Newsletter 22nd February 2021

Some Essential Reminders & Updates

Vince's Quiz Returns

See below for details - book soon.

Safety Boat Training

With Roger Wilson 3^rd March 18:00 - join the meeting

Mosimann’s Click and Collect Service

See here for the Menu (with items and pricing)  and instructions for ordering,  or you can even refer to the front page of the Web Site, where there is also a link. This service (Wed-Sat) is being offered to non-Members so if you know someone who would like a lovely dinner and is not a Member, why not let them know, or even put a Menu in their letter box.

Real Bridge Monday 16:30

Last week’s winners were NS George & Gaynor Johnson  EW Bron Eccles & Carolyn Derrick  There were 11 tables. Full details on joining

Book Club

Join us for the next meeting if you can. You will be welcome on Monday 1^st March. at 15:30  Two new members have joined already.  It’s a new book this month. Full details are here

 Details of Club based Yoga and Pilates Classes

Follow this link for classes provided by Dawn, Katy and Jenny 

Hot Link to Coffee Mornings  

Hot Link to Happy Hour    

Previous Online Lectures.

See them here 

Previous Junior and Youth Online Lectures

See them here 

Club House Hours & Pontoons

Just to remind ALL Members that the Club house is closed, but the pontoons are open and the phones and doors “manned” from 0900-1700 hrs on weekdays. All charges for staying on the pontoons are suspended forthwith,  but please ensure that you speak to the Boatmen or the Sailing Manager to agree an extended stay during the day or for overnight.

Dinghy Park and the Club Sublet System

The RLymYC Dinghy Park berth discs for the 2021 season will be sent out to Members who have been allocated a berth at the beginning of March.

For those Members who are disappointed that they were not allocated a berth, we would like to encourage them to use the Sublet System. The Sublet System was trialled successfully in 2020 and will continue to be used in 2021. The system allows members the possibility of finding Dinghy Park berths to use temporarily during the season.

The instructions for the Sublet System and the Dinghy Park Regulations are published on the club website and can be found here

Winter Cruising Lecture No.18 with Pete Durnell

This week’s Cruising Division lecture is ‘The History & Natural History of the Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve’ and will be presented by Pete Durnell via Zoom on Thursday 25th February 2021 at 18.30hrs

Pete’s talk will cover the range of wildlife that you can see throughout the year on the local salt marshes, as well the history of salt making in the area. He will also look at some of the management work undertaken in maintaining the site.

To watch live via Zoom

Thursday 25th February 2021 from 18.00hrs onwards:

 If prompted you may need these: Meeting ID: 832 3207 9003 / Passcode: 938186

 Here for more information –

Zoom based Race Team Training

Many thanks to Malcolm McKeag for an excellent talk on Recording and Scoring last Tuesday.

We continue on Tuesday 23^rd February at 1830 hours with John Whyte’s talk on –

 Multi tasking and Use of Technology.

John intends to cover:

 Race Management in the America's Cup, Vendee Globe and how technology has enhanced it.

The effect of Covid on our RMT size and the resulting need for using technology.

What we use on a Committee Boat - starting machines, video camera, voice recorders, VHF, mobile phones (Voice & Camera), SMS, WhatsApp

What changes ashore through technology - NoRs/Entries. SIs, Registration, Tallies - all on line.  Remote Zoom Protests. Posting provisional results straight to website'

The future. Trackers? Self finishing, self starting.      Sounds very exciting.

The Zoom link to John’s’s talk is here

Mary McGough

Race Training Czarina

Sailing Events for 2021

The 2021 Sailing Events Team form will be hitting your inboxes very soon, so please keep an eye out, we could not run our ever popular programme without you.

Our jam packed 2021 Sailing Programme can now be downloaded and viewed  from the Club website. Once the Club reopens,  a physical copy  will be available for collection.

You can access it here –

Shipmates' Virtual Cookie Decorating Competition

During half-term, on Friday 19^th February we had 24 Shipmates participate in the Virtual Cookie Decoration Competition judged by Mosimann’s Executive Chef Nick Hebditch; with extra input from Dan & Gillian for good measure.

An instructional video was prepared by Mosimann’s together with all the kit packages and yummy takeaway meals for supper afterwards, which were prepared and delivered in time.  After an afternoon’s dedicated decorating, the children all sent photographs of their works of art in to Gillian ready for judging and at 18:00 the winners were announced over Zoom.

For the results and the links to the Video

Virtual Valentines Night Supper

Last Saturday evening on the 13^th February, the Club held a Virtual Valentine’s Supper on Zoom.  All of the 98 four-course meals had been preordered and delivered well in time for the 19:00 hr start. The evening kicked off with a pre-recorded cooking demonstration by Nick (seen here on the left)  and while we were all tucking in to our main course of Brill (Which is a fish – and it’s er… very nice) and a sauce, we were entertained  by a Jazz & Soul singer – much fun was had by all. We are now getting used to the high quality of our vittles, so it was a big thank you to Mosimann’s for the fabulous food and informative cooking demonstration; and to our entertainer Bex Snook.

Virtual Valentines Love Birds

Cruising Lecture 17.  Halloo to Haiti by Nick Ryley

Last Thursday’s Cruising Division Zoom Lecture, ‘Hallooo to Haiti’ by Nick Ryley, was the story of his epic 1973-74 odyssey aboard the America’s Cup 12m ‘War Baby’, from the UK, via the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and beyond…

Nick’s remarkable voyage took us across Biscay to Gibraltar and on, via Puerto Banus, to Malta for the 1973 Middle Sea Race. Then to Madeira and across the Atlantic to Barbados, before island hopping along the West Indies to Baby Doc’s Haiti, where his yacht was welcomed at Cap-Haitien by the chilling Ton Ton Macoute… fortunately the dictator’s thugs left Nick and his very youthful crew well alone. War Baby then raced or cruised far and wide between Mexico, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Florida and Rhode Island.

 Our sizeable online audience was transported to another age of impressive yachts, the open sea and a warming sun (remember that?) for an hour of pure escapism and Nick’s delightful lecture was rewarded by a hearty round of applause.

 For the full report and a map 

Fun Competition Winner is announced

The winning entry in the fun competition - what phrase would you put on a “love heart” sweet for 2021 is as you see to the left. I’m sure that resonates with us all. Thank you and well done Gilly Blatchford. 

We were deluged with entries that overwhelmed the postman. Deciding on the winner was difficult so I followed the Peter Blick method of “choosing what I thought was best” and you cannot argue with that. Several entries (mostly from the Editor) were deemed inadmissible. Surprisingly both men and women thought putting the bins out without being asked was a more romantic gesture than buying or receiving roses.

Mary Bell

Chair Social Committee

Garden Notes

As I write, the sky is grey, the ground soggy,and the soil cold, but warmer weather is forecast ,so I take note of a saying from well known rose growers :   “ When the snowdrops are flowering and the birds begin singing,it is time to reach for our pruning shears.”

Now is indeed time to start work on a range of early spring care for plants and soil as we note buds and shoots forming.  Pruning, feeding and mulching are key tasks, particularly for plants such as Roses and Clematis, so here is some guidance for those:

 To read these words of wisdom and more gardening lore -

Online Art Group 2021

This is the new picture for this week.

Please let Josie Nieves have a .pdf or .jpg of any images you may produce from it as soon as you are comfortable with your work.  ([email protected]).

We will put these images on the WebSite and then a new pictorial challenge will be presented.

Please take out your paints and pencils, your iPads and papers. While away the hours when it is dark, rainy and cold, even if it clears up a bit by letting your creative juices run.... we look forward to seeing the results.

CENTENARY BOOK - ILLUSTRATIONS INVITED

The Club is producing a book to celebrate its Centenary.  Artists are invited to produce images which would be suitable to be considered to illustrate the chapter on social events which have taken place at the Club through the years.   Anyone who is interested to submit work for this should contact Josie Nieves on [email protected], for more details about the subject matter.

Jose Nieves

Art Czar

Vince's Quiz Returns

Vince has agreed to do his very popular Quiz Night over Zoom – and we are going to try it.

The Club are offering a Fun Quiz on Friday 26^th February starting at 19:00 hrs and aiming to finish around 21:00.

You will need to be part of a team and have an elected representative (Team Captain) who will give the team’s final answer to the QM. Teams can be up to eight Members but six preferred.

 We will be using Zoom “breakout rooms” where each team will be put into a separate “room” to discuss their individual answers, come up with a set of team answers and then be returned to the main quiz for the correct answers. We envisage 6 rounds of 8-10 questions/round. Obviously, everyone will be on their best behaviour as we don’t do anything else in the RLymYC.

The prize for the winning team will be a hearty clap and a bottle of fine wine from your own cupboard.

If you do not have a team – we can fix you up on the night, just let us know when you book.

Please  can one person per team book by emailng [email protected] and confirm your team name, who is in your team and you nominated captain, if known.

Should you wish to order a meal from Mosimann’s to accompany this Fun Quiz we suggest you get your order in by Wednesday 24^th Feb by calling 01590 671751 or email [email protected].  You can choose your meal here and see all info on deliveries/collection

To log into the quiz on the night

Early Club Yachting in Lymington

Lymington had been a centre for ship and boatbuilding for centuries, so it was no surprise that yachting would take root here. In its earliest days, from around 1820, there were a number of wealthy owners, who lived in or around Lymington, and this led to the rapid growth of designing, building and racing some fairly large vessels in the vicinity.  It is somewhat astonishing to learn that one early Lymington yachtsman sailed his vessel outside the Needles – not for want either of his or the boat’s capabilities, but because he was nearly captured by French privateers.

The history tale continues here

Graham Clarke

Club Historian

The View from the Editor's Chair

I am not sure we all appreciate the effort that goes into ensuring the Club sticks to its own rules, John Tudor’s article shows that even a simple AGM requires a lot of preparation and management. I am not sure this is akin to a “behind the scenes documentary” but it is the closest we have.

After last week’s picture of ice and snow, I had to follow up with something to look forward to. Everyone loves a daff, and while I feel no need to go all “Wordsworth”  I thought this picture would lift your spirits. Thank you Brian.

The Social sub Committee is organising a Zoom Vince Quiz, for your enjoyment and to allow you to “meet” friends in a social (yet socially distanced) setting. Currently we have 4 full teams but more is always merrier. We will be trying “breakout rooms” for the first time so that teams can discuss their answers. Should be an interesting evening – what can possibly go wrong?

This will be the last Newsletter with a report from the Vendee Globe, as Miranda Merron is safely home.  More details below.

So we lost the Prada Cup, what a shame, many will be desolated. I only hope our best shot was given, and that team INEOS will be able to leave Auckland with heads held high. For the boat builder in Hythe, the families of the team  and all the support workers  involved in what was a 4 year project, we can only say ‘Thank You’ for giving us hope in these dark lockdown days. It’s like the 1970 World Cup, or to be honest any football tournament featuring the English team. I shall now go away and sob.

Lockdown in Lymington is just as before, but after you have read this newsletter our PM has promised an update this evening. Who knows what this will bring. I have 2 dozen eggs in the fridge, unlikely am I to get chickens tomorrow – we shall see.

Stay safe everyone.

           Peter Bell – Editor 

[email protected]

The Vendée Globe S.H. Ocean Race

The second British finisher is now home. Miranda Merron, in her boat Campagne De France (a French ‘Food from the Countryside’ company) She was very pleased to have finished, which was her goal.

The two northmost boats in the picture are Sam Davies & Isabelle Joschke, both nursing their broken boats back to Europe, both ‘Retired’ from the race. This only leaves 2 boats yet to finish

Welcome back Miranda good to see you safe and well.