Hello all,

The RYC Christmas Series Races 3 &4 and Annual Christmas Cocktail Party that round off the first half of the 2008/9 sailing season both happen this Sunday.

RYC Christmas Series Races 3 &4 are the last two races on our 2008 program before the traditional Christmas break. Please note that the start times of the races this Sunday have been moved forward and racing will now start at 2.30pm and not 11.00am as listed on the sailing program.

The later start will result in the last race being completed around 4.30pm leaving you with just over an hour to pack your boat away, shower and dress for the Christmas Cocktail Party that is scheduled to start at 6.00pm.

The first two races of the Christmas Series held last Sunday in strong winds were extremely challenging to say the least and provided superb entertainment value for the spectators.

I elected to crew with Lucas on his Sprog and enjoyed staying upright for a change while Rudi O'Neil, the national Optimist coach and one of our country's top Laser sailors, put my Laser through it's paces earning first place in both races.

Congratulations also go to Sydney Pettitt who won the Optimist class race demonstrating just how much our Optimist sailors had learned from Rudi during his coaching sessions leading up to the race.

The good news is that with Rudi coaching and Josh Woollard sailing at the Junior Nationals this weekend nearly everybody who sails this Sunday has an equal chance of winning the series in their respective class even if they did not sail last weekend - so no excuses for not sailing this Sunday!

The Annual Christmas Cocktail Party which formally closes the 2008 sailing year is scheduled to start at 6.00pm in the clubhouse shortly after the racing this Sunday.

This cocktail party is an informal affair providing an opportunity for everyone to relax, chat about their Christmas holiday plans and their aspirations for 2009.

If anyone is able to assist with catering by bringing a plate of snacks with them to the cocktail party please would they give Rhona a call on 041 463 1611 to ensure maximum variety of snacks is enjoyed.

All members, their families and personal guests are invited and requested to attend.

RYC Junior Fun Triathlon - A special fun triathlon is planned for the juniors on Tuesday 16 December. This will be a full day of fun, games and sailing for our junior sailors who are also encouraged to bring as many brothers, sisters and friends as they can muster along with them to join in the fun.

Entry is free and snacks / coldrinks will be available for sale throughout the day from the galley. For more information and to confirm your attendance please telephone Andrew Butler on 084 564 3128 or Rhona Clark on 041 4631611 who are hosting this fun activity day.

Sailing School - There will a full session of sailing school for both junior and senior sailors this Sunday morning. This is the final training session of the year and everyone is asked to please attend.

Some Amusing Sailing Trivia sent me by Ian Visser realting the the storing of cannon balls on the great sailing galleons of past that you too should find both interesting and entertaining is:-

It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships, but how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem.

The best storage method devised was to stack them as a "square based pyramid," with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.  Thus a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon.  There was only one problem... how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.

The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a "monkey." 

If this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it.  The solution to the rusting problem was to make them out of brass - hence, BRASS MONKEYS!

Few Landlubbers realise that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled, consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.

Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off of a brass monkey."

and... all this time you thought that it was just a vulgar expression, didn't you!

Last but certainly not least best of luck to both Josh Woolard and Scott Stephens who are representing RYC at the Junior Nationals in Mossel Bay.

See you on the water for the racing this Sunday and at the cocktail party afterward.

Yours in sailing

PAUL PETTITT
Commodore
041 581-5394