Apr 03 2015
Race Marks
Yesterday a small number of volunteers met on the slipway at 08:30. Their task was to lift and recover all 15 race marks, using the SS2 and SS3 that have been freshly serviced and maintained and painted by Toby Speller, John Casson, Paul Farrall and their team of helpers. We then had to unload the rescue boats and move all the marks, chain and concrete blocks to the top of the slipway. After a quick well earned cup of tea and a hose down, the second job to remove all the chain from the buoys and blocks, end to end the chain, checking it as they went, then to re shackle it all up, replacing marks 2, 4, 7, 9, 12 and 14 with orange buoys (a response to discussions at last years Sailing AGM, course cards with orange buoys). If that was not enough the buoys, chain and blocks were then loaded into SS2 and SS3 before being re-laid using 2 handheld GPS in a slightly condensed version of last years positions.
You may not notice the subtle change, but the west side of the mark grid is now closer to the Roslin Hotel rather than the Halfway house. This huge, dirty and demanding task was completed in 6 hours by me and my team of Struan Wallace, John Casson, Alan Grant, Paul Beasley, Paul Morgan and Jack Morgan. If you see these guys this weekend, give them a big thank you and buy them a drink. Without them we would have not fixed buoys to start the season.
Enjoy the long Easter weekends racing and the start of the season.
Click on “continue reading” for pictures and GPS files to download.
If you would like the current Lat and Long of the Racing Marks (as they was orginally dropped as they may move slightly), please use the Google Earth file from links below:
Google Earth (just save and open in Google Earth)
http://www.moreair.talktalk.net/Thorpe Bay Markers 2015.kmz
File that can imported to GPS’s (you will have to right click on Link and do save as)
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