Tuesday, September 26, 2006

D.S.C. wins again!!!

As we set off the conditions seemed too tough for the event, with many finding it hard to get comfy, the wind speed too high, the light too intense, so the decision was made. After 200yds we stopped for more food. This was a brilliant tactical decision: tea, bacon, sausages, eggs, black pudding, beans, toast; the really brave went for the full breakfast option. So again we set off looking for an early advantage and this was soon to come, not long after rounding the heugh (huff) the first one fell; it gave me a real inner glow as it was someone so near to myself. The next fell near the location of one of the east coast’s many pier chimney combos; the late night camp fires then a long solo drive had worked well. We had to move further offshore and find a nice rolly swell to increase the soporific effect. One by one they all fell, the web mistress and group captain being very difficult but if you look closely, photo evidence can be found. One competitor had fallen early in the orthodox way i.e. on a bunk, but rising to gain max team points he managed an incredible feat of a perfect score through a full 25 mins atop a winch. As yet we think this position is unbeatable.
OK it is never as easy as you think and we had pushed the rules to the limit, one of the crew was a ringer – not only was his membership questionable but had he fallen during the trip? We were not sure, so as a test he was placed before the helm, his fingers placed around the wheel rim, then we all backed off to see the results. There could be no doubt. By his actions it was obvious he was asleep, the whole vessel a ghost ship quietly weaving its way into Blyth, dredger ahead pushed by a tug boat astern, tied up by the locals until we gently awoke at beer o’clock, just in time to go to the pub.

(All positions of collapse and duration verified by HM Inspector of Taxes)

By Tim

Monday, September 25, 2006

Black Diamond video clips

Tim shot these video clips on 'Black Diamond' at the weekend.



Link to video (if the player above does not work).



Link to video (if the player above does not work).

Tim also took photos; you can find these in Denholme SC's gallery.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Black Diamond

At the weekend a group of Denholme sailors went out on Black Diamond - at 45ft Bowman Corsair owned by Sailing NorthEast. It was the second trip on Black Diamond so there was a record to beat!


We left Hartlepool Marina in the early hours of Saturday morning to moor up in Hartlepool fish docks for a couple of hours. Mmmm, nice!


Saturday was a beautiful day once the early mist had burned off. However, the wind varied between very little and none so there was as much motoring as sailing.


We spent Saturday night in Blyth Marina where the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club has a clubhouse (with excellent but slippery showers) and bar in a decommissioned light ship: HY Tyne, one of the last remaining lightships afloat. Cal's catering on Black Diamond is highly recommended; we ate very well indeed. Our evening meal included, for Tim and Dan, fresh mackerel caught during the voyage.

On Sunday morning we left Blyth hoping for force 3-4 winds blowing from the SE.

What we got was even less wind the day before with rain followed by fog severe enough to need the foghorn and watchers posted on deck. However, there was some excitement when we became part of an RNLI training exercise.


Peter won the fashion award for the weekend due to his co-ordinated oilskins and seaboots. Notice how the blue of his lifejacket is picked up in the boot toecaps. Apparently, in his ten years and many cruises with these boots, this was the first time that they have been worn at sea!


Everybody took a turn at the helm...

And proved their mastery of essential sailing skills such as washing up.


These are only a few of my photos; there are more in DSC's photo gallery on flickr.com. There were plenty of other cameras on the trip - so I hope that some more pictures (and stories) will appear here. By the way, Dan's record of 7.4 knots remains unbroken so better luck (wind) next trip!

Many thanks to Tim for organising the trip and to Cal for his excellent but relaxed skippering.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Big yellow digger

Work is continuing at Doe Park. The car park has been extended and leveled. Obviously this is for the use of the construction company but if they leave it like that then it will surely be a benefit to Doe Park users in the future.

Car park enlargement at Doe Park

A hard surface has been laid below the gate, presumably so that heavy equipment can be moved between the dam and the car park/site office.

Above the jetties
There's clearly no chance of getting boats down for a sneaky sail (even though the water has risen again and the wind was perfect)!


slipway and jetties

The spillway is being rebuilt and the work here seems to have progressed quite a bit in the last two weeks.

the spillway

And every construction site has to have a big yellow digger!

Big yellow digger

Moving your boat

Doe Park is closed for construction work and the site has been fenced so that there is no access.

If you need to move your boat from the pen please contact Peter Illingworth (moveboat@denholmesc.co.uk - or see your newsletter) who can arrange access.

Monday, September 04, 2006

The work begins...

Work began last week on the improvements to the spillway at Doe Park Reservoir. The clubhouse is now the site office and the site is completely closed with a fence blocking the carpark entrance.

Doe Park entrance 3rd September 2006
Yorkshire Water's sign Heavy construction vehicles have now been moved onto the site along with piles of rubble .

Big yellow digger
Works vehicles near the clubhouse Down by the spillway, there is a digger at work. Rubble has been used to make a hard surface on which the digger can work.

Digger working on spillway Other members of DSC were at Doe Park yesterday; here is Barbara in her new role as blackberrying secretary. Steve D. and Lesley were also about; Lesley taking photos for a scrapbooking project about the reservoir.


Barbara picking blackberries
Ironically the water level has risen (compare this picture with the last weekend in July) to the point where we could probably be sailing if the place were not full of diggers, trucks and rollers!


Number 9 and the tower

For those who are sailing elsewhere, here's a reminder of how lovely our reservoir can be.


Doe Park Reservoir

How low can you go?

I took these pictures in the last weekend of July: just before the weather changed. They show what must have been the lowest point of the water.
Number 9 and tower
Number 5 - a land bouy A few boats have been lost in Doe Park over the years; can anyone identify this one?

Wreck
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 License.