With more Medina 20 yachts appearing this season, it is hoped that we will get a good turnout for racing, and that they will be joined by Junos and other yachts for a variety of races. Here is a summary of what is on offer:

• Spring Series – 4 Saturday races 16 April to 21 May – a great opportunity to blow the winter cobwebs away, for a thrash around the buoys. Apart from the first race, they are all tide friendly for boats in the harbour, but watch the start times and don’t assume that the yachts are the first start.
  
• Elie Stern Chase – Sun 8 May – hopefully a pleasant sail over to Elie, for a drink and a bite to eat, and then a race back to NB, slowest boat starting first at 15.45 from Elie and everyone finishing line abreast at NB!
  
• Midweek Series – six Tuesday evenings followed by two Thursday evenings 17 May to 25 Aug, all tide friendly for boats in the harbour. What better way to end the day with a sail in the evening.
  
• May Island Race – Sun 29 May – let’s look for a big turnout and good weather to sail round the Isle of May.
  
• Regatta – Sat/Sun 4/5 June. A great advert for the club and an opportunity to show the dinghy sailors that there is plenty of life left in the NB yachts.
  
• S Mark/Elie – Sun 12 June – this is the same day as the Powerboat Cruise, and weather permitting we hope to meet up with the powerboats in Elie. Unlike previous years, this race will be a game of two halves with two separate legs, to and from Elie, and hopefully a club RIB starting us at NB, finishing us at Elie, and starting us again for the race to NB, with time ashore in Elie, assisted by a club RIB ferry service from our anchorage in Elie Bay.
  
• Bell Rock – Sat 18 June – are you brave enough?
  
• Pints Race – Sun 3 July – a pint in NB, another in Elie and another in NB with the skipper staying sober!
  
• Bass/Bellhaven – Sun 14 Aug – unlike the previous two seasons, this is not linked to the Seacliff Barbecue so we will be finishing at NB.Tide friendly start, but you may have to wait to get back in the harbour, unless you are very slow in the race.
  
• Autumn Series – 5 Saturday races 6 Aug to 24 Sept – a fine finish to the season before crane out on 1 Oct. Three out of five races are tide friendly for boats in the harbour.
  
• Elie Passage Race – Sat 10 Sept – racing to Elie against EESC, but in the opposite direction from them, and good hospitality at Elie for us and for EESC at ELYC.
  
• Handicaps – you may notice some changes to handicaps listed in the Club Handbook for 2005. We use the Forth Yacht Clubs Association (FYCA) whenever they are available for particular classes, and the handbook reflects all the changes that have been advised to us. The handicaps assume that yachts will use the full available sail plan but for club events only (non Open Events), the FYCA say that clubs can provide on a trial basis a +4% handicap for any yacht electing not to use a spinnaker. Any owner wishing to claim this allowance must advise me at least 1 week before the start of a race series or particular race.

Even you don’t wish to race, there are still plenty of events.

• Yacht Muster – Sun 22 May – an opportunity for yachts owners to sit back, issue commands, and let someone else take the strain. There may be an element of informal racing, but the main purpose is to get as many yachts out of the harbour at the same time, skippered by the owner, but crewed by novices and some of those fit dinghy sailors.
  
• Seacliff Cruise and Barbeque – Sun 21 Aug – an opportunity for a gentle sail in company to Seacliff and a lift ashore on a club RIB. We may be able to offer places on board for novices and dinghy sailors.
  
• Best Cruising Log With a Difference (Coates-Walker Quaich) - young and not so young – want to show these keen racing types that you put in more sailing in a month than they do in the whole season and that sailing round the Bass while brewing up can be every bit as exciting – and a lot more comfortable than thrashing round in a force 6 westerly? Then take part in this new competition to record achievement on the basis of destinations reached rather than time taken. The following destinations carry specific points and each time you sail to one you record the furthest destination reached that trip and points awarded for that furthest destination (i.e. If you sail past two or three destinations on any one trip you only record one set of points for the furthest reached). Download or open [recording sheet].
  
• Points Destinations
  1. Bass Rock or Fidra
  2. Gullane Wreck Buoy, Belhaven Sewage or Elie
  3. Anstruther or May Island
  4. North Carr, Inchkeith or Granton
  5. Port Edgar or Eyemouth
  6. Berwick Upon Tweed or St Andrews
  7. Holy Island
  8. Amble
  9. Bell Rock
  10. Any destination north of Bell Rock or south of Amble
  
  
• Cruise in Company – although dates and destinations have not been planned, would you be interested in some organised cruises in company, either midweek or at weekends. A trip to Anstruther leaving on the morning tide, and getting a wall berth just inside the entrance at Anstruther before low tide, and in time for lunch, is a very nice way to spend a day. Let me know if you are interested, and give me some suggested destinations and your preferred days of the week.

Whether you take part in racing activities or not you should note that the club has now adopted the FYCA Safety Regulations for Yachts and two of their rules impact on Medinas and Junos in particular.

Regulation 3.01R/2 no longer permits open topped keel cases inside the cabin and regulation 3.06 calls for a minimum of two 25mm diameter cockpit drains.

Application of either of these regulations would exclude Medinas and Junos from any Forth Inshore Group Races, Open Events and Regatta. In order not to so penalise such older class of boats the Rules allow for exemptions to be applied for. The club tried to do this as a block exemption but FYCA have advised that it is necessary for each owner to make individual applications. Medina and Juno owners will receive, with this newsletter, a copy of the relevant application form and a suitable covering letter. Please whether you race or not make a point and ALL apply for these exemptions. Even if you don’t now race, if you are ever selling your boat it could detract from its appeal or value to a prospective purchaser if it doesn’t have such an exemption. You will note that on the Appendix B Form it states a preference for email applications – if you wish an electronic copy of the draft letter and the form please contact me.

To help make racing and other events for yachts a success at ELYC good communications are vital. Many people lead busy lives, and having made the effort, it’s a bit disheartening to turn up to race, and find that no one else is racing, or there is only one other boat racing. Good communications will let yacht owners know what is happening in the club and encourage more to join in. The aim is to keep you all regularly informed with past and future events, including details of arrangements for specific events. This will be achieved by email and information posted here. You can register your email address on the home page, this will allow Derek to email information direct to you.

Please send any feedback to Derek Braid, assistant race secretary, details on the contacts page.