fee : An inflation bursting £25 for the whole series which includes a space in the dinghy park for the duration of the series.

Felicity Green

Clyde Yacht Clubs Association

You can peruse and download the provisional racing calendar for 2010 on the CYCA website. Key Clyde events are much as usual - Bute Race Weekend 24/25 April. Savills Kip on 15/16 May and BDSS on 28-31st. Mudhook Old Pultney IRC on 12/13 June. There is also some general stuff of interest and as far as handicaps go it is established that you can have dual handicaps for both furling headsails and full race rigs. Furling drum height is also part of the allowance. Take a look

To Boldly Go

Now I know this isn't the right ship but I happened to be in Dundee (City of Discovery) the other week and took a photo of the RRS Discovery, the vessel built in Dundee and used by Capt. Robert Falcon Scott on his first Antarctic expedition (1901-1904). The point of putting this up is as a link to a real-time daily blog of Scott's actual diaries of the ill-fated second Antarctic expedition - the one everyone has heard about where the ship was the Terra Nova. At time of writing this we are at 2nd December 1910 and things are not going well on the voyage from New Zealand to Antarctica with dogs literally being blown off their chains. This gets a strong recommendation to add to your daily internet time-wasting and makes an interesting comparison to life on the Open 60s etc about which we read so much.

Sailing For Sport

Without wishing to intrude on Marineblast's video provision you absolutely have to set aside 16mins to watch this historic film from the Scottish Screen Archive about sailing on the Clyde in 1961. It features Clyde Week and young people learning to sail on strange old boats some of which are possibly still lurking on the Holy Loch. If anyone can spot any of our old-timers as youngsters then do let us know. While conspicuous is the absence of specialised sailing clothing besides the odd yachting cap and very occasional 'Mae West' , it conveys a rather different scene to what we know now, not to mention the Kelvinside tones of J.A Kerr Hunter.