Club member Kathy Claydon took a week out from running her sailing company Yachting Experiences in the Hamble www.yachtingexperiences.co.uk to race in the International Women’s Cup in Bodrum Turkey.

 In the Hamble Kathy sails a 37ft Swedish Arcona ‘Arcsine’.  She is a highly experienced skipper with an impeccable record both in racing results and in teaching sailing and navigation.  She takes part regularly in the JOG races www.jog.org.uk  This year she took a corporate group on the Round the Island Race and competed in Cork Regatta despite a week of gales during the trip to Ireland.  WSC club member Alan Glover crewed 'Arcsine' on the home journey. 

Her week in Bodrum www.womensailingschool.com by contrast was competitive but fun sailing with an international crew.  Kathy was tactician and crew trainer on a Beneteau 30.5 'Rosa Luna' with a Turkish skipper and crews from Venezuela and Israel.  Instructions were in Hebrew and Turkish. Nearly 200 women from Turkey, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Israel participated in the five-lap tournament in the 14 boats.  Kathy’s team came second throughout the week in their 7 boat class and won the final race. 

Simon and Jill Vines decided to have a change from racing Squib 'Magaroo' and have an adventurous summer.  Simon is now back in Weymouth after completing a cruise in Sigma 33 'Harmony' but Jill is continuing her break from being a GP in Weymouth by working in a hospital Uganda. 

"This year Jill and I sailed Harmony, our Sigma 33, to Helsingor and back, helped along the way by sixteen family and friends. We left Weymouth on May 31st and sailed, via the Kiel Canal, to Rungsted (just north of Copenhagen) for the Cruising Association Centenary Rally in the Baltic in early July (see photo).  After the rally we carried on round Sjaelland and returned to the Kiel Canal via the Danish archipelago.  On our way home we took the 'standing mast' route through the Netherlands from Delfzijl in the north to Vlissingen (Flushing) in the south. It took two weeks, but it was just as well we were inland because the mid-August gales would have made progress by sea difficult. We reached Calais before being held up by another gale, and then struggled back along the south coast against strong westerlies to arrive in Weymouth on August 26th.  In all, a very enjoyable experience with quite a few interesting moments."

Click 'Read More' to read Jill's newsletter from Uganda

The morning Coffee Club is well known for being in the forefront of topical debate but it is less well known for its musical talent.  While other members were busy putting the Winter Programme and Autumn Newsletter into envelopes – quaintly known as ‘a stuffing party’ -  two well known members of the group, Don Conn and Paul Hare, were practicing their banjo playing.  Is there no end to the talent of members?

The Winter Programme 2008, put together by our social secretaries Sue Ives and Josie Dadd, will be arriving on doorsteps very shortly along with the Autumn Newsletter, compiled by Lyn Atkins.   There are extended opening hours in the Bar and Galley this autumn and winter and a full programme of social events, as well as the very popular winter sailing programme.  We look forward to seeing you in the Club.