Details will be posted soon…..

Saturday 24^th & Sunday  25^th   December 2011

1. Departure from Club’s Jetty:   0800 hrs on Saturday 24^h Dec 2011
2. Reporting Time:    0715 hrs in the R.B.Y.C. Lounge.
3. Departure from the Island:  Sunday morning after brunch.

The island of Khanderi lies about 12 nautical  miles south of Mumbai. It has one of the most important lighthouses of the West Coast of India. This lighthouse was constructed over a hundred years ago and its light used to work on kerosene and its rotating mechanism floated on a mercury bath till recently  instead of modern ball bearings as now.  We will moor our boats in the small anchorage of the island and camp out overnight on the ramparts (walls) of a 17^th century fort or on the Light House grounds if permitted.

Members are requested to note the following: 

1.  Tea/Coffee : Tea/Coffee will be served at the Club before departure on  24^th December and after  r    e    return on 25^th December.
2.  Saturday Breakfast/Lunch : Members are requested to make own arrangements .
3.  Dinner on Saturday:   Suitable arrangements will be made by the Club for Veg.& non- veg. ”Camp Style”  dinner.
4.  Sunday Brunch: Veg & Non Veg brunch will be arranged for Sunday by the Club
5.  Water : Each member must carry sufficient  water for 2 days
6.  Weather/Sleeping Gear : Complete  sleeping gear/bedding must be carried. Since we will be a    c    camping in the open, reasonable warm clothing and blankets may be included.
7.  Other items:   Plates, mug, spoon, fork (Paper plates and thermocole cups are avoidable). Other p    personal  items like flash light, cap, sun-glasses, towel toiletries, mosquito repellent, mobile p     h    phone, may be  carried.
8.   CHARGES : Rs. 950/- for Members, Rs. 1200/- for Member’s Guests & Rs. 450/- for Children below 12 years, including boat hire charges.
9.   The cut – off figure is 50 persons on first – come basis.
10.  Briefing has been kept in the Sailing Room on Wed. 21^st Dec. at 6:30pm for instructions, boat allotments etc. Also participants’ payments will be collected on this day.
11.  Last date for Cancellations is Thursday 22^nd by 5pm. After this Members & their Guests will have to bear full charges for “No show”.

SPECIAL NOTES:

1. It is important to preserve the cleanliness and sanctity of the island, especially because it houses several religious sites and a strategic light house. All trash, disposables, plastics, must be collected in garbage bags provided on the island which would be brought back to Mumbai. Also, absolutely no trash must be thrown in the sea. Helmsmen are requested to ensure this.

1. 2.     All club boats will start together at the designated time and in fairness to others, will   not wait for    late comers and thus miss out on favorable winds. Helmsmen are advised to take orders only from the Cruise Leader Mr. Deepak Shah.

For further information, please contact Mr. Rajan /Manish /Santosh.

(Cyrus N Heerjee)
Hon. Sailing Secretary
Royal Bombay Yacht Club 

Boy, just look at the date, and, walk back 3 years. The notorious 26/11 of Mumbai! Starved of racing this half of the new Sailing Season and also starved of Wind these days…..we just had to have this race as scheduled in our Sailing Programme. This annual race is in memory of one Royal Bombay Yacht Club sailing clerk, Mr. Talpade, whose devotion and efficiency in running and maintaining the standard of Club Races during his long tenure on the job deserved appreciation.

Well, back on the water, November is becoming predictable for its late race starts due to ‘windless’ afternoons, which happened again. And, to top it all one Naval Patrol speedboat kept shooing away our Committee Vessel from our ‘playground’ as two Naval ships leaving the Naval Docks were passing near our start-line. All this why?…the after-effects of THAT 26/11.

So finally, when the wind settled on a gentle N-Westerly, we too started the late race. Today’s tide tugged us with a strong ebb force even resulting in Seabird Curlew sticking onto the Windward Mark a-n-d remaining stuck for quite some time graciously allowing many a boat to pass by with grinning faces! What a lovely lead they lost…but strong tides can play mean or be useful too…it’s all in the game. To add to the confusion, seabird Ibis banged into Curlew while rounding this mark, inviting a penalty!

This is meant to be a ‘long course’ race being a Combined Class event, meaning any class of yachts can participate. Due to light winds it was impossible to hold a l-o-n-g course spread over the harbour and the usual triangle-loop-triangle and Finish was the only alternative. There were a total of 12 boats – 1 J-24, 8 Seabirds and 3 Lightnings in the battle. With a handicap system in place due to known peculiarities varying with each boat, the final positions were calculated accordingly.

1 – Mehul Asher in Stingray
2 – Cyrus Heerjee in Yuvika
3 – Anil Makhija in Kingfisher

CLICK HERE TO VIEW the positions chart - Race Result Sheet – Talpade Memorial Shield 2011

Bejon.

The 2011 Lightning Cup race to Mandwa and back (under the burgee of the Bombay Sailing Association) was no doubt a light wind race involving 8 Lightnings – 7 of Colaba Sailing Club and 1 private one. The race is on combined timings of the going leg (Mumbai to Mandwa) usually always ‘downwind’  the return leg usually always ‘upwind’.

Downwind Leg: After a delayed start just waiting for the afternoon wind to build up, we took off at 1520 hrs. on a mild Westerly puffing to do it’s best. Beating up to a short distance away Windward Mark to round to Port, the sea was then wide open to all to sail the way they thought best to destination Mandwa, the sailors’ favourite getaway lying about 8 n.miles to the SE of our home moorings. This long leg is full of small wind-shifts and varying swells and ofcourse, the perennial ‘blankets’ from huge ships parked in the harbour. Without a spinnaker and especially in this light air could land you at Mandwa in the twilight zone!

Mandwa and the BSA Clubhouse : Very nice and cozy a place. Comfy too. Ideal setup to unwind especially if it’s been a heavy weather and tense sail. We had taken dinner from the Royal Bombay Yacht Club for all – nice filler for empty stomachs. And….ofcourse….we took our “before meal medicines” like good children! Then, long after shadows lengthen into darkness and jokes and songs turn to snores, we are dead to the world……..till the sounds of chirps and flutters from our feathered neighbours rising for their daily chores beckon us to a new day. Mandwa mornings are for both, the relaxing kind and the beach walker, but, whatever your kind, you just can’t do without Surekha’s breakfast and lunch rustled up to energize you for the return sail.

Upwind Leg : Be it so true to the season, the wind was in semi-slumber.The racing is usually always Beating to the Westerly but this was so unlike the good blow that happens January to May. In fact 2 Lightnings had to be towed from quite some distance from the finish line as sunset is a little after 6 pm. these days. The mild flood tide did not really help get home faster, but, a sailor makes do with whatever he gets on this long long Port tack and……Home Again!

First 3 final combined positions of the Lightning Cup as :

1st : BARACUDA with Xerxes Bamboat, Salil Sabir and Nikhil.
2nd : PARVATI with Darshan Bajaj, Vivek Daswaney and Muslim Hussain
3rd : ALKA with Prasad Shellar, Suraj Singh and Kaustubh.

Bejon Madon

Photos here (thanks to Dinesh Navani)

The Joint Sailing Committee has organized SAIL TRAINING SESSIONS for beginners on dates mentioned below. There will be basic theory explanations and practical lessons afloat and a beginners race over a triangular course on Sunday 27^th November for the novice sailors. We do hope you will avail of this opportunity and attend all the sessions as they will be linked progressively and you will be given thorough instructions in the subjects.

SESSIONS

DATES & TIMINGS                                                                        VENUE

1. Saturday            19^th November 2011 at 1.45 pm SHARP            Sailing Room-RBYC

2. Sunday              20^th November 2011 at 2 pm                                    Sailing Room- RBYC

3. Sunday            27^th November 2011 at 2 pm (Race)                         Sailing Room- RBYC

Please adhere to timing “OR YOU WILL MISS THE BOAT!”

Hon. Sailing Secretary
RBYC,
1^st November 2011

QUALIFIED HELMS ARE REQUESTED TO VOLUNTEER AS INSTRUCTORS AND TO CONTACT Mr. Bejon Madon, Training Co-ordinator on 9819755101 as soon as possible.

VIEW PHOTO GALLERIES FROM LINKS IN THE MENU ABOVE.

This is a Quadrangular event sailed by 4 Clubs :
Corps of Engineers Sailing Club (CME, Pune), National Defence Academy (NDA), Bombay Sailing Association and Colaba Sailing Club. Enthusiastic participants drove off to NDA and reached in batches between 7pm. on Friday 21st. and Saturday 2am.! Accommodation at NDA was restricted and some had to be placed at CME (College of Military Engineering) some 27kms. away.

Saturday morning was a sunny and busy day as a Practice Race was to be held after registration formalities etc. and the actual Race No.1 was scheduled for 3pm. HOWEVER, due to unpredictable and light wind conditions, the Race Authorities advised that all races be completed in one day.

Races: Total three races were held on Saturday itself after a Practice Race. 2 before lunch and 1 at 1600 hrs.
Boats alloted to each team were 3 Enterprises and 1 Whaler making a team of 10 sailors per team.

Racing : Surprisingly, the Wind remained more or less constant the whole day, coming from the direction of the Khadakwasla Dam. Maximum gusts were only about 8 knots and quite light at other times. Judging from the wind direction, all starts were preferred towards the ‘pin-end’. With these light winds the Whalers had a tough time trying to finish with 2 getting a DNF in the last race. Enterprises moved better as expected and fought their way around the figure-of-eight course in Peacock Bay with the usual occasional war-cries enforcing racing rules on opponents. No capsizes, a speciality at NDA, where the wind can go crazy funneling and tunneling from surrounding hills creating wind-shifts at a good blow! With light winds a lot of ‘covering and blanketing’ strategies were involved….all part of the game that every sailor was prepared for.

Prize Distribution and Tea : Held on Sunday 23rd. morning 1130 hrs. when the Commandant, NDA presided.
Results :
 1st. CESC from CME
 2nd. CSC from Mumbai
 3rd. BSA from Mumbai
 4th. NDA

Participants from Mumbai left for home after noon on Sunday.
A word about the accommodation and meals. Rooms were comfortable but a bit cramped with a participant AND his family. And have to mention the Officer’s Bar and TRIDENT Restaurant at NDA which were very welcome to tired, “thirsty” and hungry sailors. Yes thirsty….it was a hot weekend!

Bejon Madon