The Bell Chimes Mar 01

Slip in to something waterproof Darling ! THE BRANN'S ANNIVERSARY SAIL ANNUAL DINNER 2000 BALDRICK'S BANTER RACING GOSSIP CLASS CAPTAIN'S WAFFLE

A.G.M. No need to whinge on again about the lack of support at the AGM. The GP14 Committee for this season is :-
Class Captain Barry Southam Next Captain David Bracey Press & P.R. Sec. David Brann	Vice Captain Den Valentine Results Sec. Tony Moore Social Sec. Celia Bracey.
SUNDAY RACING As most members are aware the club are not running Sunday Series racing. Instead, the number of trophy races has been increased. The Sunday GP14 Trophy races will still race as a class with our own results but our start will be in the Medium Handicap.
NEW MEMBERS A warm welcome to our new members, they are ; Mike Arrow - Mike, the previous owner of Dens boat, Chuckie, has been crewing for Tony Moore and has been actively looking for his own GP. Alan & Julia Card – Recently acquired Lucy Long from Amanda and hope to join in. Allan & Veronica Ryder – Have their own GP and intend to race together. Congratulations also on tying the knot in February. Jeff Russell - Has a GP and is in the process of moving his boat and family from Scotland. Phillip Hoath - Phillip is known to a few of us as he visits PYC regularly. He joined us last year on the GP Picnic.Simon & Del Hill – As the new owners of Remilla, they eventually hope to take part in the racing. We also welcome existing members, John Withers, Mike Kuyzk and Roger & Sharon Hunt who have all purchased GP’s intending to race. We can assure everybody that there will be company to share in whichever part of the fleet you find yourself.

BALDRICK'S BANTER
The Bell Chimes goes national, well, bits of it do. Barry Southam’s "GP Surgery" and Graham Wallen’s "Series 1 Mast step conversion" both appeared in the winter issue of Mainsail, Baldrick understands the articles were hijacked from our website.
Congratulations to Barry and Graham and again the plea goes out for more articles. This years "Chimes" is very low on quantity but high on quality. After many months of secret negotiations, Baldrick has secured the copyright to Barbara Brann’s latest publication "Darling slip into something waterproof …...". We have dared to publish her story unexpurgated, the sex and violence are intrinsic to her story, but please keep this article away from impressionable children. Enjoy. Mainsail states that the GP14 General Committee has decided to terminate the development sails programme, but furling gear is now permissible. Maybe it’s an unintended contradiction, smaller genoa would make furling gear less desirable ? Anyway Baldrick is not in favour of anything that makes it easier for Greg McLoughlin to get back on the slipway.	We of course have a new Class Captain, Barry Southam, who is already hard at work organising the club revue, due to take place on 23^rd and 24^th March. Some guys have all the luck ! So lets give him all the help he needs in the coming season, particularly when it comes to our Open Meeting and the Combined Dayboat / 2.4m Open, please note the dates. Finally, thanks to all those helped Soc. Sec. With the putting up and taking down of the club’s Christmas decorations.

RACING GOSSIP
Time spent during the long winter nights sticking pins into my effigy of the Joint Venture team of Harlow and Southam has paid dividends. Season 2001 will see a trial separation with Peter being awarded custody of the boat and allowed to try out new crews. Favourites to take the crown on last seasons results must be Tony Moore with Richard Lane (2 series wins). Other nearly men must include Richard Lane with Anne Short who could improve their challenge.
Season sufferers could include Den & Clyde in Chuckie, surely arthritis, lumbago and their combined age of 114 will take it’s toll ! Also, Graham Chase and Anne Short will have to break in new crews this year having lost arguably the best crew in the club, Anne Sweetzer.
Dark horses for honours will be Mike & Margaret Williams and Andy Welch, who could both really break through this year.
Andy Cake has sold his GP to Mike Kuyzk. Andy will be missed but my spies tell me Mike could well be challenging at the top and is very keen the rules are adhered to, how refreshing !!
Favourites for "silver" honours must be David and Barbara Brann, proud owners of a series ll plastic job already being race tuned on the water.
Ian Aitken did a lot of work on Mussel Box at the end of last season and it could pay off this year challenging for silver.
Everybody should note that for season 2001 there are a number of new courses, and some additional Trophy races. Do not take anything for granted.
For Season 2001 the GP14 starting times are as follows ;
Monday 6.33 p.m.
Thursday 6.39 p.m.
Race Fees are £35 this year and finally, again in Mainsail, we have topped the league for racing turnouts with 52.59 %. Well done everyone.

CLASS CAPTAIN'S WAFFLE

So Baldrick prods me and says "You’ll be writing something for the news letter then? You being the new class Captain and all" "Of course'" 1 reply "Er, when do you want it?" "Two weeks'" says he. That'll be just before he goes swanning off on his second skiing holiday then, and its still only February! If by chance you are reading this, then it’s one of those rare occasions when I've actually made the dead line. With the new season fast approaching I was feeling quite smug as the hole in the side of Mange Tout is repaired (Don't ask) and the smashed rubbing strake ( Sorry again Mike) has been replaced and the insurance claim with the mirror is all settled .

So I was looking forward to the start of another smashing season only this time I wanted it to be someone else's wallet. The club were obviously tipped off about my advanced state of readiness, as they were quick to remind me that it was time to organise the next Club Revue there by filling up all the spare time I thought I had gained. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new members to the class. We have done quite well this year with four members new to the club plus two people switching from other classes. Mike Kuzyk most of you will know. Well the back of his head any way, as he has been the familiar dot on the horizon sailing an RS600 for the last few years. Later in the season he hopes to be sailing with his wife Alison once she has recovered from producing the latest member of the family. Mike will undoubtedly be joining the front end of the fleet having bought Andy Cakes, Gateau Paradise, not to mention his considerable ability in a boat.
It does however mean will be seeing less of Andy, mainly due to work commitments (Not like Baldrick then?) but he hopes to do a bit of crewing. We also welcome former day boater, R19 class captain and assistant sailing secretary Roger Hunt, who, having to face the prospect of being 50 in a couple of years time has made life more exciting by buying a motor bike and a GP14 (Oh whoopee!) Roger, of course, in an effort to avoid displacing Greg at the back of the fleet has drafted in Gary Steele to guide him through the learning curve. Rats, and I'd just made the plaque for the Captain Nemo Trophy with his name on it. Talking of which the Branns have invested in a series 11 boat for this year, I sure there's something fundamentally unbalanced about a family that has a Mirror called "Titanic" and now a GP named "Nautilus" still at least capsizing won't be quite so arduous this year.

If you're really switched on (doubtful in this class) you will know that a new rules book comes into effect this year. The club (as far as I know) is not planning a new rules briefing. So I hope to arrange one ourselves. I intend it to be aimed at new or inexperienced members and it will include a full run-down of how the start sequence and new course boards and lights work. As this will be slightly different this year. Watch for details on the notice board. Finally look elsewhere in this news letter for our list of social events and make an effort to come along, especially the Skittles at The St Peter's Finger which marks the start of the season. Any one who needs to get in touch with me can ring or fax me at home on 01202 698092 ring or text message me on my mobile on 07967 136103 or e-mail me on Barry@poolegp.freeserve.co.uk. Now don't you dare say you can't get hold of me, oh and Baldrick if all this technology is too much for you, you can always write, on second thoughts perhaps you'd better stick to the two cans and piece of string.

Barry Southam

Slip in to something waterproof Darling ! THE BRANN'S ANNIVERSARY SAIL
I have to say that David’s record of remembering our wedding anniversary has been very good. There was a slight hiccup when it came to our fifteenth, of course, which we celebrated with a particularly delicious meal out on the 17^th of June. A week later it dawned on me that we were married in July.
But that only gave us an excuse to celebrate again on the 17^th of July- hardly a cause for complaint from any reasonable woman. Our anniversary celebration in 2000 was, however, decidedly the most memorable yet. I knew beforehand that he was plotting something. We had had several discussions about the fact that 17^th July would fall on a Monday. To race or not to race? A difficult question.
Eventually we decided to race (surprise surprise) and eat out afterwards in a nice restaurant to be booked by David. Fine. Then he began to complain that ‘all the nice restaurants are closed on Mondays or booked up.’ His solution? Sausage and chips and champagne in the bar. David hates sausage and chips. He was Up To Something. But what? Suddenly the 17^th was upon us. I got home from work to find David and daughter Beccy behaving very suspiciously. I’d like to say I was filled with eager anticipation but actually I started to feel very nervous and somewhat disgruntled. It’s not that I don’t trust David to know what I’d like. It’s just that sometimes his ideas of what I’d like are rather challenging. Take our honeymoon, for instance. Despite severe warnings from his parents, who could see this being the shortest marriage in family history, he was quite confident that, having only ever sailed twice, I would love to spend two weeks sailing from Langstone to Salcombe and back in an eighteen - and - a - half foot cruiser with nothing inside it but a two-ring stove and a chemical loo. As a matter of fact I did enjoy it (insanity is catching) but it was Very Challenging. Not to mention taking me mountain climbing when six months pregnant and suggesting we take up dinghy racing in our forties. On this particular afternoon the warning bells were sounding, especially at 5pm when the phone rang and David shot out of the house ‘to collect something’ at a time when he would normally be chivvying everyone to get down to the club. Tired and stressed after a difficult day at work, I just wanted someone to tell me What Was Going On. But nobody would. He kept me in suspense all the way to the yacht club. When I saw my daughters’ Mirror dinghy rigged to sail and learned that this was to be my mode of transport for the night while Beccy and one of her friends raced our GP Remilla for us, my worst fears were confirmed.. This was definitely going to be one of David’s Challenging Ideas. Well how would you feel to discover that to get your celebratory dinner you had to sail the length of Poole Harbour in a minute boat called Titanic with an outboard, a fuel can and a large bag wedged into its sole, leaving nowhere for you to put your feet, then change out of wet suit on the beach and afterwards sail back in the dark? By the time we had donned sailing gear, fixed various bits and pieces and hoisted the sails, the leading Mirrors were coming back into the haven – an opportunity for various quips which I will leave to your imagination. (The younger generation at this club have no respect for their elders.) Nothing was bothering me so much, though, as the prospect of having to tack under a ridiculously low boom with my feet wedged firmly between outboard and fuel can. Those of you familiar with our capacity for capsizing – even in a boat not called Titanic - will sympathise with my concern. David’s assurances that the outboard was essential in case the wind died on the way home did little to placate me, but as we gained open water and headed away from the busy buoys and cries of ‘Starboard!’ the sun was shining in an almost cloudless sky, the breeze was steady, and the peace of Poole Harbour on a summer evening began to soothe my nerves. I had to admit to myself that this beat a car ride to the poshest restaurant in town. Any town. Then, as the birds wheeled overhead and the water whooshed gently by, David magiced a chilled bottle of champagne and two glasses out of the forward locker. What can I say? As the cork popped, a yacht drew alongside and enquired where we were off to. ‘Cherbourg,’ called back David. ‘Us too!’ returned their skipper. ‘See you there!’ Their boat was bigger but they were only drinking gin and tonic. I wouldn’t have swapped places. Around the third glass of bubbly, a piercing hoot demanded our attention. Jim MacGregor waved from the pilot boat and made various, ‘What on earth are you two doing sailing out of the harbour in a cockleshell at sunset?’ kind of gestures. We raised our glasses to him and hoped he wouldn’t call out the lifeboat. (Probably the single most embarrassing thing that can happen to an employee of the RNLI…..) In fact, we were heading into Shell Bay which, miraculously, we reached without a single tack! We made a gentle landing, pulled the boat up onto the beach, changed into smartish, if crumpled, clothes and settled at our table overlooking the bay. The view was breathtaking as the sunset tinged the sea and sky with a deep rosy glow. The fish was delicious, the dessert elegant. Altogether a delightfully romantic dinner. Lingering over our coffee, we found ourselves the only customers left so we changed in the washrooms and emerged in full sailing finery. The waitress, who was fretting lest she miss the last ferry, ungratefully declined David’s generous offer of a lift home. Just as well really since we didn’t have a spare life jacket. Off Brownsea Castle, the breeze quietly died and I was finally grateful for having had my ankle crushed by the outboard, which now gave us a steady push homewards through the phosphorescent waves. True, I had to lie on the forward deck all the way in order to balance the outboard’s weight, but it was a beautiful night and being in the bows helped me look out for obstacles. We successfully manoeuvred our way between moored yachts and lobster pots and at 1.30a.m. the haven entrance lights winked welcomingly as we slipped in past the sleeping cruisers like two teenagers sneaking home after hours. So, was this one of David’s Successful Challenging Ideas? Well, I would suggest we went again this year – but the wind might not be so kind and I never did work out how I’d tack…… Barbara Brann (Reply from David: ‘What about Cowes in the GP14?’)