To all WPCA Members
This is the third epistle from me in an attempt to keep in touch with everyone. I had hoped by now that there would have been some good news to report on possible meetings, but even on the horizon it is still looking uncertain. Talk of the emergency measures lasting until the end of the year contrast with other comments that we could be seeing an easing of the restrictions in May . . . or even April. It's difficult to wade through all of the comments and come to a realistic conclusion. For what it's worth, CCSC are hoping to get back to possibly opening in May so that we could start to have some Tuesday evening meetings . . . but that is in the lap of the gods at the moment. In spite of not being able to have our normal Winter talks programme, we have, thanks to efforts by Sara and Jane, ably supported by Peter Anderson on the 'technical' side, been able to have some Zoom talks, which have been extremely successful and well received. If you haven't joined in with one yet, do get in touch with Peter or Sara who I'm sure would be happy to guide you through the process so that 'on the night' you will join the meeting like a Pro. Contact numbers for Peter and Sara are available on last year's Fleet and Boat lists - which I am sure you have a copy, or if not, check out the website - wpca.org.uk. Alternatively email them at the addresses at the end of this email. A Few Words from the President We are now in the second month of 2021 and, by the time you receive this, week 6 of the present lockdown – where has that time gone? We have had two very good talks over Zoom and I hope those that attended them enjoyed the evenings. Jeremy Prescott will be returning in March to give another talk and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance came along on 16 February to give us an insight into their work. Please try and support these talks. Zoom has become a necessary part of our lives and the Club AGM this year will have to be held online as it is unlikely that there will be any sort of socialising or normality by the end of March. Look out of for the Preliminary Notice in the next few days. Your Committee are still looking for guest speakers to give us talks. So far we have booked Jeremy Prescott who gave us a fascinating talk on the history of the Victoria Cross medal. On Tuesday 16 March Jeremy will be talking about "The Sinking of the Laconia". Get your Zoom app installed asap and keep a close watch on emails for future talks Lastly my thanks to Michael for putting together a news sheet every few weeks. It is important that we don’t lose touch during this difficult time and hopefully as we all have our vitally important jabs we will soon be able to get together again. Sara President WPCA Email Alert from Peter Anderson (membership & Webmaster) You will start to see WPCA emails from a new email address: noreply@wpca.org.uk Please add this address to your Contacts to help stop these emails going straight into your Junk folder. If these emails require a reply, there will be a ‘Reply to' link at the foot of the email. Seaweed farm update No more news on the Seaweed farm. It seems likely that it has now gone on the back burner and will either not happen, or may re-emerge in a different guise in WeymouthBay
Prada Challenge Cup Racing Those of you who have already watched the Prada racing with the AC75 'flying yachts' will have been disappointed that the racing last Wednesday had to be postponed because of a Covid flare-up in Auckland (NZ). The Wednesday and Thursday races were re-scheduled for Saturday 19th Feb and Sunday 20th at 03:00 (UTC). I watched Saturday's races on U-tube today and they were as thrilling as the previous ones. Sir Ben Ainslie had a hard climb ahead of him, being 4 races down after last weekend, but if anyone can pull it out of the hat it will be Ben. I'm not going to spoil it by giving the results, but it is well worth watching. I can't wait to see Sunday's races. If you haven't watched any of the racing to date go to U-tube and search for "Prada Challenge Cup Finals" - the racing is stunning even if you are not a racing enthusiast. Pip Hare You may have read in the news that Poole sailor, Pip Hare, completed the Vendee Globe Single-Handed non-stop race and finished a very commendable 19th out of 33 starters. 8 Boats retired including Alex Thomson (Sponsored by Hugo Boss). Pip had little or no chance of winning as she sailed a rather old 'conventional' boat whereas many of the others had foils. Against other non-foil boats she came 7th, and overall was the 2nd female finisher, beaten only by Clarisse Cremer who now holds the title of the fastest woman to finish the Vendee Globe. This was a fantastic achievement by Pip, and being local maybe we can get her to come and give us a talk in the future? You can read more via the following link https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-56111102 Moorings I have been advised that the moorings will be inspected in late March. Ian, who does the inspection, has purchased another boat with twin hulls, which provides a much more stable platform for the inspections. It either comes with, or he is having fitted, a hydraulic crane to make lifting the chains to the deck easier, as well as the ability to lift sinkers. Much will depend on when his new boat is in service. I don't seem to have much else to say at the moment, other than I hope you are now thinking of getting back to your boat and splashing a bit of anti-fouling around. You have my best wishes for this endeavour! If you have any questions for a committee member, do bear in mind that the Committee have easily remembered email addresses . . . Sara Lloyd - president.wpca.org@gmail.com Martyn Simmons - treasurer.wpca.org@gmail.com Peter Rigby and Chris Reid - cruising.wpca.org@gmail.com Peter Anderson - membership.wpca.org@gmail.com Jane Atkinson - secretary.wpca.org@gmail.com Jacquie Crawley - social.wpca.org@gmail.com Me - mooring.wpca.org@gmail.com I trust you are well, and doing your best to avoid Covid . . . . we do want to see you back in action this summer. Kind Regards Michael Gregory Mooring Officer 01-305 889165 07832-560043