Port Edgar Yacht Club
Minutes of the Committee Meeting held onTuesday 30thSeptember2014,
In the clubhouse
- Attendance
Terry Kirchin / Geoff Bowerman / Jim Gilchrist / Ian Hards
John Murphy / Maggie Quayle / Neil McDougall / Peter Collins
- Apologies
Niki Charleston
- Matters Arising
Events - Terry commented on the last three weekends at the club. Thevarious bridge
celebrations and our regatta had been great fun andwere very successful. The marina, clubhouse and river were buzzing during all these events and it was encouraging to see this . Terry thanked everyone who had helped over the three weekends.
Dinghy Park–A club compound still looks like a possibly attractive option and we need to restart discussions with PEHL on this matter. One possibility would be to take over the car park to the west of the clubhouse. This is outwith the marina area but PEHL has control of this area at the moment and we should see if there is any possibility of us gaining the use of it.
Clubhouse update –There has been little obvious progress on the proposed hub development this month although Neil has been assured that it is still on track for completion in 2016. Neil understands that PEHL are currently in discussions with people interested in running a café/restaurant and bar on the site. Neil is awaiting plans for the new hub and more details of the financial arrangements PEHL would hope to agree with us on the basis that they lease us a bare area within the hub building. It was agreed that until we get this there is little that we can decide and no point reporting back to the membership.
There was some discussion on whether we should continue to look at the possibility of staying where we are in the old clubhouse. This would appear to be a cheaper option and would help keep our fees down. We have lost 60 members since this year’s increase in fees and although 45 new members have joined we need to be sensitive to our level of fees and its impact on membership.
Maggie pointed out that although the clubhouse appears on the surface to be surviving quite well there are a number of underlying problems that would have to be addressed if we contemplated a long term future. The necessary repairs are likely to be extensive and fairly expensive.
It was agreed that we would have to keep the current clubhouse as a fall back option until we have a clearer idea of the new proposals and their likely cost. At the last AGM there had been a clear preference for a move to new premises and this needs to be kept in mind during future discussions.
- Planning
Review of Yacht Activities–Jim Scott has produced a paper reviewing our yacht racing activities over the last few years.This showed that average race turnouts in the main yacht series are recovering to be close to the 2009 level, although still only 74% of the club’s peak
numbers in 2003. Overall, 40 different yachts competed in the main club series in 2014.
Handicap Split -The change in the handicap split between Divisions 1 and 2 has been very successful. This split point change, along with increased racing by club 707s, has had a dramatic effect in the 2013 and 2014 racing fleets. Division 2 is now on average the larger class and although Division 1 turnouts have reduced, the numbers remain entirely viable. We now have a very active racing scene in Division 2, which represents the lower-cost, entry-level area for yacht racing, an essential requirement if we want to encourage more yachts to participate.
Hybrid Courses – The introduction of hybrid courses in 2013 allows us to run single class races with a potential handicap spread of 150%. The concept involves a large first round followed by one or more shorter windward-leeward rounds.This has been largely successful in providing achievable course lengths with sufficient challenge, while giving roughly equal sailing time across the handicap range.
Yacht Courses –Restrictions caused by the new bridge works have caused various problems with our race courses this year. In particular restrictions on where we can lay marks in the waters to the east of the bridges mean these courses lack variety. In an attempt to partially solve this a number of west courses were introduced suitable for use in E or ENE winds. On the few occasions where they have been used they were successful and the Sailing Committee
will look at expanding the range of these courses to encourage their use and improve the range of east wind races.
707s – There has been an increase in the number of 707s racing this year which is encouraging. The training courses held this year were oversubscribedand very successful. The committee thanked Rachel for all of her efforts on behalf of the 707s. Their success has been in great part due to her attention. There has been a request that we buy new mainsails for our 707s. These will cost around £1500 each.The committee felt that if the 707 sailors can raise the £1500 for one sail the club will fund the other one.
East Coast Sailing Week 2015 –Terry has received an agreement document from FYCA. It was agreed that Terry should sign this on behalf of the club and it would form a basis for next year’s event. It was agreed that it should run from Thursday to Sunday which means the dates will be from20th to 23rd August. Geoff has agreed to be Event Manager and has started preliminary work. He envisages an event similar to the last time ECSW was at Port Edgar but with other surrounding activities to attract more people to the marina:perhaps a cruising muster and a rowing event. He is already talking to sponsors and it seems likely we will have good support. Geoff is keen to use outside catering and the committee agreed that he should investigate this option.
- Current Issues
Dinner Dance – This will be held on Saturday 8th November. This is earlier than usual but is the only date that was available. It was felt that it is too early and causes various problems. We should try to make it later next year even if this means we have to move venue. There was some discussion on who should be awarded our special trophies in the gift of the committee. This will be finalised in time for the dinner dance.
Yacht Regatta– This year’s regatta was very successful. Although light winds caused problems at times a good series of competitive races were completed. It was agreed that we have a winning formula with good courses which work well. Despite the light winds we did get results for the Burts Bash race and this is likely to be run again in 2015. It was agreed that we should talk to FYCA about ways to involve more clubs on the Forth in the event.
- AOCB
Race Box - Pete Collins reported that our race box was in need of some attention. The roof is leaking and one of the windows is broken. These can probably be repaired fairly easily but the structure is now old and in fairly poor condition. It was felt that we should be considering replacing it and Geoff agreed to look into possible options.
Club Investments – Pete has been reviewing our banking arrangements and the way in which our funds are invested. He feels that these could be revised to give us a slightly better rate of interest and fully secure them under the bank guarantee scheme. The committee is happy to take Pete’s advice and he should reorganise things as he sees fit in the best interest of the club.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 25thNovemberin the clubhouse.
Therebeing no further business the meeting closed at 9:30pm.
Port Edgar Yacht Club Ltd, SC229998, registered in Scotland1/3