The club are pleased to support the RNLI Water Safety Day that will be held by the boat lift/ in front of Hall & Woodhouse on Saturday 5th October. See the RNLI undertake sea safety exercises with a life raft, understand more about the ‘Float to Live’ campaign and bring along your lifejacket to be checked. This must-attend starts at 11h00 so why not pop along and say hi?
The club will have a small stall where those looking to find out more about the club can meet with committee members and learn more about how to get on the water.
Can’t make it but want to know about how to get involved with PCC? Just contact us or pop down to one of the club evenings at The Old Mill on Wednesday nights from 20h30.
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.
Following on from the previous RNLI Safety At Sea Evening and ahead of this year’s Holms race, we’re giving members another opportunity to get their lifejackets checked and hear advice from the RNLI about how to stay safe when on the water.
On Thursday 19th September, the RNLI clubhouse will be open to PCC members from 18h30 with the presentation starting at 19h00. The evening will also include a tour of the RNLI boathouse after the presentations.
If you missed the last RNLI evening, why not pop along? As a club evening, the RNLI are also happy for you to take along a beer or two to further create a very convivial evening.
The last time members attended, we learnt a lot about the types of callout the volunteers receive and of the lifejackets checked by their water safety team, a staggering 66% failed for very basic reasons – 2 for example didn’t even have the gas canister screwed into the holder within the lifejacket!
Given the recent weather, a club social around Bristol Harbour may not have been a wise choice! However, for our summer social, the sun shone and everyone enjoyed a couple of hours cruising around the harbour, stopping off at the Grain Barge and chatting about the passing view or recent sailing adventures.
Boarding the Bristol Ferry Matilda at the Nova Scotia boarding stage and after dodging the many sailing dinghies, paddle boards and other craft enjoying the good weather, our cruise took in many of Bristol Harbour’s familiar sights.
From a glimpse of the MV Balmoral ensconced in dry dock as she undergoes an extensive refit to the passing of the impressively restored SS Great Britain through to sights of Bristol’s waterfront of yesteryear, it was the perfect venue for this year’s summer social.
If you’d like to join a club that has social events, cruising and racing but don’t know where to start, contact us to find out more! We have our weekly club night from 20h30 at the Old Mill pub at the seaward end of Portishead High Street on Wednesdays and new or prospective members can always be assured of a warm welcome.
With another bank holiday weekend ahead and the locks fully operational again, PCC are eager to get back out onto the waters of the Bristol Channel!
To celebrate the start of the season, on Saturday 1st June,the club extends an invitation to any boat moored in Portishead Marina to join us. We’re planning to head up to some hidden places under the Severn Bridge, anchor for a picnic and then return on the tide.
This is an ideal opportunity to get together over the bank holiday weekend for some fun sailing, provide an opportunity to meet some fellow Portishead-based sailors and discuss future cruises planned for the 2024 season.
If you haven’t been out beyond the lock recently, would like to join in but would also like to benefit from having someone aboard to help you with the navigation etc, please contact us as we may be able to connect you with a PCC member who can join you for the afternoon and impart some local sailing knowledge.
High water on Saturday 1st June is 15h20 BST. The plan is to lock-out and muster at Portishead Pier two hours before high water. Please listen in on VHF Channel 37 for any mustering information from either Stuart or Geoff.
Our adventure will only take place in good weather. As a guide, we’ll sail up channel in a force 3 and if the wind is blowing force 4, we’ll likely head up to the Suspension Bridge via the River Avon. As is tradition, we’ll then round the afternoon off with a social drink at the Sirens Calling.
If you’d like to join us, just complete the form below and include your mobile number so we can add you to a WhatsApp group for more information.
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.
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.
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!
Club members recently attended the RNLI lifeboat station in Portishead to hear about the latest innovations in sea safety and survival equipment, tour the boathouse and receive an all-important lifejacket check.
Kicking off the event, Bernd Langheim, Water Safety Officer for the RNLI gave a short briefing on the work of Portishead RNLI, the area it covers and the types of callouts the team attend.
This was followed by a presentation from Dave Herbert, Deputy Duty Harbour Master at Royal Portbury Dock who shared some insight about the growth of the port as a gateway to the UK and the ships that regularly visit – many of which we see when we’re racing in King Road. Members noted that anyone stood on the bridge of a car carrier can only see 200m beyond the bow of the ship – creating a massive blind spot where small craft will not be seen.
After the presentations, members had a tour of the boathouse and learnt about the equipment carried aboard RNLI Portishead’s Atlantic 85, My Lady Anne. This was followed by an opportunity to have personal lifejackets checked. Of the 20 checked, 15 failed due to various faults – the RNLI message being to make sure you service your lifejacket before heading out for the new season!
The RNLI are happy to run further sessions for club members so if you’d like to be added to the waitlist for the next event, please contact us. In the meantime, thanks to the RNLI Portishead volunteers for hosting us!
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
Apologies for Absence
Approval of 2023 AGM minutes
Matters arising from 2023 AGM
Honorary Treasurers report and adoption of Annual Audited Accounts for year ending 31st December 2023
Commodore’s report
Election of Officers and Committee
Appointment of Auditors
Adoption of changes to the constitution
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.
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.
