Hello all,

This Weekend At Redhouse we have the first two of four races for the Special Trophy #2.

Start time for the racing this Sunday is 11h00 sharp and with a brisk 16 knot Easterly forecast exciting racing is to be expected.

Please ensure you arrive in time to rig and be ready for the early start and do join us for the bring 'n braai lunch at the Clubhouse straight after the races.

Last Weekend a good contingent of fourteen yachts represented and did Redhouse proud at the KYC interclub regatta.

On the Saturday two races were sailed in very brisk winds gusting up to 35 knots that saw many capsises and very close finishes.

Sunday saw the wind virtually desert us for all three of the races allowing the more experienced sailors the opportunity to demonstrate their tactical superiority.

Unfortunately we did not bring the winners trophy home which was well won by Knysna who out performed RYC, GLYC and MBYC in all five races.

Congratulations to Knysna for an excellent regatta and a very big thank you to all the RYC sailors and their support teams who once again demonstrated that Redhouse can be counted upon to support events at other clubs no matter how far we have to travel.

The Official East Cape Interschool Sailing Regatta sanctioned by South African Sailing and sponsored by Coca-Cola takes place at the RYC over the weekend of 21 & 22 March 2009.

For the first time ever the Interschool Regattas are enjoying official recognition by S. A. Sailing and the winning school teams from each official event will be invited to compete for national honours in the new prestigious National Interschool Regatta that is planned for later this year.

Record entries from all corners of the SASEC region are expected and with interest from sailors in the S.Cape region already exceeding available boats a pre-selection regatta at GLYC is been held for schools in their area. This speaks volumes for the annual E.Cape Interschool event and extremely well for its future.

With just three weeks to go our junior sailors need to organise their school teams and get some practice in if they hope to repeat their victorious performance of last year.

More information and entry forms for the East Cape Interschool Regatta is posted at www.ryc.co.za/interschools.

More To Life Than Laundry is the title of Melissa Talago's blog. Melissa is Frank Colliers daughter and grew up pretty much part of the RYC furniture before relocating to the UK.

Melissa has been selected to sail on the 5,300 nautical mile first leg of a round the world race involving ten 65 foot yachts. Her blog begins by telling a very humorous version of her early sailing life at Redhouse that could quite easily be mistaken for present day RYC and not twenty odd years ago.

We will follow Melissa's progress ahead of and during her epic voyage in our RYC newsletters, but in the interim, do visit her blog at http://www.moretolifethanlaundry.com/?p=49 - it is entertaining reading for both young and old.

Sailing School - There will be no formal sailing school at Redhouse this weekend. Instead the novice fleet, who did extremely well at the KYC regatta last weekend, will participate in the trophy races.

I look forward to sailing with you at Redhouse this weekend and enjoying your company at the braai afterward.

Yours in sailing

PAUL PETTITT
Commodore
041 581-5394