Stokes Bay Sailing Club Springs Back into Action
by Emma Pearson 13 May 2021 16:31 BST
Wednesday evening racing at Stokes Bay © Emma Pearson
After what's felt like a never-ending Lockdown 3, Stokes Bay Sailing Club has truly sprung back into operation. The enforced shutting of the club and minimal sailing has allowed for various upgrades and improvements to be carried out in time for the new season. And my, have we had a busy spring!
Sunday racing started as soon as it was possible to, quickly followed by the Wednesday evening race in early April. Over the winter, the club has upgraded and modernised the system for the bridge to reduce the requirement for duties and move signing on to an online system so you can sign on from home.
Our lovely caterer, Jo, has been providing food from the "Pop-Up Galley", AKA the garage under the clubhouse. Bacon or sausage baps for breakfast, a selection of sandwiches to choose from at lunchtime, crisps, cakes, tea, coffee, soft drinks and other snacks are available on Sundays. Wednesday evening Jo has had a different take-away dish each week, ready for collection after sailing.
The area known as the Commodore's Lawn is undergoing a re-vamp with two new picnic benches made from recycled plastic and the existing round benches are being refurbished by member Toby Keppel Compton. The lawn itself has had a tidy too, making the area much more pleasant for tea and cake.
A few weeks after regular club activities had started again, Stokes Bay held the annual skiff open for B14, Musto Skiff, RS700 and RS800s. Reduced to one day only, the sun was out in force and there was a pleasantly surprisingly good turnout despite a rather fluky forecast. The same weekend, we also had an Easter Egg-Hunt (a bit later than Easter, mind) and an accompanying raffle.
Our Saturday kids club, Cadets, is also going strength to strength under new direction from Musto Skiff kings and parents Gavin Brewer and Bruce Keen... together, known as "Goose". The first Cadet session was attended by over 30 young sailors and smiles stretched ear-to-ear throughout. The club hosted a Topper Regional Training weekend, demonstrating where our local sailors could be with a little practice and a little perseverance.
Inside the clubhouse, or rather on top of the clubhouse, the roof replacement is going ahead at a rate of knots in the dry weather we had recently. It has been a major expenditure but the investment will ensure the longevity of the historic building. The club bar has had a clear out with all the short-dated stock going to a local charity and a neat new lick of paint to update it and brighten the area.
Most recently, our long-serving club administrator Debbie Wood has retired after 25 years. The club greatly appreciate everything she has done for us and hope to see her on the water soon. Stokes Bay have since hired a new Debbie, Debbie Woodward, who is settling into the job well.
As you can see, the club has truly sprung back into sailing with a super healthy and highly active membership. Stokes Bay SC hope to see you soon for an open or day-sailing.