Channel Sailing Division News

The only news that really matters is that the new Sea Essay (no more ‘of Hamble’) in the shape of a Dufour 390 is now in CSD service and presently on the Summer Cruise.

As this is written the boat is berthed in St Helier marina Jersey and it will spend the next four weeks in and around the Channel Islands before heading to the Devon and Cornwall coast for a further five weeks returning to Hamble at the beginning of September. The New Sea Essay

CSD’s new Sea Essay CSD’s new Dufour 390 eventually arrived from the factory on 14th April, four months late. Apparently one of the major delays was in the supply of a keel, that caused Dufour to take the boat out of the production line and store it outside for some time (judging by the amount of Saharan dust lurking in its many crevices). It is probable that once the keel turned up they then had delays in moving the hull back into the production line. On the day of delivery the boat was externally surveyed and launched that Thursday lunchtime prior to the Easter holiday weekend. Universal Yachting and their contractors worked some of that weekend and the following week fitting the Radar, VHF Antenna, wiring and Radar Reflector to the mast prior to stepping it, rigging the boat and completing the myriad of other commissioning tasks they had to do before handing the boat over to Jeff Llewellyn (Yacht Husband) on 22nd April. Then the Yacht Husband’s and Yacht Secretary’s headaches began with just six weeks to complete the sixty odd items on Jeff’s list to fit out and prepare the boat for our truncated sailing season which didn’t include contractors to install and integrate all the electronic (radio, multi-function displays, instruments, auto-pilot) and the heater systems. Not least was equipping Sea Essay to the standard required by the Small Commercial Vessel Code of Practice (as defined in Marine Guidance Note 280). In retrospect with a 23-page Handover time with Jeff Llewellyn compliance document containing over a hundred (Yacht Husband), Steve (from Universal) Dave Haward and Colin Smith items to be satisfied it was inevitable that there would be a few aspects outstanding after the survey. For instance, whilst you cannot buy domestic upholstery cushions, mattresses and covers without fire resistant certification it is not overtly required for those fitted to boats (they may well be fire resistant but no certificates are provided). Hence two days were taken up with stripping all the covers from the soft furnishings and spraying them with a fire retardant. Two additional blanking plates for the forward hatches had to be made and a larger fire extinguisher was needed - there’s now eight on board!

In parallel to the physical work required familiarisation notes had to be compiled and Approved Skippers familiarised, the Operating and Maintenance manual had to be re-written and Chart Table folders updated. All this added even more pressure in the last three weeks of May to complete the compliance items, get all the required paperwork updated and signed and the compliance and registration certificates on board. The very last piece of paperwork needed to make our use of the boat legal was the Charter Agreement between the CSSC Ltd (the boat owners) and the CSSA and that received its final signature on the day of the first charter. Oh! And we squeezed in a Naming Ceremony

(see pages 18 & 19)

CSD 2022 Programme

CSD’s new Sea Essay

The full 2022 Sailing Programme can be viewed on the Sailing Opportunities website page at: www.channelsailing.org. As is always the case with a new boat it is popular and the programme is showing good utilisation of Sea Essay through to October and November when for you more intrepid sailors there are still a number of days available.

Booking Contacts

Whilst most of the presently programmed opportunities are well subscribed there are often cancellations and if there is enough interest we may be able to put on extra ones so if you would like to take a berth on a Day Sail, Sea Time or a Training course or indeed charter the whole boat then these are the people to contact: CSSC Taster Day Sails Jenny Yarrow jennifer.yarrow@cssc.co.uk Group Day Sails Colin Smith csddaysails@gmail.com Sea Times Susie Welch seatimebureau@channelsailing.org Charters Brian Skelley charters@channelsailing.org Training Andy Rankine training@channelsailing.org

Mentoring

A reminder that the CSD mentoring scheme (CSD1-2-1) is available to members who would like advice, guidance and practical help to develop their sailing experience from Approved Skippers who like to share the benefit of their established skills, knowledge and experience. If as an Approved Skipper you would like to contribute to this or as a beginner you would like to take advantage of it please contact Colin Hurd at csd121coord@outlook.com.

Consider assisting the management and operation of Sea Essay

If you have thought you would like to help with the maintenance, operation or management of our new yacht, especially if you live within half an hour of the Mercury Yacht Harbour, please get in touch with the CSD Secretary Bill Taylor at: wrbtaylor@tiscali.co.uk, or any member of the Committee. For all the latest CSD news and information follow us on Facebook and our website CSD’s new Sea Essay