What’s been happening!
September has been a very busy month at the Club with many visiting sailors, particularly of the younger variety.  The Topper National series saw 145 boats on the water and this was followed by the Midland Zone Championships featuring Optimists and Windsurfers as well as Toppers.

Earlier in the month we had a successful Club Regatta and Bart’s Bash with an Average Lap race in the morning for all fleets followed by a 60-minute pursuit in the afternoon while the youngsters contrived to have lots of fun on the latest incarnation of Jon Hughes’ obstacle course.

AGM papers and Standing for Committee
The Club’s AGM is scheduled to take place on the Wednesday 9th November at 7:30pm and it would be good to see as many members there as possible.

In readiness for the AGM, each member has a copy of the AGM papers available for collection in the Club’s lounge. They will be available to collect until Monday 3rd October after which they will be posted. If you are able to collect, this will save a huge amount on postage.

How about standing for the General Committee?  Even with our excellent full-time staff, there is still work to be done in guiding and developing the Club.  We do need more hands on deck, particularly from anyone with skills in Finance, Facilities Management/Property, Human Resources, Marketing/Sales & Legal.

If you are interested, the proposal forms can be found next to the collection boxes in the Lounge, the Waterside Reception (shop) or the office.  Completed forms need to be submitted to the Waterside Reception or the office by Wednesday 26th October 2016.

Women on Water @ Draycote (WoW)
It was with a little sadness that we had our last Tuesday evening sail of the season and the weather graced us with near perfect conditions and a spectacular sunset.

WoW will continue to meet during the winter as long as the weather allows so if you fancy joining us we are meeting every Saturday between 2-4pm in October (there is a sub of £4 per session that covers boat hire and refreshments).

We will look at dates on a month by month basis, and keep sailing for as long as the weather allows.   It is really important that no-one loses the momentum of what we have built up over the summer and certainly for those of you who have recently come off training courses – getting as much practice as possible for as long as possible is key to you using what you have learnt on the courses and applying it as often as possible.

So what’s the plan:

• All Saturdays in October between 2-4pm are free for us to meet – 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th (and even if weather is not conducive then we can meet and walk round lake – lovely coffee shop at Toft Alpacas!)
• There will be a ‘Try a Sprint’ Saturday on one of these October dates when to have a go on a catamaran – date to be notified
• Sunday 2nd October – Get Racing happens on the first Sunday of every month and is a fully supported session to get you gently into the racing.  The group will meet (fully kitted and rigged) on the patio at 10.30 for a pre-race briefing.  The group gets its own start behind the other sailors and is supported by an on-water team who will advise, offer suggestions and provide you with the help you need.  You will receive a reminder via e-mail or on the Facebook page
• Check out the Draycote website for news and events happening throughout the year here http://draycotewater.co.uk
• Please use the group to organise your own sailing together – it doesn’t always have to be on a Saturday as the water is open every day throughout the year.  Or e-mail Caroline Noel who will pass on any messages if you don’t use Facebook
• Use the club Facebook page to post if you are looking to have a go at crewing for someone as its a great way to get lots of practice and helpful advice from other sailorshttps://www.facebook.com/DraycoteWater

Your contact for WoW is Caroline Noel on 07813 765864 or Caroline1957@icloud.com

Forthcoming events:
Saturday 1st October – Laser Open
Sunday 2nd October – Get Racing
Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th October – Finn and Blaze Inlands
Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th October – RS Tera End of Seasons Championships

If you have anything you would like mentioning in our future emails then please send details to office@draycotewater.co.uk.

Happy sailing!

Draycote Water Sailing Club