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The marina have reported that the scheduled lock maintenance to replace the seals in the seaward gate has been successfully completed. The locks will return to service on April 1st. They also forecast that in everyone’s excitement to get back out on the water, the lock may be busy so please book ahead.
With the lock re-opening, this means the next race, Spring 3, will run as planned on Saturday 5th April.
Look forward to seeing everyone out on the water – and with some sunny weather too!
PYSC and PCC members converged on the Nailsea Masonic Centre on Saturday 6th March for a historic night – the first time the clubs have shared an event in nearly 70 years!
Thanking the PYSC team for inviting PCC to the event, Commodore Nick Duppa-Miller gave a short speech in which he outlined a number of things the club shared such as the joint use of the Newcombe Bouy (sometimes at the same time!) together with the use of VHF channel M1 on race day which always makes for an interesting start sequence.
After the 3 course dinner, and before the dancing started, came the PCC awards for non-racing prizes which were presented as follows:
| Services to the Club | Mark Lewis (awarded posthumously) |
| Furthest Cruise | Stuart Phipps, Segeta |
| Longest Single Handed Cruise | Jerry Dillon, Rosetta |
| Bristol Channel Cruising Cup | Margaret & Rodney Deacon, Tesalah |
| Best Newcomer | Bob Goulding |
| Best Log | Tim Pearson, Molia |
| Outstanding Seamanship | Crews of Assassin, Ctrl-J, Hero and Scrumpy-J for the passage to Cork and avoiding the bad weather! |
Congratulations to all the winners and if you missed out on the fun, next year’s event has already been booked for Saturday 7th February so mark your diaries!
Big thanks to the PYSC team for all the organization and also to Julia Filer on the PCC side.
In a remarkable twist of good luck, the racing fleet’s last race of the King Road series landed on a gap in the weather meaning the fleet enjoyed brisk winds and blue skies as they took to the water for a fine day’s racing.
Heading for Newcombe as the first mark, followed by Cockburn on a fast spinnaker run before hardening up to round Denny Island, the fleet then headed back to Cockburn before crossing the finish line between the club racing mark and Portbury Dock Outer.
With close quarter racing around the final mark between Assassin and Ctrl-J, the race provided fun racing before crews retired to C pontoon for the annual racing prize giving.
As ever, if you have any pictures taken of the fleet on the water, please send them in so we can update the rest of the club about the racing activities.
As the season starts up again, don’t forget that our weekly club nights at the Sirens Calling from 20h30 are the perfect place to discuss upcoming plans. Members are also reminded of the upcoming AGM on the 12th March too.
The end of the Kind Road series means it’s time for the annual Racing Fleet prize giving!
And the last race of the King Road series didn’t disappoint. With a perfect sailing breeze under bright blue skies, the fleet enjoyed the first sunny race of the year.
The gap in the never ending winter storms and grey gloom was also seized upon to host this year’s prize giving al fresco on C pontoon at Portishead Marina.
Prizes were awarded to Hero, Assassin, Scrumpy J, Blue Lobster and Ctrl-J who scooped a number of the series wins. Congratulations to all the crews on another year’s tight racing. For all the results, head over to the club racing page.
The next race will be Spring 3 on 3rd April. This is due to the scheduled Portishead Marina lock closures from 3rd to 28th March which means we’re unable to run Spring 1 and Spring 2 unless the scheduled works finish sooner than planned. Please keep an eye on the racing WhatsApp as if we can run the races, we will.
The non-racing club prizes will be presented at the forthcoming dinner dance, jointly hosted this year with PYSC. For more details, visit our dedicated page here.
The club’s annual general meeting, which all members are encourage to attend, will this year take place at Portishead Bowling Club on Wednesday 12th March 2025 at 20h00.
AGENDA
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
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 2024 AGM and the ‘Audited Accounts’ will circulated electronically one week prior to the meeting to members.
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.
It’s time to lock in the dates for the 2025 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 2025 season and to assist, we’ve also added the dates for the Shanghai Cup and the Holms Race.
Continuing the theme started in 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. You’ll also see some new races such as the Rum Cup and the Portishead Regatta; more details nearer the time!
The 2025 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 the club sailing secretary, Matt Bundell.
It was a very early start for this year’s Holms Race with 36 boats locking out from 06h30 before waiting for the right time to start their approach to the line. Wind conditions were predicted to be light and while the outbound upwind leg towards the islands had some stretches of solid breeze, as the fleet approached Flat Holm, the wind began to drop making for some testing conditions on the far side of the islands as spinnaker’s were hoisted to complete the rounding of Steep Holm.
On the spinnaker run back, the breeze filled in and the powered up fleet were fast approaching North West Elbow before once again a wind hole developed and bunched the fleet. With the wind absent and the new tide starting to run, crew skills were tested to ensure that when the breeze filled back in, they were in the right place (and facing the right direction!) from which to resume racing.
Approaching the line generated some more fluky conditions and of the 36 boats that started the race, 21 completed the full course. The skill of the Holms Race is to be between the islands at low water and for some of the fleet that had not factored in a dropping breeze, this meant that they could not round the islands before the tide turned.
After the usual lock scramble to get back into the marina (thanks to our friends at Boatfolk for once again perfecting the art of ‘lock Tetris’, it was off to Advance Marine who once again kindly hosted the post event BBQ and prize giving. This year, for the first time, a special award was made for the overall winner of the IRC boats and the BCYA rose bowl was once again awarded to the best placed club overall.
The winners were as follows:
Click on the links to access all the detail from the overall, IRC and PY fleets.
A big thanks to the Race Control team who were based at Battery Point from the early hours, everyone that competed from clubs across the Bristol Channel and to our sponsors Boatfolk and Advance Marine. We’ll see everyone next year!
Back in July, four PCC boats headed for the bi-annnual International Cork Week. Promising an exhilarating weeks sailing alongside the buzz of an international regatta, PCC crews enjoyed some great time on the water. Of course, this was after they’d made the delivery run from Portishead to Cork which itself can take up to 36 hours of non-stop sailing.
Assembling for a club party at one of the crew houses, conversations focussed on the variable conditions that the teams had this year – from heavy fog to large Atlantic swells through all variations in-between – it certainly was an action packed few days!
Despite the international crowd, PCC boats also held their own in the regatta leaderboard. Ctrl-J and Hero scored 4th and 5th overall in IRC 1, while Scrumpy-J, in their first trip to Cork, secured 5th overall in IRC 2. Assassin, this year racing in the Coastal Fleet, came in 9th overall. With this years total fleet in excess of 110 boats, these are great results for PCC. Congratulations to all the crews that participated!
Turning attention more locally, the club’s major Bristol Channel regatta is rapidly approaching. The Holms Race, where boats from all the local clubs compete, will take place this year on 28th September. Find out more here.
Amongst the racing calendar this year, the sailing committee have introduced Sail Practice Events. These are favourable tides where members can practice sailing manoeuvres such as spinnaker hoist and drops, tacking, gybing, sail trimming and helming outside of race conditions.
The remaining sail practice events for 2024 are as shown below. If your boat hasn’t been beyond the lock for a while and you’d like to practice your sailing manoeuvres in the company of other boats, these may be the events for you! Non-racing members and other Portishead Marina users are all welcome. If you are planning to go out, please let our Sailing Secretary, Matt Bundell know so he can let you know how many other boats will be joining you.
The remaining Sail Practice Events for 2024 are:
Ordinarily we leave the marina approximately an hour or so before high water and return to the marina an hour or so after high water. This is then typically followed by a pint or two at the sirens to debrief on what was seen from fellow vessels on the water!
Over the weekend of 29th /20th June, PCC crews headed to Cardiff for the second weekend of the annual Shanghai Cup, Bristol Channel IRC Championships and Nimrod Cup. This time hosted by co-organisers Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, crews once again pitted their skills and tactics in pursuit of arguably one of the most impressive cups available!
Going into the Cardiff leg, PCC boats were well placed in the overall leaderboard so stellar performances were needed to maintain their standings. In stark contrast to the first day of the Portishead leg, winds at Cardiff were light so crews had the extra pressure of keeping their sails full.
With Sunday’s conditions being broadly similar to Saturday’s, crews sailed six races across the weekend in addition to the three sailed previously in Portishead.
After the racing, crews headed back to Cardiff Bay Yacht Club for the results and prize giving and it was PCC boat Ctrl-J, skippered by Andy Williams that took first prize overall. However, the accolades didn’t stop there as this was the third time in a row that Ctrl-J had won giving them a Shanghai Cup hatrick! Jaloha, the J/80 from Pembroke Haven Yacht Club came 2nd overall and PCC boat Hero completed the podium positions with 3rd overall.
As another successful Shanghai Cup, Bristol Channel IRC Championships comes to a close, the organising committee extends their thanks to all the competitors from across the Bristol Channel for taking part and to all the race committee, mark layers, scorers and photographers who ensure that the racing can be safely and successfully run. The racing will return next year.
PCC crews will now continue their club racing before some of the boats head off to Ireland for Volvo Cork Week in the middle of July. The next big Bristol Channel event will be the Holms Race on 28th September.
If you’d like to join future races but don’t know where to start, contact us to find out about the latest crewing opportunities that may be available. You don’t need a boat to join in the fun!
Photos by Timothy Gifford
