English (UK) Flag Officers Friday Newsletter
Welcome to the Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club Friday newsletter.
The last two weeks have seen us return to much warmer and more settled conditions, and the bay has been very busy. Members have enjoyed racing, cruising and of course socialising at Plas Heli. The new benches are a great enhancement to the deck, with members and guests able to watch all the activity in the bay, with the RYA 420 squad training last week providing a great spectacle!
The new WiFi networks are bedding in, and 2021 members can enjoy a faster and bespoke network . Further information and password details are below.
Recent changed to Welsh Government COVID restrictions now allow 30 people to meet outdoors, three households can meet indoors, and outdoor events can be planned for up to 4000
Some solid racing results by club members over the last two weeks with "Jac Y Do" (Mark Thompson racing 2 handed with Phil Jackson) winning the ISORA offshore race to Holyhead in light airs taking 19 hours, "Pata Negra" (Andrew Hall) an excellent 11th overall in the RORC Myth of Malham race and "Harley Quinn" (Dave Leather) winning the last weekend of the spring series.
If any one is setting off on a cruise this weekend or in the near future, don’t forget that we are always on the lookout for interesting articles for inclusion in our newsletters, and thanks to Rachel Pollard for the cruise report below. All contributions and photographs will be welcome and can be sent to
Plas Heli also took delivery of a number of additional finger berths which will not only increase capacity but enhance the pontoon area. Many thanks to our CHPSC volunteers for all the hard work involved in their installation.
Plas Heli is looking to employ a bosun, hours to be determined, but it will predominantly be covering weekends. Duties will include managing the fleet of safety ribs, security and maintenance, and assisting our event customers and pontoon users.
A PB2 certificate is desirable. For more information contact Stephen Tudor:
Panorama Lounge and Restaurant @Plas Heli
We here at Panorama lounge & restaurant would like to thank you all for your continued support. The Welsh RYA Youth Championship is being held at Plas Heli this weekend and we have a few tasty meals planned at Panorama, so why not pop in and have a meal and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Booking is recommended as we are limited on tables.
WIFI Plas Heli
We are pleased to inform you that Plas Heli, the operating company of The Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre has provided CHPSC members with a new dedicated and separate WiFi system
This is part of the reconfiguration of the WiFi distribution at the Centre and will be a great benefit for 2021 paid-up CHPSC members. The service will be fast safe and reliable, even when under the strain of large events. 2021 Members have been sent the password for this network by e-newsletter last week.
For non members there is a guest network "Plas Heli Guest" and the password is: Plas.H3L1
There is also two further networks, one for events, and one for Pontoon users - passwords will be sent to event administrators and pontoon berth holders. It is hoped to increase the WiFi coverage to include the pontoon area, more on this as the project unfolds. This will also allow us to extend the web cam on the pontoons in addition to our CCTV coverage.
This WiFi connection has been configured to be safe for children.
Welsh Government Alert Level 2 towards 1 ( wef 7th June)
> Organised Events allowed for up to 4000 standing/10000 seated
> Elite training can take place
> Casual sailing can take place as part of exercise, 30 people can meet outdoors
> The Plas Heli compound, event pontoons, indoor classrooms and hospitality spaces are now open.
> Indoor Organised Activity for 30 Adults
> Latest RYA Cymru Wales Q & A clarifying the announcement of May 3rd is here
MÔR DEITHIO / CRUISING
Report from cruise notes by Rachel Pollard - "Quintette Too" from their current cruise to Conwy and return
Weather fair with a light breeze.
A large pod of bottle nosed dolphins encountered near Porth Cariad.
Caernarfon bar was slightly difficult as some of the buoys had changed in the few days since we downloaded the chart and in murky conditions the buoys are hard to see.
Came back into the Menai strait through Puffin sound in heavy rain, picking up a buoy in Beaumaris courtesy of Beaumaris sailing club to wait for the right time and conditions to go through the Swellies.
Rachel Pollard - "Quintette Too"
Boat share - we have had an enquiry from two members looking to purchase a share in a cruising boat - if anyone else has similar aspirations please contact us using the details below and we can match all interested parties!
Stop press! a boat has been acquired, but partners are sought! please reply to this newsletter if interested!
Any cruisers wishing to take part in the club racing this weekend, contact Stephen or Rob via the WhatsApp group or via email:
A "WhatsApp" group to enable cruisers to discuss plans etc has been set up - Join your fellow cruisers and chat all things boating by emailing Rob or Stephen with your mobile phone number to join or use the QR code below. (Please introduce yourself to the group)
Sailing at Night
Night vision
A key consideration to maximise safety in the hours of darkness is night vision. It takes our eyes in the region of 10 - 15 minutes to adjust to their best level of performance in the dark but just a brief exposure to white light will re-set the adjustment your eyes have made. Therefore for any vessel which could be out during the hours of darkness, fitting a red light at the chart table (as a minimum) should be considered. Some vessels have red lights in every cabin, the galley and the heads to ensure that night vision is not compromised throughout the hours of darkness.
Caution must be exercised with white light on deck as well. If you look up from the job you are lighting with your head torch, to face someone and speak to them, the light will shine straight in their face. If this is white light, their eyes will have to start from scratch adjusting to the dark. Switching on deck lights should be avoided and torches / head torches should be red light wherever possible.
As well as briefing their crew on night vision and the danger of exposing your eyes – or those of the crew “on watch” - to white light, skippers should also be aware and brief the crew on the detrimental effect that glasses with photochromic lenses can have on night vision. Photochromic lenses reduce night vision significantly and to such an extent that the MCA issued MGN 357 stating that “they should not be worn for lookout duties at night”.
Watch systems
In general when a vessel is at sea overnight, a watch system should be set up, to ensure that someone is nominated for the helm and an adequate look out is kept, whilst still allowing all of the crew have sufficient rest. For vessels undertaking longer passages, watch systems cover more than just who is at the helm. They should include keeping the log, making the dinner, washing the dishes, daily checks and maintenance i.e. a system which manages the running of the boat.
Where there is sufficient crew, such as on commercial ships the crew may be split into three groups each taking four hours on watch followed by 8 hours off some of which they may be standby or maintenance duties. On smaller vessels there is unlikely to be sufficient crew to allow such luxury.
There are no hard and fast rules for watch keeping patterns or rotas. Depending on the number of crew and their levels of experience, the skipper may or may not opt to be included in the watches. Even if the skipper is technically “off watch” the crew should be encouraged to wake the skipper whenever they feel the need and the skipper should ensure that the crew are clear about any circumstance to which they wish to be alerted. Again, these will reflect the experience level of the crew but examples might be if a ship is sighted or a change in the sail plan is required. An inexperienced crew may benefit from these being written down as “standing orders” to prevent them from being forgotten.
Watch rota
There is no right or wrong way of setting up a watch rota. The “right” one is the one that works for that particular voyage, on that particular boat, with that particular crew.
Consideration when drawing up a watch rota should be given to ensuring that the crew will have blocks of sleep of sufficient duration and whether loan watches are 1. necessary and 2. safe, bearing in mind the experience and welfare of the crew members on board. Different watch systems may need to be adopted for different voyages, to suit the people on board.
It could be as simple as 2 watches alternating with 4 hours on and 4 hours off (although this can become monotonous if it is continued for too long, and you will tend to spend every off watch moment in your bunk).
2 watches: 4 hours on 4 hours off
Suitable for: short passages of 1 or 2 days
Advantages: simple to follow
Disadvantages: can become monotonous and will result in sleep deprivation for many people
Other systems may change the times you are on watch each day or the people you are on watch with.
2 watches: 3 hours on, 3 hours off at night and 4 hours on 4 off by day
Suitable for: short passages of 1 or 2 days popular when sailing with just two people on board
Advantages: simple to follow
Disadvantages: will result in sleep deprivation for many people
Most people will only cope with systems like these for a short period and after three or four days their body will be functioning significantly below par. For voyages lasting more than a couple of days many people will need to be given the opportunity for a longer block of sleep each day to allow the body to regenerate. A daily off-watch period of at least 6 hrs should therefore be considered to help people maintain their regular sleep pattern and keep the body functioning properly. With sufficient people on board it may be possible to adopt 4 hour watches at night and 6 hours during the day.
2 watches: 4 hours on 4 hours off at night and 6 hours on 6 hours off during the day
Suitable for: voyages where there are at least two people on each watch
Advantages: simple to follow and changes the times you are on watch each day
Disadvantages: not particularly sociable
If however you have children on board who are sleeping at night and up in the day time, it may be better for the adults to get longer spells of sleep at night when the children are asleep and not requiring attention.
In colder conditions, it is important that people do not stay on deck for too long - which in extreme conditions may be minutes rather than hours. The cold can necessitate a different approach to watch patterns which, together with the attention span often being reduced at night, is why there is a tendency to have shorter watches during the small hours.
Watch rotas do not need to be limited to two watches, if the crew is sufficient in number and or sufficiently experienced. With three adults capable of lone watches, could work 3 hours on 6 hours off.
2 watches: 3 hours on watch and 6 hours off watch
Suitable for: voyages where there are at least three adults capable of loan watches
Advantages: simple to follow and changes the times you are on watch each day
Disadvantages: not particularly sociable
A standby category may be added to this to ensure the person on watch has an extra pair of hands to call on when required such as for changes in sail plan.
2 watches: 3 hours on watch and 6 hours off watch with standby
Suitable for: voyages where there are at least three adults capable of loan watches
Advantages: simple to follow and changes the times you are on watch each day
Disadvantages: the standby element can improve the social element, but at the same time can reduce the quality of sleep
With this arrangement, the right balance needs to be found between what the person on watch can do on their own and when they need to wake the off watch to maximise sleep in good conditions, ensuring the “batteries” are fully charged in case of bad weather.
With 4 or more adults a rolling watch system with two people on watch at all times and a person changing every two hours may be worth considering. The more people there are, the greater the time off watch becomes, but there is a danger that sleep is disturbed by the constant changeovers. This type of system is however easy to adjust if someone is sick and needs time out of the watches.
4 or more watches: 4 hours on watch with 2 hourly changes
Suitable for: larger crews on short passages of 1 or 2 days
Advantages: sociable
Disadvantages: the off watch is limited to 4 hours at a time which may be disturbed by crew changes
Having two people on watch will generally mean that whilst on watch they can cover all aspects of running the boat such as navigating, weather, cooking, cleaning, (childcare) and off watch time really is off watch and equals rest. Times should be set for dinner to be cooked / ready, the navigation lights to be turned on, the dishes to get washed etc. The less experienced the crew, the more formalised the duties are likely to need to be.
On longer voyages a “mother watch” may be utilised, to allocate “household duties” such as cooking, cleaning, washing-up etc. This is simply a slot where two watches are on duty at the same time, but for different reasons. As well as being practical it can make life on board more sociable.
A mother watch is also useful to enable preparation if heavy weather is anticipated, when having meals pre-prepared, ensures the minimal amount of time must be spent working in the galley and reduces the likelihood of having to just eat what can be grabbed easily.
3 watches incorporating a mother watch (indicated in red)
Suitable for: any voyage when there is sufficient crew
Advantages: keeps the boat ship shape and offers each watch a longer off-watch
Disadvantages: may not be as easy for the crew to follow
The options are endless, however it is advisable to keep the pattern simple. If there is a watch system in place it needs to be enforced, but the skipper needs to be prepared to modify the system if circumstances dictate.
In all but the most basic systems people will not be on watch at the same time each day and the number of hours on and off will change depending on the time of day. Ensuring it is easy to work out who should be on watch or off watch is a good step towards ensuring a smooth running and harmonious ship
2021 Membership Rates
Membership of CHPSC for 2021
The membership year is from 1st January to 31st December.
2021 Fee Structure
Primary Member - £65
Joint Membership - £115
Racing Skipper - £125
Joint Racing Skipper - £180
Associate Member - £75
Student/Apprentice Member - £30
Youth Member - £20
Dinghy Storage
Small (Optimist/Topper) £55
Medium (Laser) £65
Large (Merlin Rocket) £85
Multi Hulls (Dart etc) £95
Road Trailer £50 or £75 for 2 stacked
Box storage trailers under 10 feet £60 (£75 for larger box trailers)
You can purchase a club burgee or pay for your club calendar postage as part of your membership process!
Reasons to be a member in 2021
Pwllheli Sailing Club offers something for everyone, casual boaters, a base for cruising, racing and motor boating together with being a great venue for events, training and importantly a fantastic meeting place, with views, for friends.
In addition to all of the varied activities featured in this e-newsletter (123,700 individual e-mails sent in 2020/21 - see past copies here), membership of the club provides:
- Meeting place for like minded people in a friendly environment
- Affiliated membership of the RYA who safeguard recreational boating in the UK
- Helps to support youth sailing (CHIPAC)
- Training and Development - RYA courses run by club members
- Dinghy and keelboat racing opportunities
- Cruises in company
- Great social events - club members have priority
- Discounted berthing at Plas Heli pontoons,
- Dinghy storage in the refurbished and secure compound
- Access to CHIPAC for members children to learn to sail with experienced instructors teaching in the medium of Welsh and English
- Members can gain RYA qualifications through volunteering experience at club events.
- Advertise your Holiday Accommodation to a target audience of visitors to the area during events (small fee applies)
- Receive regular e-newsletters with useful information
- 10% discount at the bar in Plas Heli
- Easy membership (application/renewal) process all on-line and starting from £65 for the year!
- Racing Skipper membership includes all racing entry fees, except the IRC Champs and the ISORA element of coastal races.
- Bespoke safe and secure fast WiFi connection in Plas Heli for club members only.
Calendar Collection
2021 Calendars are available for collection - please email
Rasio/Racing
A busy weekend of racing with an ISORA Offshore race to Liverpool on Saturday (07:35 start) and the first weekend of the Summer series with racing on Saturday and Sunday (12:30 /13:15 start)
Any NHC cruisers wishing to race and wanting a more cruiser style race track, separate from the spring series fleet, please email cruising
An improvement program has seen a new PC installed at the PSC bridge, and the previous unit will be refurbished and used on "Heli" the committee boat
With the cancellation of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, the club have arranged a "pop up regatta" to provide racing over the 4 days 8-11th July - watch out for information on the WhatsApp group and website shortly
The 2021 racing programme is published on the website, and the club activity calendar here - note this schedule is subject to change and will always be updated via the WhatsApp group, though the dates should always be correct.
You can, of course, try out the Commodore Challenge and Tremadog Triangle and report in your elapsed time via the Racing WhatsApp Group.
Club Racing at CHPSC is arranged under the guidelines of the RYA/RYA Cymru Wales and the latest charter is reproduced below.
ISORA has published its 2021 programme.
The 2021 Programme of Races includes a five-race 'Plas Heli Welsh Coastal series' however, on Saturday (tomorrow 12th June) the ISORA fleet races from Pwllheli to Liverpool
Further information and the race schedule can be found here
PLAS HELI
The centre is now open in line with Welsh Government Alert Level 2 restrictions ( moving towards 1) with authorised access now permitted to the pontoons, classrooms, compound and the "Panorama Restaurant and Lounge" . In line with Welsh government Covid regulations, we advise the use of the "NHS Covid App" when visiting any of the Plas Heli facilities.
The QR codes are on the doors and relevant gates. There is an additional Track, Trace and Protect requirement in the hospitality area, which the panorama staff will manage
Note: elite RYA squad training is permitted indoors, as is indoors organised activity for up to 30
Plas Heli - Pontoons
The pontoons are very busy this year with demand potentially exceeding capacity. A berthing plan has been drawn up and will be emailed to all Plas Heli berthing customers, with the planned location of their berth.
Plas Heli has extended the berthing capacity with additional finger berths, which were successfully installed last week. This will hopefully enable us to satisfy the increased demand.
To apply for a berth (seasonal or short term) fill in the berthing application form on the Plas Heli Website here and also email
Once allocated a berth please make all efforts to stay in your allocated space, remembering boats out racing may be short crewed when returning to their berth. Any issues with berths, shore power or water please email
New codes on all gates - please don’t pass on these numbers. Anyone with a genuine need to access the pontoons, compounds or other gated areas will be provided with the code, combination or key. Email
Track and Trace is a Government requirement, please record your details on the sheet provided at the entrance to the bar. It is a Welsh Government recommendation that you also use the NHS app, via the QR codes below. (please check in by using the most relevant one for the part of the centre you are accessing)
Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Event Centre, has been awarded the venue rights for the 'IRC Welsh National Championships' for 2021 and 2022. The Championship is hosted by Plas Heli, and organised/managed by CHPSC and the RDYC.
We now are recruiting volunteers for event planning purposes and if you would like to contribute, or have any suggestions to enhance the event, please reply to this newsletter. The first planning meeting was held last month via "zoom" to agree the format of racing and framework to publish the Notice of Race. This is now complete and published with the online entry open at the event website here
Thought for the Day:
"you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great"
For more information, membership links and the latest weather and webcam
go to:
www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk
Plas Heli Quayside Parking
The parking area on the Plas Heli Quayside is available for paid up CHPSC members and to authorised pontoon users.
The parking area is accessed through the gate adjacent to the old club building
The code to the gate is changed regularly and can be obtained through the plasheli.org website > Facilities> Parking. For convenience follow this shortcut link here
Fill in the details – put a tick in the box to confirm that you are a CHPSC member (have your 2021 membership number ready)
Then in the payment bit – use ‘I am a paid up CHPSC member and request permit for parking’ - Then Submit
You will then receive an automated return e-mail with instructions
Please make sure the gate is closed and locked at all times and that the padlock is never left open or with the code left on the dial
