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The 2nd edition of NewSprint, the class magazine for all Sprint 15 / Dart 15 / Spark sailors
is now on it's way to you, with a bumper record of 40 pages to read, giving the latest details on the new boat, a round up of all the Summer TT series and National events, plus a host of other topics which I hope you will all enjoy.
Happy reading from the Dartful Codger.
Let's hear it for our trusty edititor, Paul Smith. You would no believe how much work it is to pull together a magazine of 40 pages. I bet he has not ventured out of his computer room for months.
I look forward to receiving my bumper edition
Thanks again, Paul.
Er, I think you'll find that's EDITOR, not EDITITOR !
I suppose that's why you talk about it and I write about it - I know my place !!
Cheers ever so much ta anyway .
Ed
PS : It get's me out of the washing up, hoovering and ironing for a while, so it's not all bad news!!
Echoing Frank?s comments ? great job on the mag. Paul! Thank you.
I can?t stop laughing at Bob?s included comment re. potential future Nats. venues where he describes Southend (a very close town to me) as, ??a bit tacky?!
I?ll be checking with you Bob as to whether you consider that as a plus or minus point!
I'll now leave it to Andrew (Hannah) to come up with a far more eloquent & witty reposte to your views on Southend than I could ever post. (Come on Andrew - help me out!)
As for me, I will be sailing soon & have even bought a lovely new drysuit to spur me on into the cooler months. (Oh and it is a bright red Musto one - with not a Burberry check in sight!!!!)
Over the years we have tried to improve the image of Southend. First, we made it clear to the Council we needed a small Marina. Sadly, the Council refused. So we pushed their Bandstand into the sea. That didn't work, so we set fire to the pier instead.
Secondly, the Council is keen to embrace HM Government plans to have pubs open all-hours. They think this will reduce binge drinking, and reduce late night crime! And to think, Southend has never had a Labour MP!
Fortunately, I live in a depressed area, Thorpe Bay. That's right....Thorpe Bay is a depressed area! After all, we don't have any schools, and many of the elderly residents don't run a car. Many Thorpe Bay residents refuse to have a television set, including me. Also, there are no pubs in Thorpe Bay.
Mind you, we have an excellent golf club. And on the seafront, Thorpe Bay has an eighteen-court tennis club, which seriously rivals Wimbledon. Plus a bowls club (for Bob's benefit!), and of course our yacht club.
Tacky? Never! Never in my life, have I even tasted toffee apples. Nor have I tasted candy floss! Southend is lovely!
I see in tonight's Evening Echo that Southend Council wants a marina after all. Maybe, Southend councillors are regular readers of the Sprint 15 chat pages, and have decided to take action following my post of yesterday.
Apparently, the council wants a marina by the sea, which most people will think is fairly obvious. But it is nevertheless an important deduction for our councillors to make. However, there is a catch. The Council are fearful of the howls of protest, and have decided NOT to say exactly where the marina will go. This is all very well. But it won't be much use to visiting yachtsmen!
Actually, a marina won't do Southend any good. Southend Council should be thinking of the Olympics in 2012, and what they can do to improve racing for Sprint 15s. Marinas are now old hat.
Well I got my magazine and read it over the weekend. I must admit that I think it is our best magazine yet - well done again, Paul.
It is particularly pleasing that we have got input from so many Clubs - Seasalter, Cardiff Bay, Draycote, Thorpe Bay, etc. as well as the regular race reports from all our events.
Phil Breeeze has excelled himself with 4 great cartoons - I don't know what we would do for humour if it was not for Phil helped in this case by the exploits of Team Shanklin.
Quite a lot of input from new members too (Kevin Parvin, Jeremy Ford, Jan Elfring, John Carver, etc.).
And we even got an article from Windsport - it's a long time ago that we ever got any input from the Laser Centre.
I thought someone drove a ship through southend pier just so they could build a marina. Mind you it was about 18 years ago!!! Is TOTS still there?I am hoping to strut my funky stuff there at the next Nationals
I had forgotten about the ship that had a go at knocking down the pier. It didn't make a very good job of it, because the pier is still there!
TOTS has been re-named, but I don't know what the new name is. I never went to discoteques as my social life was rather different.
Long before joining Thorpe Bay YC, I was a member of what would now be described as a stuffy old yacht club. But stuffy, it wasn't! It was in central Southend and I could write a book about some of the unbelievable members. One was a pianist who could play by ear. He was responsible for my interest in funny songs, including old songs about Southend Pier itself. We sang round the piano swilling gallons of beer. We don't have yacht clubs like that anymore. Music by tannoy is somehow not the same.
Hey Andrew,
When you get a few spare days you should write that book about the old Southend Yacht Club.
I'm sure some of us would love to read it.
Regards
Bob
