Category Archives: Upcoming Event

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Lydney Rally 2024

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Photo credit: Lydney Yacht Club

Lydney Yacht Club have invited members to attend their annual rally. The event will be on Saturday 7th September 2024. High Water is at 11:06 with a 7.5m tide and as an added incentive, the EA are allowing boats to stay in the harbour free of charge for the event.

Vessels can arrive on the Friday tide should they prefer – if so Will Gissing is planning a pre-Rally get together on Isis Tres. All vessels will need to leave on Sunday’s tide.

The Yacht Club will be holding a BBQ on Saturday evening and they invite any musicians to bring along their instruments for some live music. The bar will be open and camping is available to anyone that wises.

The EA are stating a maximum of 12 boats or so in the harbour so apply early to guarantee the space as LYC will apply a first-come first-served basis.

Please note that the EA require LYC to notify them 7 days in advance and then 24 hours before arrival (you’ll get an email to remind you!)

If you’d like to attend, please email Will Gissing (Will.Gissing@portishead.net) ASAP and let him know the following. An email confirmation will then be provided.

  • Details of the boat – name, LOA, draft, name of skipper & number of persons on board
  • Insurance certificates (EA requirement!)

EA Requirements

Please see below the conditions the EA require to be observed for visiting boats. In order to meet point 6 we need to ask you to provide insurance documents. You will note point 1 refers to the risk assessment which can be found here.

1) LYC will ensure full compliance with all Safety Parameters as discussed with the EA and as outlined in the attached Risk Assessment.

2) The overall responsibility for compliance with Lydney Harbour Safety regulations will remain with Lydney Yacht Club – so please behave or we’ll be in trouble!!

3) It will be necessary for all participants’ boat owners to sign a “Letter of Consent,” which the EA will provide to the club later.

4) The EA need details of incoming boats no later than 7 days prior to the event and then confirmation 24 hours before arrival. Will will do this and furnish EA & LYC with the final list including details of the visiting boats.

5) As a gesture of goodwill, this year there will be no mooring fee for the participants; however, please be aware that this may change in the future.

6) Please ensure that all invited boats are fully insured and compliant with local and national marine laws, including River Severn byelaws 1974.

LYC look forward to seeing you 

All the very best

Will and the LYC committee.

Shanghai Cup 2024

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In partnership with Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, PCC is happy to announce the dates for the Shanghai Cup 2024, Bristol Channel IRC Championships and Nimrod Cup.

The popular annual championship, held over two weekends, saw PCC boat Ctrl-J skippered by Andy Williams retain the Shanghai Cup in 2023 with Emma Peel and Checkmate XV coming in second and third places respectively. The 2023 Nimrod Cup was won by Hallucination with Pele and Glad Rags following in second and third place.

Back for another year, the Shanghai Cup will use IRC ratings and take place as follows:

  • Portishead weekend – 15th/ 16th June 2024
  • Cardiff weekend – 29th/ 30th June 2024

Social events at each location will be communicated at a later date. Note the Nimrod Cup will use NHC ratings and will run on the Cardiff weekend only.

The organising committee have now updated the event website at shanghai cup.co.uk and have posted the Conditions of Entry and the Notice of Race 2024 v0.1.

Further information including the entry form, can be found on the Shanghai and Nimrod Cup website. Members are also invited to spread the word and look forward to two weekends of competitive racing in June!

If you’re looking to join the action but aren’t a PCC member or don’t have a boat, contact us to find out about the latest crewing opportunities that may be available.

BCYA Rally & Shanty Festival

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This years Bristol Channel Yachting Association (BCYA) English Coast Rally is coming to Portishead Marina. It promises to be a fun-filled weekend across the Whitsun Bank Holiday of 25th – 27th May as it will be at the same time as the Portishead Shanty Festival and the EAT Food Festival.

As with all BCYA Rallies, visitors can benefit from discounted berthing, a complimentary drinks reception, an official welcome from the town and a competition for the best dressed boat.

The BCYA have supplied us with the following information for the event so get involved and enjoy the fun!

2024 Holms Race

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The 2024 edition of the Holms Race will be on Saturday 28th September.

This annual race is for many a highlight of the Bristol Channel sailing calendar. The course leaves Portishead, rounds Flat Holm to port, Steep Holm to port and then returns to Portishead. Featuring a choose your own start time, it pits skippers and crews against the wind and tides of the Bristol Channel with the aim of being between the islands at slack water ready to race back on the new flood tide.

To encourage participation from all Bristol Channel Yacht Clubs, once again in 2024 will be the special prize for the ‘Top Club’. 

Currently held by PCC, the amazing rose-bowl trophy will be awarded to the top club in the Holms Race. The top three results from each club will be amalgamated and the best placed club will be pronounced as the ‘Top Club’. As the BCYA said themselves, ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it!

The Notice of Race, Entry Form and Sailing Instructions will be available closer to the event. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact us.

Annual General Meeting

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The club’s annual general meeting, which all members are encourage to attend, will this year take place at Portishead Bowling Club on Wednesday 13th March at 20h00.

 AGENDA

  1. Apologies for Absence
  2. Approval of 2023 AGM minutes
  3. Matters arising from 2023 AGM
  4. Honorary Treasurers report and adoption of Annual Audited Accounts for year ending 31st December 2023
  5. Commodore’s report
  6. Election of Officers and Committee
  7. Appointment of Auditors
  8. Adoption of changes to the constitution
  9. Any other business

AGM will be formally closed

Following the AGM after a short break a period of half hour will be set aside for a general discussion of matters raised from the floor.

Notices and Reminders.

This notice of AGM together with additional information has been emailed to all members. if you didn’t receive it, please email the Club Secretary.

Copies of the minutes of the 2023 AGM and the ‘Audited Accounts’ will circulated electronically one week prior to the meeting to members. 

Nominations for the posts of Club Officers and for positions on the general committee are to be signed at least seven days before the AGM i.e. by 6th March. Nomination forms are available from the Club Secretary by emailing or at a Wednesday night meeting. 

Members are reminded that membership renewal is due on the 1st of January each year and that only fully paid-up members will be entitled to vote at the AGM.

RNLI Sea Safety Evening

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The RNLI have been in touch to offer members an evening focussed on lifejackets and the latest developments in safety at sea. Designed to be an informal event pitched at both novice and experienced sailors, we would encourage members to attend. Equally, if you’d like the RNLI to give your lifejacket a once over, bring it along!

The event will also feature a short presentation from the Deputy Duty Harbour Master from Royal Portbury Dock who will talk about the dangers associated with sailing in a busy shipping lane.

After the event, members are invited to retire to the nearby Royal Inn for drinks.

The event will take place on 14th March at 19h00 at the RNLI boathouse.

To reserve your spot, please register via the following link. Note that the event space has a capacity of 25 people so don’t delay, reserve your spot today!

Please contact Tim at PCC or Bernd at the RNLI if you have any questions.

Club Christmas Lunch

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It’s time to start peeling the spuds, prepping the sprouts and getting those turkeys in the oven! Per club tradition, Val Bundell and her crew will be taking to the club kitchen to prepare the annual feast, hosted in the clubhouse. This year lunch will be served at 13h00 on Sunday 17th December and will comprise a main course, desert and cheese.

Demand for tables at this event is always high so get your booking in to Val as soon as possible. Our well stocked bar will be open too, ensuring you’ll be able to enjoy a beer, glass of wine or soft drink with your festive fare.

As our last social event for 2023, this is an event not to miss! Alternatively, if you’re considering joining the club, there’s no time like the present! Check out our membership page or contact our membership secretary, Dave Martin to learn more.

2024 Racing Calendar

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It’s time to lock in the dates for the 2024 season! You can find all the details over on the club racing page. The schedule includes all the key dates you need to plan your 2024 season and to assist, we’ve also added the dates for the Shanghai Cup and the Holms Race.

New for 2024, and in response to member requests, we’ve included a number of dates where there are no races but the tides are favourable for crews to go out for a practice, training or just a fun sail. You’ll see these dates on the calendar as Sail Training.

The 2024 Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions and other key documents will be added to the racing page in time for the start of the new season.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Nick Duppa-Miller.

Festive Music Night

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As the festive season rapidly approaches, the club will be hosting one of its traditional evenings at the clubhouse. Come and hear the Pill Owls and the Mudlarks while munching on a mince pie and enjoying a glass of mulled wine.

Providing a great opportunity to kick off the festive season in style, why not come down to the clubhouse and listen to carols from the Mudlarks and then the Pill Owls bedecked in their Dickensian garb of top hats, fancy weskits and flowing cloaks!

The fun will start at 20h00 on Wednesday 13th December at the clubhouse.

If you can’t make it, check out our other social events for the rest of 2023. Alternatively, if you’re considering joining the club, there’s no time like the present! Check out our membership page or contact our membership secretary, Dave Martin to learn more.

Laying Up Supper

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As the temperature starts to drop and the days shorten, many club members are starting the process of lift out and wintering on the hard. As the Parish Wharf starts to fill-up and to celebrate the end of another busy sailing season, the club will be hosting its annual laying up supper at the clubhouse on 11th November 2023, starting at 20h00.

New this year will be an appearance from the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew for which there will be a collection in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. For food, the club is taking an ‘American Supper’ style approach – i.e. bring your own dish. However, to make sure we don’t end up with 20 plates of sausage rolls etc., please liaise with our Social Secretary’s Owen and Sushi Boyle who will co-ordinate everyone’s contribution.

Why not take this occasion to come to the clubhouse, discuss your wintering plans with fellow members and celebrate another fantastic season on the water? With club members cruising over to Ireland, sailing round Scotland, attempting the FastNet, the Round the Island race, the Shanghai Cup and our own racing series here in Portishead, there’s much to discuss over a drink or two from the well-stocked clubhouse bar.

If you can’t make the laying up supper, check out our other social events for the rest of 2023. Alternatively, if you’re considering joining the club, there’s no time like the present! Check out our membership page or contact our membership secretary, Dave Martin to learn more.