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November 2011 Vice Commodore's Report
Hello everybody,
As another year draws to an end, as indeed does my term of Vice Commodore, it seems fitting to sign off with the following.
We have had quite a year: starting with floods in the clubhouse; blocked sewer pipes; a fire at the gate; mole infestation; and finishing with a brazen mink, which seems quite content in sharing his new home with us. Measures are in hand to remove it.
The autumn work party as per usual was the time to put parts of the club and grounds into hibernation. In addition to some outstanding tasks, namely the continuation of the path along the slip, the fixing of mooring rings on both sides of the slipway edges, and the painting of the boom itself, you will have noticed the barrier that has been put up around the gas store. Yes, it does look like an area to be tying up your horse, but it was necessary to do this to comply with fire regulations relevant to the storage of gas. We have had to narrow the pathway between the clubhouse and tool store as trolleys kept damaging the down pipe. We are aware that a path now needs to be in place to wheel trolleys from the trolley store to the car park. This will form part of my notes which will be handed to the new Vice Commodore. It had become apparent that dogs were entering the grounds through the gap at the side of the main gate: we have hopefully now eradicated this, but please tell us if dogs are still getting in. Before my departure it is planned, with the help of a small team, to tidy up the area by the gate to create an overspill car park. This will not affect current users of this area, but will greatly enhance the view as you enter the club grounds, and hopefully should help to prevent the parking of vehicles on the grass. Hopefully when this is done cars will not need to park on the grass, which should be only be done as a last resort.
At this point I would like to thank everybody who turned up and did their bit at the autumn work party, and to those who have helped throughout the year. We will have a new grounds team for 2012. Brian Merchant will be head groundsman, aided by an assistant. They will continue to maintain the club grounds and access lane.
So as my term as Vice Commodore draws to an end, so does this update. However, before I go I must thank Lin Cox and Brian Merchant for all their efforts and support over the past year, I greatly appreciate it. I would also like to thank those few members who have gone the extra mile and helped us through 2011, especially those who helped with re-laying the car park and cleaning up the patio: they know who they are. I now wish everybody happy hibernation and see you soon.
David Farrow
Vice Commodore
June 2011 Cruising Weekend Report
Bright and breezy weather dominated a Barmy but not balmy weekend. By thursday afternoon enough boats had arrived on site to provide the manpower to erect the marquee allowing for a relaxed evening.
Friday, the Wedding Day was used by the men to set out and trim the marquee while some ladies joined forces spending the time watching the T V and frequently toasting the happy couple with champagne. A very noisy and convivial meal at the Anchor by 18 members rounded up a pleasant day. As there were no other diners in the room we were not asked to leave because of the noise.
By saturday lunch most boats had arrived, with the majority of crews dressed in the weekend theme of "Country Pursuits". Information were packs distributed. Four teams,namely "Poachers", "Trout ticklers", " Ramblers" and "Pheasant Pluckers" were formed and team leaders appointed. Team tasks such as handicraft models to be made relative to the weekend theme [children to make scarecrows] and a picture quiz, both to be completed by the evening.
Team games commenced with "Help in the Dairy", one team being disqualified by one member mortally wounding the cow, "Sheep Herding" followed, teams demonstrating different methods of "none spoken communication". The "Attraction Of Fishing" being the final game of the day proved to require skill and a delicate touch by the angler and long arms by the landing net handler.
A communal B.B.Q. started the evening followed by a very entertaining performance by magician Ian Keable [with more than a touch of comedy] and his act "Nothing Up My Sleeve", all were mystified, audience participation being the highlight of the show. Handicraft competition results announced, Carole Chambers winning the adult section with her artistic version of a five bar gate, the children's competition winner being Hannah Cox with a great scarecrow.
Sunday morning breakfast cooked by volunteers on the B.B.Q. provided everyone with the energy to walk [or car ride] to the Horseshoes pub in Blunham. Ggood ale and company made for a very enjoyable lunchtime. After the stagger back to the moorings the final team game, skittles commenced, very noisy, much barracking with some disagreement on the result, the runners up demand for a replay being squashed after the winning team [by one point] applied extreme pressure to the games master.
Sunday evening commenced with a pub quiz followed by some individual performances and then team Karaoke. Team positions were judged against various parameters i.e.. costume effort and duration of wearing, games and quiz scores, handicraft and Karaoke.The winning team was the "Poachers" and runners up the "Pheasant Pluckers". Enthusiastic teams carried on with karaoke renditions together with our resident performer Geoff "Crooner" Clark until late.
Monday morning was taken up dismantling the marquee and clearing the site, a very pleasant cruise back to base rounded off a very enjoyable weekend, tired but happy.
May 2011 Report from the Vice Commodore
Hello everybody
Thank you for taking the time to check out the club web site - it is a quick and easy way of seeing what's going on and indeed, what has happened.
Work Party
The weather was great, spirits were up - unfortunately numbers were down. Don't know why?
On Saturday 77 members turned out, 19 of whom were non-mooring members. On Sunday 37 members took part, 15 of whom were non-mooring members. Any suggestions on improving these figures would be gratefully received. Despite the low turn-out most of the jobs were completed, so hats off to those who did make the effort.
Disabled Parking
Disabled parking spaces have now been increased to 5. A couple of members feel this is too many. We will monitor the usage. If during busy weekends we are struggling for places and these spots are empty we will have to remove some.
Smoking Areas
We are trying to contain smoking to specific areas and have provided sand bins for spent cigarette ends. These are located on the patio and to the rear of the building between the two sets of stairs. Please use these bins and not the newly cleaned patio for cigarette ends.
Bonfire
The bonfire is now in a purpose built hole in the woods near the mower shed, but please do not put oil on it. Used oil should be taken off-site for disposal. The local recycling centre is at Unit 3, Marston Road, Cromwell Road, St. Neots PE19 2HB. Telephone Number: 0345 045 5207. Opening Hours are 7 days a week: 8.00am to 6.00pm.
Slipway Boom
The slipway boom has been quite a conundrum, but we think we have an idea for this. We have acquired the necessary items for this task, now it is a matter of finding the time, but it will be done sooner rather than later.
Fire
The recent fire has highlighted a minor lapse in security. A 2.2 metre length of security fence adjacent to the gate has been ordered and as I write we are awaiting delivery. As a consequence of this we have decided to remove totally the existing remaining wooden fence and tidy up that area whilst we have the use of Russell's JCB. During my time as Vice Commodore I would like to cut the large conifers by the gate down to a more suitable size to make them look neater and to reduce the fire risk. I am reliably informed small electrical items were apparently found by the police in the bushes where the fire started. They feel a thief was destroying evidence by way of fire which got out of control. I mention this to waylay fears of malicious behaviour.
Club Sewer Pipes
The sewer pipes were recently badly blocked. We were on the brink of stripping it all down when a last ditch unorthodox method was deployed which saved the day. We have earmarked this as a job for the future as we feel it will happen again. Please do not put anything down the toilets other than the obvious.
Green Bins
The waste bins are now on the dinghy park. I know some people are grumbling, but the reason for this is we need to keep the bin lorry off the new car park surface as it will instantly destroy it.
Car Park
As you can see the car park has been re-surfaced. This is not the silver bullet, it is a vast improvement on what we had, but in time will itself deteriorate. We must try and avoid turning steering wheels whilst stationary and take it steady, especially when the temperatures are high. May I thank our handful of volunteers who gave up their time to complete this task.
Weed in Marina
Having spoken to several of the approved contractors who are on the list given by the EA, it would appear that as of April 2011 the use of chemicals to halt the growth of weeds within the marina mooring is no longer an option. We can thank the EU for this new directive. We can use ÒRoundup BioÓ but this only works on weeds that live on the surface, obviously no help to the problem we have underwater. Therefore if mooring members keep the area adjacent to their boat clear we can keep the marina relatively clear and open for passage.
Electric Boxes
The current batch of new electric boxes are nearly installed, the remainder will fall into future budgets. The old boxes that were deemed unsafe were replaced first. I would like to thank Danny Barter, Brian Lamb and Bernie Philpott for their work so far.
Visitors' Book
Please don't forget to sign your visitors in; it is not very nice having to remind members on the day.
Holiday Dates
May I ask that once you have your boating holiday start/return dates confirmed please let me know. We have several temporary mooring requests that I cannot confirm until I know what spaces I have.
New Mooring Members
With the moving on of Mr Goodhew (Pisces), we are pleased to welcome Bob and Lynne Peacock, a well known couple not afraid to contribute to the club. Again, welcome to Bob and Lynne.
I think that's it, apart from thanking my team members, Lin and Brian,
for their support during this busy period for us, and thanking everybody
else who has helped and supported us so far this season.
Enjoy your boating, and see you soon.
David Farrow
10 April 2011 FIRE!
At half past four on Sunday afternoon Martin and Ed went to investigate a possible fire in the hedge by the club gate. Minutes later and the whole hedge and the first conifer tree were well and truly alight. The fire brigade were called and arived 3 miutes later. Thankfully the wind died and the other trees were no longer at risk. Efforts were started to begin moving boats from the land berth area, but the fire brigade had the worst of the fire out in seconds. A second load of water was required for damping down so the fire engine left and returned. A quick assessment shows that only a couple of fence pannels have gone, some damage to the tree, but probably not terminal.
No one was injured at all and no boats were at risk. Although many on the back leg have a fair covering of ash.
April 2011 Tuzzy Muzzy LEISURE GROUP NEWS (April)
The Leisure Group held their 7th April Meeting which was attended by 50 Members. A Bring and Buy Pot/Bag Plant Sale was held which raised £25.00 for Leisure Group Funds.
Thursday 14th April a Day Trip to Hampton Court combined with a Boat Trip - Hampton Court to Runnemead. All Sold Out
Wednesday July 27th a Day Trip to Sandringham Flower Show
For December 2011 A Turkey and Tinsel Holiday to the Isle of Wight is now in the planning stage. More news at the next Meeting
Dates for your Diary.
Next Leisure Group Meeting : Thursday 5th May 2011.
Leisure Group BBQ Wednesday 7th Sept
Lunch at the Wheatsheaf -Tempsford (By Car) Thursday 13th October.
Leisure Group Bring and Buy PLUS Raffle 3rd November.
Leisure Group Christmas Party and Lunch. Wednesday 7th December.
February 2011
The Diesel in your tank.
Dean Rayner What will you be putting in your tank this year? Due to various changes in the law, the diesel fuel that you buy this year will be different to that which you purchased last year. Two significant changes have happened. The first is the sulphur content has dropped from 'Low Sulphur' to 'Ultra Low Sulphur'. This may not sound much, but the sulphur has dropped from around 50ppm to less than 10ppm. In practical terms this could mean your diesel injector pump may not be receiving enough lubrication. If this is likely to cause a problem (contact the manufacturer for details) it can be solved by adding some 2-Stroke oil to the diesel. The second problem is the addition of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters or FAME. This is basically recycled cooking oil. But the oil companies like to call it Bio diesel. It has three bad side effects, the first is it can rot some rubber components. Fuel hoses that are BSS compliant should be OK, but "O" rings, gaskets and sealing washers could be another matter. The second effect is that it will clean out your fuel system, you may think this is a good thing, but it will dislodge all the accumulated grunge from the bottom of your tank and block your fuel filters. The third unfortunate effect is the bio element makes a fantastic food for the diesel bug. It is not a side effect, but another problem is it only has a shelf life of six months. Not too good for the winter layup.Thankfully the government have bowed to pressure and will permit the use of FAME free diesel for recreational boaters. Make sure you know EXACTLY what you are putting in your tank. Insist on FAME free. If in doubt, walk way. Priory (Bedford) and Jones (St Ives) have both declared that all diesel will be FAME free and Low Sulphur (Remember Low is higher than Ultra Low!)
February 2011
Report from the Vice Team
David Farrow - Vice Commodore, Brian Merchant, Lin Cox
Overnight on the 19th December 2010 we suffered a burst pipe in the clubhouse. Fortunately the water came through the ceiling in one place only, close to the main entrance. Dave Norbury was first on site on the Monday morning and found half an inch of water on the floor. He rang round other members to come and help and the mopping up operation began. Two inches of water was subsequently found in a small area in the loft space. A wheelbarrow was placed under the leak, and members took it in turns to go and empty it at regular intervals until the water stopped dripping down. Much water had seeped through the floor, giving the glorious display of icicles underneath the clubhouse.
Once the water had been removed from inside the clubhouse, and the furniture put into the storage area (which was not affected), heaters and dehumidifiers were hired to dry everything out. The incoming water supply had to be shut off for a couple of weeks, which meant the toilets were out of action. After everything had dried out it was found there was no structural damage and, apart from repairing the burst pipe, the only items that needed to be replaced were the carpet, the floor tiles and the wooden base on the floor. Luckily our insurers agreed to cover the costs and, once they had given the go-ahead, the floor was treated twice with anti-fungicide. The wood base layer was fitted by Carl Daniels, assisted by Eric Folkes, after which the wooden flooring and the carpet were fitted by Jamie Partridge. The new flooring was chosen by the committee at the January meeting.
The members had already approved the budget for resurfacing the floor in the ladies' toilets, so it was decided to replace this whilst the clubhouse was out of action, to save disruption later in the season. As you will see from the picture below, it is now all very friendly in there!
The Vice Team would like to say a very big thank you to all members who helped at all the various stages, and on behalf of the members the Vice Commodore would like to thank Brian Merchant, who managed the whole project.
The pictures below show the work in progress and the finished flooring.
A message from the Secretary. 9/2/11
Hello All,
I am pleased to say that repairs to the Clubhouse are now complete and it is fully ready for use.
The planned social function for this Saturday was cancelled but some members are now planning to meet up on Saturday evening from about 6.30pm.
The Bar will be open and those attending are asked to bring a plate of food for sharing, Martin