2012 Beer Festival – 16th June

Mirror Wanted

Tony Walker from Forfar Sailing Club is looking to obtain a second hand mirror dinghy.

If you can help, can you contact him directly on the email address noted below.

ajwalker@cairnlea.demon.co.uk

Fife Regatta 20th May NOR & SI’s

Our good friends along at Limekilns in the Forth Cruising Club have taken on the challenge of running the Fife Regatta that DBSC have hosted in the past. This is great news, because the event was in danger of dropping off the FYCA Forth Yacht Championship calendar and they have adopted the one day, early season kick off event format that we had planned for the event last year before we had to cancel.

Please factor this event into your plans for events in 2012 and support our friends at FCC.

Fife Regatta 2012 NOR

Fife Regatta 2012 SI’s

Update on 17th May – deadline for entries to the Fife regatta has now been extended. Entries will now be accepted on the water up to 30 minutes prior to the start of the first race on Sunday

Try A Keelboat

Ever fancied giving this keelboat sailing lark a try, but did not know how to go about that or did not want to take that big leap into racing on a Friday, well here’s your chance. The keelboat fleet are organising a series of Try a Keelboat events in 2012 to give people the opportunity to try keelboat sailing. These events are very much taster days and not training, as we are not certified to offer keelboat training at our club, or on an individual basis.

We have built the following into this years sailing calendar -

13th May     Try a Keelboat
1st June       Friday evening – Lets Go For a Sail – follow on from Try A Keelboat
16th June    Try a Keelboat – tie in with Special Saturday and Beer Festival is that day, so we can see where that day will go
13th July     Friday evening – Booze Cruise
21st July      Try a Keelboat – tie in with Special Saturday

The first of these is only a couple of weeks away and the following skippers and boats have made themselves available -

Orion – skipper Lionel Booth
Cygnet – skipper John Sim
Jay Gee 3 – skipper Lindsey Henderson

The plan is to meet at the sailing club at 10am, divide people across the boats, have some time onboard for orientation (where stuff is and maybe a coffee) and we will sail to somewhere for lunch. As in May we tend to still have the easterly winds, we will head for Granton and go ashore for lunch at the Royal Forth Yacht Club. After lunch we will swap people round between boats so they get a chance to experience more than one boat on the day.

If you would like to come along on 13th May, please email John Sim / vicecommodore@dalgetybaysc.org. Please note, we will restrict it to two newbies per boat, so will be first come first served.

Life jackets will be provided if you don’t have one, you just need waterproofs.

Click on thumbnails below to access larger pictures

Orion

Cygnet

Jay Gee 3

Dalgety Bay Sailing Club Radium Statement to Members – 26th April 2012

Dear Member

Further to the recent correspondences to yourselves its worthwhile that I make you aware of a number of issues that face the club in the forthcoming season. As I previously reported the Management Committee Senior members met on Monday 23rdApril to discuss a number of issues that had arisen recently. These were as follows -

• The club insurance policy was renewed and it was thought prudent to confirm the extent of cover regards the contamination. The insurance agent and underwriter have now replied and the club is not covered against any third party claims nor for any pollution emanating from the contamination within the clubs grounds.  I have replied to the insurer and asked for absolute confirmation of this as well as whether another company may underwrite the shortcoming in the cover and this action is outstanding.
• The club has insurance to protect its Senior and Flag officers (past present and future) against claims from outside parties . The insurance agent and underwriter have confirmed that this cover also excludes any claims based around the radium contamination however I have written back to them to confirm the exact extent of cover. Again I have asked for absolute confirmation of this as well as whether another company may underwrite the shortcoming in the cover and this action too is outstanding.
• The MOD have asked the club for approval to place a second container within the grounds of the club. Having checked with regard to the position of club liability with respect to thecontainers, it became apparent that the club is not covered for anyone either entering the containers, falling from them or any action or injury associated with them.  During correspondence with the MOD we learned that the current container is being used for the storage of low level radioactive material retrieved from the club site with which a number of Senior Committee officers and Flag Officers were uncomfortable.
• The Committee members present then learned from SEPA, in advance of publication, that a new piece of radioactive material was removed from the headland, found at a depth of 35 cm, from the foreshore directly in front of the club during last weekend.  This was of significant energy and rated approximately as the third most active particle found within the club grounds.

With SEPA in attendance at the meeting the committee asked SEPA for, and have now today received, a statement to allow club members to assess from themselves the risks associated with the containers. Dr Paul Dale kindly sent us the following official SEPA statement;

“SEPA has given the MoD (DIO) permission to accumulate radioactive waste in a container at Dalgety Bay only in order that it may be disposed of in accordance with the conditions and limitations set by SEPA.  The radioactive waste within the store is radium and has arisen from monitoring and recovery operations at Dalgety Bay.  The external hazard posed by the radioactive waste currently in the container is low and does not warrant any special precautions to be taken for members of the public or club going about their daily business.”

During the meeting a number of decision were taken with the following actions were agreed by the committee -

• MOD/DIO would be asked to remove the container from the club grounds within seven days to reduce the risk associated to the club and officers with the lack of insurance. This has now been issued to the MOD and the removal is awaited. Should this not occur then the club will contact SEPA and ask them to remove it on the clubs behalf.
• A number of committee members were concerned about the container remaining on site and the committee knowingly allowing club activities to continue, with club members being unaware of the situation regarding it and the new radioactive material find. A vote was taken as to whether to postpone all sailing activities until members could be fully informed of the situation and thus able to make their own assessment of the situation. This vote was carried hence the note to members postponing the training and sailing planned.
• The committee discussed the liability associated with the insurance issues, as forced by the contamination issue, and have agreed to consult a solicitor, at cost, to confirm how the club may best move forward safely and properly. This is currently in progress and two solicitors have been contacted. The terms of reference are being prepared as a brief for the chosen solicitor. The  solicitor chosen will be fully familiar and experienced with the issues surrounding the designation of contaminated land and will be employed to assist the club and committee in deciding the best way forward and how the club may best position itself for future sailing activity.

I do hope this clarifies the current position of the club and committee and goes some way to explaining why we had to make a quick judgement call to fully inform all members intending to participate in scheduled training and sailing events this week, of these lastest developments.  If you have any other questions contact me via e mail on  donald.adrian@btinternet.com

Regards

Donald Adrain, Commodore

Dalgety Bay Sailing Club Radium Statement to Members – 24th April 2012

Dear Member

The sailing club management Committee met on the 24^th April, 2012, with SEPA representatives in attendance, to discuss a number of forthcoming issues the club may face with regard to the well known Radium contamination.

While the situation has not changed since my last update, and the risks and necessary precautions remain the same and should continue to be observed, an issue surrounding the MOD/AMEC container placed in the club grounds was discussed.

This container is used to store low level activity material retrieved by MOD/DIO contractors from the site. Having discussed this at length, and considered the clubs position and liability, the committee decided the safest option for the club and members was to ask the MOD/DIO to remove this container  within seven days and in the meantime suspend sailing activities until this action was completed to minimise any risk to the club and its members.

SEPA have monitored the area surrounding the container and have categorically stated that the levels of radioactivity coming from the locked steel container are well within safe and acceptable levels .They have deemed it a low risk to passing and adjacent persons however the committee agreed that in the best interests of the club it should still be removed off site within the period given.

The Management committee continues to be an active participant in the discussions surrounding the contamination and will continue to update all members as and when progress in made by Sepa/MOD/DIO and any other agencies.

We would again draw your attention to the information contained under the Regulations and Safety tab on the website.  http://dbscweb.wordpress.com/regulation-safety-information/

Regards

Donald Adrain Commodore (Commodore)

Appeal to all Members

We are currently sprucing up our clubhouse.

Via work parties, a long outstanding lick of paint is about to be applied to the extension area and some carpet tiles we have had in storage for a number of years will soon be laid.

We would like to do what most yacht clubs do and have much more sailing related paintings / pictures / wall hangings on the walls of our club house. If any of you have been in the Royal Forth clubhouse, you will understand what we mean (see picture below). We are not looking to mount the likes of old anchors on the walls, but sailing pictures / posters / boat cutaways / etc. We will place a label on all items indicating who has donated or loaned the item to club. We are keen to get all types of sailing pictures, but of course it would great if we could get some DBSC related memorabilia, especially older material as we try to build a better archive of our history as part of our 40th year celebrations.

So please have a look through your loft and get in touch.

John Sim, Vice-Commodore                    Gillian Barclay, Treasurer

DBSC is 40 Years Old Today!

Some of the more observant of our membership may have noticed that on the board listing past Commodores, our first commodore was appointed in 1972/73 – Stewart Cameron. Therefore, we have a significant anniversary coming up.

I have consulted with some founder members to get more accurate dates round when the club was first founded and been informed about some key dates – see our new history page via clicking on logo below.

Therefore, as per background below, we are 40 today! In our 40^th year we certainly need to do something to mark the occasion and at least have a birthday party, as our predecessors did mark the 25^th anniversary. To tie in with the Commodore date, we have established the first AGM was held on 26^th October 1972. In 2012 26^th October is a Friday, so we will look to arrange a party for that date, or on Saturday 27th – put these dates in your diaries.

You will also notice our logo has turned ruby red to tie in with our ruby anniversary – sets a precedent for a gold logo come our 50th. So we may explore commutative clothing and burgees to mark the occasion.

It is actually up to all of us how we celebrate this significant milestone. So instead of the already busy Management Committee making these decisions, we would like to form a sub-committee of members to arrange / coordinate. Please let me know if you would be willing to be part of this anniversary sub-committee (just click on my name below and it will generate an email).

Part of our 40^th year efforts must be to piece together much more of the clubs history and preserve for posterity. Anything anyone has would be very welcome (we can scan and return) and we will also be getting in touch with The Dunfermline Press to search their archives.

John Sim, Vice-Commodore

Painting Party – 22nd April

We are looking for volunteers to help us with a painting party on the morning of Sunday 22nd April.

The club house is long overdue a paint, so we hope if we get enough volunteers with brushes in hand, we can do this before the clubhouse bar opens at 1pm.

There will be payment in kind via coffee and bacon rolls.

Please let rearcommodoresocial@dalgetybaysc.org & rearcommodoreshore@dalgetybaysc.org know if you can come along and help.

2012 Keelboat Launch Dates

Attention all Yachties. This is you call to arms. Launch dates have been set in liaison with our Harbour Master and these are as follows –

Saturday 21^st April (for those of with plans to do the Bosun’s Locker FIG the weekend after.

High tide is at 15:48 (corrected) and launch window will the three hours either side of high tide.

Saturday 5^th May

High tide is at 14:41 (corrected) and again, launch window will the three hours either side of high tide.

So the clock has started on finishing your to do list, getting the hull anti-fowled and your mooring checked (have you booked the raft as per chart by changing rooms?). There will be lots of people on hand to assist with launching on these dates.

Have a great sailing season everyone.

NOTICE TO MARINERS FIRTH OF FORTH

FORTH  PORTS  LIMITED

No 04 of 2012                                                                                                   26 March 2012

Cruise Vessels at Hound Point Anchorage 2012

Reference:  Admiralty Chart No 736

 

1.  The following vessels, which due to their physical size cannot berth at Leith or Rosyth, have been allocated anchorage positions adjacent to the Hound Point oil terminal.

There are two designated positions:

a          Position centred on:   56⁰ 00’.29 N   003⁰ 22’.48 W

b          For vessels less than 275m LOA a further anchorage is available centred on the following position:   56⁰ 00.23’ N  003⁰ 22’.42 W

2. A pilot will be embarked throughout to ensure the following:

a          If requested to do so by transiting traffic vessel remains clear of the main navigational channel as far as it is safe and practicable to do so.

b          VHF communication is maintained with FTNS and passing vessels.

c          Remains clear, by 2 cables, of No.19 buoy at all times

3. All vessels over 300m LOA will require one tug fast throughout. All other vessels require one tug fast aft, unless due to the manoeuvring characteristics of the vessel, favourable weather conditions and following an assessment by the Harbour Master the requirement for this tug is deemed unnecessary.

4. Transiting traffic will normally pass to the north of the anchored cruise vessel if it is safe and practical to do so and should approach no closer than 200 metres at any time. FTNS will include this requirement with traffic information.

5. Vessels engaged in fishing are requested not to obstruct the area of the anchorage with any fishing gear.

6. All mariners should note that passenger tenders will be operating between the cruise vessel and Hawse Pier.   All Mariners are requested to not obstruct these tenders.
7. The vessels schedules are as follows:

 

Date 2012	Vessel	Length Overall (Metres)	Embarks Pilot at Fairway Buoy	Anchors at Hound Point	Departs Anchorage
11th April	MSC LIRICA	251	0745	0900	1800
19th May	VISION OF THE SEAS	279	0545	0700	1800
23rd May	CARIBBEAN PRINCESS	290	0545	0700	1900
4th June	CARIBBEAN PRINCESS	290	0545	0700	1900
5th June	EURODAM	285	0545	0700	1800
8th June	MARINA	239	0645	0800	1800
14th June	ROTTERDAM	238	0545	0700	1800
16th June	CARIBBEAN PRINCESS	290	0545	0700	1900
18th June	ARCADIA	285	0545	0700	2000
17th July	CARIBBEAN PRINCESS	290	0545	0700	1900
25th July	MEIN SCHIFF 2	263	0645	0800	1800
29th Jul	QUEEN ELIZABETH	294	0645	0800	2000
4th Aug	CARIBBEAN PRINCESS	290	0545	0700	1900
9th Aug	MSC LIRICA	251	0845	1000	1800
20th Aug	MSC LIRICA	251	0845	1000	1800
21st Aug	CARIBBEAN PRINCESS	290	0545	0700	1900
27th Aug	ROTTERDAM	238	0545	0700	1800
31st Aug	MSC LIRICA	251	0845	1000	1800
17th Sept	MSC LIRICA	251	0745	0900	1800
28th Sept	MSC LIRICA	251	0745	0900	1800
10th Oct	MSC LIRICA	251	0745	0900	1800

 

Status of previously published notices:

No 26 of 2009 remains in force
No 03 of 2010 remains in force
Nos 14, 17, 19, 20, 31, 32 and 35 of 2011 remain in force
Nos 2 and 3 of  2012 remain in force

 

R BAKER

Chief Harbour Master

2012 Season Kickoff Newsletter

Dalgety Bay Sailing Club Radium Statement to Members – 19th February 2012

Dear Member

I felt the time right to update you on a number of key issues that surround the club and let you now where the club is presently and where we see ourselves going over the forthcoming year.

As you will be well aware from the media, and from recent club correspondence, the club is involved in issues with regard to Radium contamination of the foreshore surrounding the clubs grounds as well as within the confines of the clubs grounds itself.

The good news is that having taken advice from SEPA they have stated that it is safe to keep sailing and using the club grounds with the understanding that we follow the simple advice given that we do not remove any material from the foreshore, we wash our hands when we leave the foreshore and we observe good hygiene practices to minimise the risk of contamination from the foreshore.

In addition we have prepared a club based risk assessment to cover the launch and recovery of dinghies from the clubs slipways and this has been placed on our website, on a page dedicated entirely to safety.

We have submitted this risk assessment to SEPA for approval and they have deemed it appropriate and sufficient to allow us to access the water from the clubs three slipways and as such if we observe this methodology, and make sure our children are kept from the foreshore, then the risks of contamination are reduced to an acceptable level.

To this end we are happy to continue with club “business as usual” but observing the good practice as detailed on the signs surrounding the club and observing the clubs risk assessment for using the slipway to launch dinghies.

You will notice in the club calendar, placed on the website, that we are running two regattas this year however our first regatta shall be a members regatta to ensure that young children, unfamiliar with the need to observe the necessary hygiene practices, are not exposed to any possible risks.

We shall also be running the Tuesday training and it is scheduled that the Wednesday racing will take place as previous years and I do hope that members will support this in ensuring this is well attended . Should you wish to get involved please do contact us and we will do our best to make sure its an easy path to getting your feet wet.

Finally I am delighted to say that we shall be running our annual “Youth Week” where the younger members shall be training and honing their sailing skills during the summer holiday and I am sure you will all agree that this is one of the key areas of our club…encouraging new members to start sailing and ensuring that we have a good foundation in place to keep the club going from strength to strength in the forthcoming years.

To update you on where the club stands with regards to the Radium contamination you will be aware that high activity sources were found buried in the foreshore, adjacent to the East boundary between the club grounds and Fife council property .

It is now apparent that there are a number of further sources of Radium; one being under the headland , where the estuary is eroding the shoreline to the front of the clubhouse ,and another being the eroding edge located opposite the keel boat trailer park, adjacent to the pathway leading to the Ross plantation.

To give you a little more detail SEPA, who are responsible for the monitoring of the contamination as well as administering Government legislation, have carried out extremely thorough and detailed surveys of the majority of the clubs grounds and within the last year have further surveyed the foreshore, in great detail, as well as the headland to the front of the clubhouse, in an attempt to better understand the source and extent of the Radium and the manner in which it is being distributed along the foreshore. Additional monitoring has  been undertaken by the MoD contractor and this is to assist them in understanding the problem and coming up with a solution to the satisfaction of SEPA.

We have been in close contact with SEPA, MoD  and were recently visited by Gordon Brown MP and the Minister for Defence, Andrew Robothan. Having hosted a number of meeting between these parties, and also individually ,we are trying to lobby to have the situation addressed and the polluter clean u and make good the contamination.

Being part of the Dalgety Bay Forum group we also meet regularly with affected parties to make sure we are all aware of the latest issues and this will continue until a resolution is achieved

SEPA have declared that they deem the MOD as a “suitable person” effectively naming them as the main suspect in contaminating the area and are currently working with them to come up with a solution to address the issue and produce a plan to administer the solution to the satisfaction of SEPA and the club, as landowner. A draft plan has been submitted by MOD but was deemed as insufficient in detail by SEPA who are now working closely with MOD to assist them in achieving what SEPA see as a suitable proposal for remediation but it is however becoming apparent that the resolution will not be reached quickly and that the issue will affect our club for the forthcoming season and potentially longer.

I would hope that with club and political lobbying, continued pressure and co-operation with SEPA, that we can arrive at a solution which both reduces the issue of long term contamination and re-contamination to an acceptable level and allows the club to continue to flourish and provide excellent sailing facilities for all its members

Donald Adrain

Commodore

February 2012

RNLI SoS, 2nd March @ DBSC Club House

Work Party Required – for indoors work!

Mornings of 26th February (yes, morning after the Prize Giving) & 4th March

As part of our increased efforts to reduce costs, and with the green agenda in mind, we are going to be taking steps to make our club house much more “fuel efficient”. Some members who frequent the bar may have already noticed that heating in the lower floor has been turned down to a minimum, but that has had a knock on affect to the levels of heat upstairs. It was always our intention to insulate the roof of the old part of the club house, but we now need to do this sooner rather than later to help reduce our fuel costs. So, we are looking to pull together a group of people to assist with this work.
Please email one of both of the following email addresses if you would be willing to help out – rearcommodoreshore@dalgetybaysc.org, vicecommodore@dalgetybaysc.org.
We could really do with
- an electrician to deal with lighting
- a joiner to help with reworking the up-lighter set up we have in the club house
- somebody who is handy with a sowing machine (and owns one) so we can reduce the length of the curtains

Also, we need people to bring tools and ladders so we can reach the higher parts of the roof.

Keelboat Meeting, 9th March @ 7:30pm

As is tradition, the keelboat community get together at the end and start of each season. The idea is we review the season that has just passed, and make plans for the coming year. The 2012 season is fast approaching, all be it can’t come quickly enough, so we have scheduled a meeting in the club house for 9^th March at 7:30pm. All are welcome, not just keelboat sailors.
This meeting is kept as informal as possible, but areas we would like to make sure we cover are -

Radium issue and keelboat owner considerations for the 2012 season
High number of inactive boats, how can we help / results of survey

Developing next generation of keelboat sailors
- Try a keelboat days
- Improved tie into Dinghy community / training
- Adult sailing development
2012 sailing calendar
- DBSC FIG’s change to Forth Weekend proposal – will be explained on the evening
- Cruising
- Fife Regatta
- BAD Cup
- Friday & Saturday Races and formats
Communications – getting keelboat community more into line with the rest of the club
Facilities – weather station & webcam
Safety & Regulations
Pool activities more to make it easier for some to get afloat – moorings, raft, launch, recovery.

And as per normal, does anyone want to pick up one of the four Keelboat sailing posts? John Sim, Donald Adrain, Sarah Birrell and Lionel Booth have been covering as best they can for a while now. We all do this along with giving our time in other areas of the club. If anyone is interested in being consider for any of the four Keelboat posts – Rep, Racing, Cruising & Moorings - it would need agreement from those attending the meeting, so nominations in advance please.

RYA Scotland Big Weekend

Click on the logo above for details, or even more info can be found by clicking on the following picture -

Supernova 537 PY1065 For Sale

2 owners from new. Average condition, but rarely capsized by current owner for last 7 years. Bow retro strengthened by Mark Giles. Retro fit of Mast Rake system. Banks ordinary and small [latter hardly used]sails.  Road trailer and Trolley. Cover. £1600—[Currently on the class website www.supernovadinghy.org.uk 534 and 516 are for sale at £1995 so the price is a steal for a new challenge! There is a lot of racing in England, but the nearest Traveller is in Bolton

Alasdair

07770 483784 or 01259 742289 or aladam@adam-dollar.co.uk

EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

ADVANCE NOTICE

An Extraordinary General Meeting will be held as a consequence of the cancellation of 2011 Annual General Meeting of the Dalgety Bay Sailing Club.

This meeting will be held in the Clubhouse

on

Thursday 5th January 2012

at 1930 hrs

General Nature of Business
To elect officers, to consider Accounts and Reports, to approve the financial proposals and the budget of the Club, to decide membership and fees, to appoint an Auditor or independent qualified accountant to certify the Club’s financial records annually and to discuss other proposals and business as maybe appropriate.

Note
Any member wishing to raise a proposal at the EGM shall notify the Secretary of such a proposal in writing, with a seconder, within 21days of the meeting (by 15th December 2011)
Supporting material for this meeting will be posted on the club web site no less than 14 days in advance at the following URL – http://dbscweb.wordpress.com/2011-agm/
Any member who has indicated on their membership form that they do not wish email correspondence in relation to sailing club business, should contact the Secretary to request a hard copy of supporting documentation

Donald Adrian (Commodore)
2nd December 2011

Autumn Keelboat Meeting – Friday 18th November, 7:30pm

It’s that time again where the keelboat community get together to go over the previous season to go over what went well and what went wrong and plan for the coming year. We all know that keelboat participation levels are at an all time low. This is not just racing, but the number of yachts actually getting wet in 2011 affected all aspects of keelboat sailing. While this is not just a DBSC issue and is actually something we are seeing across the whole of Scotland, we do need to take a look at what we do as a sailing club in order to align to the change in participation levels, or to try and improve the situation.

While it is normally the Spring meeting where we review holders of Keelboat Rep, Keelboat Racing Rep, Cruising Rep and Moorings Rep roles, as we did not have a meeting last spring we should declare this delinquency. We are always open to new blood in any of these roles, as it gives a fresh perspective, so if anyone is interested in being considered for any of these posts, please let the Commodore and Vice Commodore know.

Running on a Friday evening is to try and make the meeting as informal as possible in order to get the ideas and views flowing. We hope you can make it along and share your views.

Donald, John, Sarah, Lionel