Club captain Anne P writes: After our committee meeting last week there are some matters that are worth bringing to your immediate attention.
Regattas
We now have enough members to form teams for the following regattas:
• Broughty Ferry 18th May
• Newhaven 15th June
• Arran 22/23 June
• Shieldaig 10/11 August
• North Berwick 21st August
Troon, on 8th June, currently has 8 sign-ups, with Portsoy on the weekend of 31st August having 5 sign-ups so far.
The sign-up sheets were removed for the committee meeting and are now back in the shed. If you are interested in signing up for any of these regattas please do so, especially for Troon as, if we are able to form a team, we will need to do so in enough time to confirm a place in their regatta.
Port Edgar Open Days
The marina’s Open Weekend – this year on 11/12 May – is busy, fun and a great way in which we have recruited new members in other years. Over the course of the two days, come-and-try sessions are offered to visitors and our boats are out fairly steadily. To accommodate the number of visitors who would like to try rowing, we need as many club members as possible to come and help. As we can only take a couple of novices out at a time, our own members are needed to make up crew, to cox and skipper the boats. There is a sheet in the shed to add your name to. If you can only make it for an hour or so on one of the days, that’s OK but it would be helpful if you could indicate your availability when you sign up.
Queensferry Regatta
Our own regatta is set for 1st June. We have a full list of clubs with 2 in reserve. Those attending are:
Crail, Portsoy, Eskemouth, FCCRs, St Andrews, Woudrichem, Kinghorn, Wormit, Findochty, North Berwick, North Queensferry
Eastern and Broughty Ferry are in reserve
There is a great deal of organisation and manpower needed to make sure that our regatta runs smoothly and safely, and that our guests are given a good day. A sub-committee will be formed, meeting roughly once a month from now until the event, to make sure that everything is well prepared. As well as rowing, we also have to carry out duties on the day. The subcommittee will be asking for volunteers to take on a number of roles, on and off the water, including such things as traffic management, safety boat duties, race timing, PA, pontoon, catering and more. There is something for everyone, none are too challenging but all need done and the more volunteers we have the easier it will be for everyone. To get the ball rolling we will soon be holding the first sub-committee meeting. We are specifically seeking someone at the moment to take the lead on catering.
If you can help with catering or by joining the sub-committee, please email me at apurcellb@hotmail.com.
Please also let me know if you are happy to be given a job on the day (and if you have a particular job in mind, let me know that too).
Longer row events
Sign-up sheets are in the shed for longer rows such as Perth to Wormit, Tweed, Castle to Crane. If you are interested please add your name. Priority for these events will be given to members who have not previously participated, assuming sufficient coxes/ skippers etc.
Emails
Email traffic has increased greatly in the past while and is a source of frustration and difficulty for many, not least because important emails then become almost impossible to find in the wider traffic. This was a common theme in the club survey in the autumn with a number of respondents raising the problem of too many emails. Please, let us all be more diligent and disciplined when replying to emails.
Please restrict whole club emails when and where possible. If asked to reply to a particular person then please do so. It’s very easy to hit the reply button and I’ve done this in error more than once, but can we all pause before we reply to an email to make sure that it is going to the correct person and to ask ourselves if the email really needs to go to all. Thank you in advance.
Feedback evening – Thursday 31st January
Finally, the feedback session on 31st January is open to all, even if you haven’t informed me of your intention to come along.
During the session we will watch and analyse some of the video footage taken from Faithful on the development day, gather feedback on the recent protocol on rowing technique issued to members and clarify any points, review the early stages of age category training and give feed back on the club survey and identify next steps. All are welcome.
Thank you to everyone who is working hard in so many ways to contribute to the development and enjoyment of our rowing and club experience; to our trainers of coxes, skippers, rowers and passage planners, our technicians, social organisers and rowers. There really is a role for everyone and a way for everyone to join in and develop in whatever way they wish.
Here’s to a great year ahead.
