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Royal Engineer Yacht Club Annual General Meeting / REYC(O)_01
08March 2017

Introduction

  1. In another busy season Offshore has maintained a balance of cruising, adventurous training andracing with good results in the Round the Island race, Cork and Cowes Week, and a strong showing at the Army Offshore Regatta. Attendance, involvement and usage are all positively up on that of the previous season whilst the hulls themselves are in good shape with less outstanding maintenance than at this point in previous years. The Racing Secretary, Capt of Boats, Charter Secretary, ATIs and Offshore Treasurer have all worked exceptionally hard n the background to deliver an extremely successful season. The third iteration of the RE Sail Training Week built on the success of the previous year and saw the lead switch from REYC to 22 Engineer Regiment; it was well attended and enjoyed by those involved. Unfortunately, Wednesday sports afternoon sail and race training did not gain the same traction this year as it did in 2015 and it will be a focus to reinvigorate for 2017. That said our intent to run a taster expedition for the RETCC succeeded. We need now to build the latter into the RETCC programme and look potentially at other opportunities to ‘capture’ nascent RE sailors as they pass through Phase 2 and Phase 3 training. Our aim for 2017 remains to garner interest in the sport, introduce members of the Corps to the opportunities that offshore sailing and the REYC offers, whilst using racing as a means to both stretch and develop those who return. Engagement with units remains key to success in this area and we are hopeful that the delivery and recovery legs of the forthcoming South West Three Peaks Race and recovery from the 47th Rolex Fastnet Race will offer Regiments the opportunity to capitalise on ‘pre-prepared’ AT.

The Fleet

  1. General. The Hulls remain in a sound condition and, despite having the pressure of an extra two Yachts from that of last year, alongside a full calendar events, the team has worked exceptionally hard to keep everything in order. Generally, we have seen improved availability throughout the year and less ‘lost’ time to maintenance; our thanks to Rob Duke, Adam Hearn and the Boatswain team for the work to address both the pre-planned and reactive challenges of the season.
  1. Trojan. Trojan has completed her first racing season with the club and has very much lived up to our expectations. The start of the season saw her instrumentation suite upgraded with a B&G Zeus2 chart plotter, new compass and AIS, whilst her sail loft was improved with a Dacron cruising /delivery main and headsail, along with new race No 2 Jib and A4 Spinnaker. MCA registered and coded, she has required some minor maintenance throughout the season with a few running repairs to her sail loft post the early season JOG events and the SOR. Otherwise her principal winches were replaced at the start of the season (following failure during skipper familiarisation training) whilst her secondary winches will be replaced in early ‘17. Otherwise, she has proven a reliable addition to the fleet; minor works to improve the reliability of her instrumentation suite and the display units continues.
  1. Coding. Trojans MCA CAT 2 coding inspection was conducted by the club’s WDSA authorised Yacht Surveyor, on 15 Feb 16. Her next formal inspection is due in February 2018 and will be conducted by the Club’s Managing Agent.
  1. Hull/Sails. Having been procured in good condition and maintained throughout the season the club has only needed to complete minor works during the winter re-fit period. Below decks a new fridge system has been installed and gassed. On the topside, a new set of Harken 40 radial coach roof winches have been installed and the coach roof instruments have been refurbished to increase their reliability and working life. The interior furniture is showing signs of wear; our next steps will be to look at recovering the soft furnishing with a more appropriate, harder wearing fabric.
  1. Ilex. Ilex has also had a busy season albeit with the emphasis switching from racing to cruising. Early season work to reseal her through-deck fittings has been completed, her fore hatch has been replaced and the toe-rails have been lifted, sealed and re-bedded. We seem to have finally identified the cause of her long reported water ingress issues and she has been significantly dryer this season. Routine maintenance likewise saw her battery charger and engine mounts replaced during the early season preparation, and an electrical overhaul completed but less pressing engine / drive train and propulsion concerns were deferred to the 2016 refit period. Having lifted her out early this season her winter refit and cruising transformation is now well under way.
  1. Coding. The 5 yearly coding inspection cycle re-starts in for Ilex in 2017 and her MCA coding inspection is due to be conducted at the end of March 17 by the clubs Yacht Surveyor. Ilex will be coded to Cat 2 so that she can be cruised and raced as required.
  1. Hull/Sails. Ilex’s winter maintenance period has been extensive. She has had a deep refurb of her above and below deck fixtures and fittings, whilst her engine and sail-drive have now been split, removed, professionally refurbished, and refitted. Below deck, the saloon area has had a cosmetic face lift, a B&G electronic suite has been fitted with a new chart plotter and all window seals have been replaced. Her AIS has been fully integrated with the instruments, a new gas system has been installed, inspected and certified, and a proper fridge has been installed to replace her cool box. Above deck the standard rigging has been replaced, the Jib tack has been re-bedded, the running sheets changed and LED navigational lights have been installed. We managed to negotiate an excellent deal with Xtosea for her ‘nearly new’ race main, J3 and cruising spinnaker that will enable her current main and headsail to be reassigned into her cruising loft at a lesser cost than our original plan. We have a few minor works to complete, some headsail alterations to commission alongside procurement of a heavy weather headsail before she is fully reborn as a cruiser. The new season will see her in much better overall condition than recent year, and well set up for cruising or AT. She will however be IRC rated such that she remains competitive amongst her class for inshore racing.
  1. Right Royal. Right Royal remains in excellent condition and offers the club a versatile training and offshore capable boat. She continues to be a reliable yacht for the club and, less minor routine maintenance, has required minimal investment to keep her at the requisite standard. As a performance cruiser offering an enhanced level of on-board equipment she remains extremely popular for charters.
  1. Coding. The 5 yearly cycle of MCA coding inspections also re-starts for Right Royal at the end of May 17. We anticipate that the inspection will take place earlier in the season to tie in with Trojan and to minimise mid-season down time should any remedial works be identified. She is to be coded to Cat 2.
  1. Hull/Sails. Right Royal has required the least amount of maintenance of all our hulls this year, aside from the routine end of charter repairs, cut back and polishing she has behaved well. A VHF splitter was sought during last season resulting in an improved range and consistent communications. Currently the keel plate is showing some signs of corrosion potentially as a result of a stray current; this will be addressed during the winter refit period during which her mast will be rewired and earth bonded.
  1. Hebe. Hebe has had a good initial season with the club but it has proven more complex to get her registered and coded than first envisaged. That said she has now been furnished with an appropriate level of equipment and, following inspection by the clubs YDSA agent, and notwithstanding that relatively few modern classic yachts like Hebe currently hold certifications of compliance with the SCV Code of Practice, we are confident that we can close out her MCA certification. Throughout the year the bosun team have lavished continued care and attention on her and she continues to look every inch as good as she sails. To help preserve her extensive woodwork we hope to commission a cockpit/aft deck cover thereby reducing some of the burden of upkeep.
  1. Coding. Hebe’s Cat D MCA coding inspection will be conducted concurrent with those of Trojan and Right Royal. The inspection will be completed at the end of March 17.
  1. Hull/Sails. Hebe had an extensive maintenance period prior to last season, thus has required very little during this season. She has proved very popular resulting in a busy season, often with back-to-back charters. During the winter maintenance period the holding tank has been removed, cleaned & stored, such that the storage space in the aft lockers can be increased. The engine has been removed and we await the prognosis of a professional inspection to determine the level of remedial work required. Above deck the cockpit area will be re-varnished once again whilst replacement parts have been sought to resolve the known issue with the headsail foil jamming on the continuous-line furling system.

Yacht Usage

  1. On the water, as alluded to above, this has been a busy year with Trojan, Ilex and Right Royal being used extensively; Trojan was raced in both inshore and offshore series and was involved in a number of AT expeditions, whilst Ilex and Right Royal have predominantly been used for courses, AT and cruising charters. The format has worked well and usage (generating charter income) has increased significantly when compared to previous years. Hebe continues to attract a lot of interest for those looking for a day or family sail and she has been hugely popular with those who have taken her out. Yacht usage by activity, yacht and in a table by crew is shown overleaf with data collected by the ATIs. Use of the yachts for AT has kept par with previous years, charter and racing has increased; not by as much as we would like, but, as per last year’s report, shows a continued trend of year-on-year increase. The time lost to non-availability in 2016 reduced significantly – only two charters had to be offered out to other clubs as a result and the increase in usage is reflected across the fleet. Trojan, attracted a lot of interest - She has been hugely popular and her usage at 114 days reflect an exceptionally busy inaugural season.
  1. In terms of raw statistics the number of days that hulls were out on the on the water has risen by a little over 50% from the 2015 season[1] that in turn was up from its previous year. This is clearly a positive trend and one that we wish to continue! Usage remains somewhat biased to Senior Officers but the numbers of Sprs, JNCO and SNCOs have has continued to grow from that reported in recent years. This remains an area of focus with the RE Sail training Week and Unit sponsored AT very much targeted at developing and growing new talent. Junior officer usage remains low, and well below that that we would like in terms of growing new talent to sustain the club. The RETCC familiarisation AT expedition was a success however and we will seek to repeat the event for each cohort of junior officers as they pass through training.

Snr Offr / Offr / SNCO / JNCO / Spr / Retd RE / Retd Non RE / Civ / Total Days
Ilex / 40 / 7 / 14 / 8 / 19 / 3 / 3 / 27 / 47
Right Royal / 32 / 10 / 11 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 2 / 56 / 51
Hebe / 12 / 0 / 5 / 1 / 1 / 2 / 0 / 22 / 33
Trojan / 74 / 12 / 19 / 14 / 30 / 8 / 1 / 48 / 114
Total / 158 / 29 / 49 / 30 / 56 / 18 / 6 / 153 / 245

Adventurous Training

  1. On the Adventure Training side the RE Sail Training Week was led this year by 22 Engineer regiment. It proved once again to be a great success and it will now continue as an annual event, led by 22 Engineer Regiment with support from the wider REYC . A mixed fleet of 10 yachts: Ilex and Right Royal, six Victoria 34s, James Anderson's Cleone as the Committee / support vessel, and Andrew Douglas’ Rollercoaster had a fantastic week in some near Mediterranean conditions. The week followed last year’s template and included demanding sailing for novices and skippers alike with quizzes, night sailing and a variety of skills and drills led by James, Andrew and Peter. Next year’s repeat event is now firm in the calendar (17-21 July 2017) and 22 Engineer Regiment have already issued the warning order to Regimental 2ICs and Sailing officers. 9 yachts have been provisionally allocated for Units/ RE individuals to bid against; three JSASTC Victoria 34’s and three, Ex Kiel, JSASTC Hallberg-Rassy, alongside Trojan, Ilex and Right Royal will be allocated by the project officer on a first come first served basis.
  1. Other adventure training activity on the REYC hulls this year was limited to the delivery and recovery legs of the Mary Cup and Cork Week alongside a number of regimental sponsored days, weekends, and short-duration expeditions. This year has not seen the more deliberate expeditions, such as Ex GALLIPOLI or Ex TRANSGLOBE, feature as a central element of our activity, but recovery of the BKYC fleet from Denmark, participation in Ex HIGHLAND EXPRESS and other Regimentally inspired overseas training, saw many participating in officially sponsored sailing expeditions in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Caribbean.Whilst capturing a holistic view for sailing across the Corpscontinues to be problematic, we will continue to act as a Corps focal point for AT expertise and a one-stop-shop for SQEP. Where possible we continue to market AT opportunities via Mail Chimp and corral wider support for Joint Service, Army and Corps led expeditions. The bottom line is that we need to know who is sailing in order to encourage them to become members of the REYC whilst assisting, where possible, in growing talent in the Corps.
  1. It is entirely likely that the impact of the BKYC fleet, now based at Gosport, will improve the JSASTC’s ability to meet AT requests from units with boats that have a bit more ‘pontoon appeal’ than the Victoria 34’s have hither to. I am not concerned that this will have a detrimental effect on the way that we operate as a club. Short duration, mid-week, weekend, and racing delivery, has featured this year more so than deliberate expeditions and it will continue to attract the AT designation going forward. As such this ‘pre-prepped’ style of AT can continue to be provided for the membership and wider Corps.

Racing

  1. The season started with some skipper familiarisation training on Trojan and Hebe the day after the AGM, and then iaw our aim of developing J109 competencies in our inaugural ‘J’ season, moved on to the RORC Easter Challenge (9th overall in IRC Class 3, but improving with each race to finish 5th in the last race), and the JOG NAB tower (gaining a Credible 10th place in Class 4). Additionally,we have seen a number of cross channel forays, further JOG and RORC participation as well as a strong showing in the Army Offshore Regatta, Tri-Services Regatta, Lymington Meet, Round the Island Race, Cowes Week and more latterly the Ilex Trophy. The year has seen a strong offshore racing commitment and new racers have come to the fore under the tutelage and guidance of more experienced REYC members. Not wanting to steal anything from articles elsewhere published in the newsletter or year book some of the highlights have included:
  1. The Army Offshore Regatta. In the IRC class the crew racing Trojan had a learning experience – downwind angles are very different on an asymmetric boat - but the club’s new boat frequently proved to be the fastest hull. The Vic 34s fought their usual one-design pitched battle in dropping winds and pea-soup fog which showed, once again, that the AOR can be both racing and Adventurous Training. In the final, somewhat confusing, count-back the RLC took the overall prize but with a good spread of silverware among the sapper boats the team proved they had a great week.
  1. The Lymington Meet. Mid May saw us with sunshine with light winds for a great day of racing. John Rayner and Andrew Douglas set some challenging courses and in a close fought match, the REYC regained the Carlier Trophy (by 9 pts to 12). The Ithnan Cup was won by Trojan skippered by Adam Hearn whilst the Shapland Bowl was won by Ilex skippered by Tony Cheales. As usual the Royal Lymington hosted us extremely well; Trojan was formally named and we enjoyed an excellent well organised supper.
  1. Round the Island Race. Trojan (Tom Barker), Ilex (Joel Reeve) and Right Royal (Adam Hearn) all participated in this year’s, somewhat blustery, Round the Island Race. In heavy seas and with 35 Kts of wind on the south side of the island as ever the race was a spectacular event and a real festival of sailing (1533 starts). Trojan had a great day – most will have seen Tom’s article - 4th J109 on water, 8th on rating, 11th in class and 123rd overall. Likewise, Right Royal performed strongly at 104th in class and 298th overall whilst Ilex, with a regimental entry from 62”, was a little further down the pack, finishing 114th in class and 336th overall.
  1. Cork Week. New to the club this year was our participation in the Beaufort Cup which the ASA invited the REYC to participate on their behalf and which we gladly accepted. The REYC provided the UKs entry to this inter-nation tri-service competition which took place alongside the Bi-Annual Cork Week Regatta. A mixed crew of experienced racers and some of our developing talent had a great time and gained valuable experience alongside some semi (if not fully) professional international crews. The Irish Military (coincidently with two J109’s on the start line) hosted us extremely well and helped out with logistics and accommodation. Whilst not bringing any silverware home this time we hope to repeat the event as a central fixture for ‘non-Fastnet’ years with regimental AT options for the outbound and recovery legs.
  1. Cowes Week. Racing in the highly competitive one-design fleet of the J109s was always going to be interesting but the crew of Trojan were still taken aback by the cut-and-thrust of the start lines in this fleet. Frequent collisions and some somewhat ‘excited conversation; between helms led the Sapper afterguard to adopt a watch-and-learn approach to the racing after day one. Throughout the week Trojan got faster and the crew got slicker, although so did the other crews in a fleet of owner-drivers in the middle of a long hard-fought season. Whatever the final score-line the weather gods shone for the full weeks and the crew got to learn a whole new way of sailing in blazing sunshine at double-digit speeds. You can’t hope for better than that.
  1. Mary Cup. Early September saw Trojan wining Div I of the Mary Cup, hosted by Chatham Branch on the Medway with delivery and recovery legs providing the opportunity for Regimental AT and RYA assessment. The inaugural award of the Bucknill Tankard went to Tim Ives; both for championing Trojan’s entry into the cup and for facilitating the Day Skipper / Competent Crew Course conducted during the delivery trips.
  1. Ilex Trophy. The last regatta of the season and one that is always good fun and closely fought. Honours went to RNSA(P) this year but with matched J109s and X-332s making up a good part of the fleet it never felt one-sided. Next year will be even closer!

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