Introduction and News

Bore  da/Good Morning from the Flag Officers and this week's Friday newsletter.

We are now publishing every fortnight and will resume a weekly offering when the season gets going. We hope it provides a brief but informative break from lockdown, detailing all aspects of our club activities. This week we focus on cruising with publication of the cruising association webinar on Brexit and a proposed RYA online cruising conference in March. Border force links are also attached for those planning a cruise out of UK waters.

Membership renewals are flowing in, and we are posting out calendars to those that have requested this service as part of their renewal package. 

Work has almost been completed on the club dinghy compound, offering a really top class facility for those members wishing to store a dinghy as part of their membership package, in a secure and clean compound. Our thanks to Gwyndaf Hughes for project managing this upgrade.

We look forward to welcoming all members and visitors back to our incredible facilities, to enjoy everything the club has to offer from our home at Plas Heli with the most stunning views of Cardigan Bay and Snowdonia.

The club has a webcam mounted on the Plas Heli Bridge, and the live images can be viewed here, or at the bottom of the website home page. 

Welsh Government Restrictions (announced 18th December) and RYA Cymru Wales interpretation.

 Alert Level 4  was applied at Midnight December 19th - Level 4 has no end date and will be reviewed every three weeks (next review January 29th 2021)

• Outdoor individual exercise and professional, elite and designated sports and training permitted - if you have access to water local to you.
• Essential travel into and within Tier 4 only- this has implications for clubs and centres.
• Organised outdoor activities not allowed; this has implications for Club and Centre activities.
• Organised indoor activities not allowed (limited to specific public and voluntary services)
• Organisations delivering either workplace learning or adult learning should continue with online learning. RYA Training Centre seeking guidance on running virtual learning should read relevant section Current guidance for RYA Training Centres in Wales
• Community facilities, sports courts, golf courses, enclosed pitches to be closed; this includes Clubs and RYA Training Centres.

Alert Level 4 restrictions apply from midnight on the 19 December. Level 4 has no end date and will be reviewed every three weeks. Therefore, recreational boating activities will have to cease. As soon as any changes are announced, and we have had advice from RYA CW we will publish in the newsletter.

BREXIT - RYA  Guidance - see cruising information below

Border force (customs)  requirements for recreational boats leaving UK waters (for example visiting Ireland) are listed here with links to the forms etc

CRUISING

RYA Cruising Conference goes Virtual for 2021

The RYA's annual Cruising Conference will take place as an online event this year on 21 March 2021. 

 

The conference promises to cover the issues that matter most to cruisers, including post-Brexit guidance, training insights, real-life stories from fellow cruisers, as well as the latest developments in safety and more. 

The exhibition area and on-demand talks at the conference will be open to delegates from 9am to 2.30pm with the live streaming sessions running from 9.30am to 12.30pm. The exciting range of topics and speakers for the event will be announced by the RYA in the New Year. 

 

Stuart Carruthers, RYA Cruising Manager, commented: “This is the first time that the RYA Cruising Conference has been held virtually and we’re really excited about the benefits that the online event management programme can offer, particularly in terms of being able to pre-record content that will enable delegates to visit more sessions that previously may have clashed on a live event timetable.  Being a virtual event also means that delegates can join the event from across the globe, making it the most accessible RYA Cruising Conference yet.   

“We have a broad range of speakers and workshops lined up for the day, from cruising sailors to technical specialists and RYA experts. We look forward to sharing the full conference programme very soon.”  

Booking for the 2021 RYA Cruising Conference is expected to go live in early January. For all the latest conference news visit the RYA Cruising Conference page or follow the Royal Yachting Association on Facebook and Twitter.  

Cruising Association - Brexit Issues For Cruising Sailors Addressed in RATS Webinar          

                                                                                        

 

 

The key Brexit issues affecting the sailing community have been addressed in a recently held Brexit Special Webinar entitled "Brexit Issues for Cruisers", the contents of which was researched and presented by members of the Cruising Association (CA) Regulations and Technical Services group (RATS).

Over 300 members of the CA from 13 different countries tuned into the webinar on Saturday 5th December and there has since been huge demand for the webinar to be made available to the public. The CA and RATS are delighted to now share the webinar publicly (below), excluding the Q&A segment which attracted around 150 questions and is available exclusively on the CA members’ version. A PDF of the presentation slides is also available below.

The webinar programme focuses on the main difficulties facing cruising sailors as a result of Brexit:

• Introduction: Robin Baron (Chair)
• People issues including immigration and Schengen 90 days: Trevor Page
• Vessel issues including VAT: Roger Bickerstaff
• CA Brexit webpages: Robin Baron

Cruising - Safety  (article courtesy of Simon Jinks -  RYA)

Fire extinguishers

In the heat of the moment, will yours fit?

I was on board a brand new 40 footer destined for use by an RYA Training Centre for cruising courses; this was its first inspection.

The yacht was up to spec with lots of expensive and shiny new safety equipment and signage, making her look like a floating Health and Safety advert.

‘I doubt it’ll fit’, I said. ‘Do you mind if we try?’

We were discussing whether the engine fire extinguisher would actually fire through the key-hole in the engine compartment fascia.

Unfortunately, the extinguisher did not have a nozzle or tubing to feed through the key-hole; because of its design it could not be positioned to effectively fire through the hole.

It was agreed the extinguisher had to be exchanged.

On examining the engine compartment the problem was found to be more fundamental; the hole was in the wrong place. The key-hole in the fascia was positioned so that any extinguisher fired through the hole would simply hit the engine casing, where there would be little chance of fire.

The owner was aghast; the solution was to drill another key-hole in a position where the fire extinguisher had a chance of reaching the area’s most at risk fire.

Causes of engine fire

Common causes of engine fires are fuel and oils spraying onto a hot surface such as; turbo chargers, exhausts, and those made hot by malfunction, such as a pump. The other culprits are electrical faults; alternators and starter motors generate or use huge amounts of electricity.

Extinguishers used to fight engine fires are either:

• Inside the compartment and operate automatically at a certain temperature, or sound an alarm so that a manual trigger can be operated on deck.
• Alternatively, they are outside the compartment and fired through a peep-hole in the fascia.

Types of extinguisher

There are three common types of extinguisher fitted to leisure boats:
1. Dry powder extinguishers which smother and create a chemical reaction with the fire. They can be fitted inside the compartment and operate automatically or fired through a key-hole.
2. Halocarbons such as FE36 and FM 200, change the oxygen content in the air starving the fire of oxygen and are always fitted inside the engine bay.
3. Pyrogen aerosols propel potassium radicals at the fire. These attach themselves to the flame reaction, extinguishing the fire chemically and are always fitted inside the engine bay.

What to do in the event of an engine fire:

1. Do not to open the engine compartment and feed it with more air.
2. Turn off the possible causes: diesel fuel, batteries.
3. Close the engine seacock to prevent the inlet pipe burning through, sinking the boat.
4. Alert everyone and get them on deck with lifejackets readying the liferaft but not inflating it.
5. Smoke and heat is the immediate problem, so act fast and investigate early.
6. Fight the fire with a clear route of escape.
7. Crouch down low to escape heat and smoke.
8. Ensure the fire is completely extinguished as embers remain hot for long periods. If opening the engine compartment do so after it has had chance to cool and have an extinguisher ready.

 Boredom Buster Video - Action Thriller - "All is Lost"

In a change from racing videos, this week a "thriller".  Just when things  can't get any worse we present  "All is Lost" - enjoy!

RNLI Bad Achub Pwllheli - Pwllheli Lifeboat Update

Another milestone passed this week with the bell ringing ceremony for the new New Shannon class lifeboat  ON 13-39 named RNLB - "Smith Brothers"  to be based in Pwllheli at the new lifeboat station.

The video below details the 18 month journey from blueprint to launch. Video courtesy RNLI

2021 Membership renewal process

At the end of last year  a bespoke membership renewal email was sent out, which we hope simplifies the renewal process, with much of the user data populated when logging onto the members area. This process also includes an option to collect the new and fantastic club calendar, or for a small fee we can post it out to you.

The calendars have arrived and the  collection times for local members when a Flag Officer will be in attendance at Plas Heli are published below- We will be using the external door of the middle ground floor  training room (to the right of the main entrance)  - this will be signposted as the main doors and internal facilities will be closed. Please don't make a special journey, but we recognise many local members pass by as part of their exercise so an opportunity exists to collect the calendar.

  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 Member - £30

Youth Member - £20

Dinghy Storage

Small (Optimist/Topper) £55 (£48 early payment)

Medium (Laser) £65 £55 early payment)

Large (Merlin Rocket) £85 (£75 early payment)

Multi Hulls (Dart etc) £95 (£83 early payment)

Road Trailer £50 or £75 fort 2 stacked

The centre is closed in line with Welsh Government Alert Level  4 restrictions. New opening hours will be posted  as soon as  restrictions are eased, and our bar and catering partner's have assessed what they can offer. 

In order that the club and centre can open re-promptly, there is some essential maintenance work being undertaken on the infrastructure  of Plas Heli and both Plas Heli and CHPSC equipment by the Directors and Flag Officers, in line with Welsh Government Regulations. In addition a review of the facilities is currently underway.

When restrictions are eased a little,  we will be looking for additional volunteers to ensure a smooth return to club activities. All voluntary activities will be managed to keep members safe, and all within allowable guidelines.

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details, or talk to one of your Flag Officers. The Plas Heli event car park on the quay is also available for members parking, should the main Plas Heli car park fill up - for a parking permit see instructions below.

Track and Trace is a Government requirement, please record your details on the sheet provided at the entrance to the  bar, or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. It is a Welsh Government recommendation that you also use the NHS app, via the QR code below. 

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. Its intended to have the first planning meeting shortly to agree the Notice of Race and proposed format of racing.  This meeting will be open to all potential entrants   and volunteers, and will be held using Zoom.  

Thought for  the Day:

"the most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time"

 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 get a 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